Elizabeth Minchilli is a woman after our own hearts. A tried–and–true anchovy lover. We couldn’t be any more pleased that she has decided to go on an anchovy spree; just last week she delighted us with her Potato an Salted Anchovy Salad, and this week we have the fantastic recipe for her Pasta with Zucchini and Colatura.
Nettuno – Cetara – Campania
“Colatura is a magic, ancient, ingredient that comes from the Amalfi Coast. Said to be the descendant of the ancient Roman’s garum, colatura is the liquid that is given off while anchovies are being salted in barrels. Similar to Asian fish sauce, but with a much purer, anchovy taste (in my opinion).
In Italy most colatura comes from the little fishing village of Cetara, where they are still catching and preserving anchovies the traditional way… With colatura, a little goes a long way. In fact, when making pasta with colatura, I usually salt the pasta water a bit less, since the colatura is salty itself. The classic way to use colatura is to make the standard spaghetti aglio olio pepperoncino, adding a splash of colatura at the end. But I think it works even better with fresh pasta and some sort of green… You’ll see there is not much other flavoring going on here. No garlic. No onions. Just pure and simple oil, pasta and zucchini. And of course colatura. But that’s our secret.”
Bravissima Elizabeth! Thank you for spreading the anchovy love!
photos by: Elizabeth Minchilli