As the name may infer, this sumptuous vegetarian pesto hails from the sun-drenched Calabria, the ‘tip’ of Italy’s boot. Here, sweet red peppers and fiery chillies grow abundantly from the scorched earth, the unrelenting heat rendering particularly flavoursome crops.
Revered for its spicy, yet slightly smoky taste, the Calabrian chilli is tempered by creamy and cooling ricotta cheese, as well as fragrant basil. Unlike most of the famous cheeses consumed across the peninsula, ricotta is suitable for vegetarians, formed from the sweet and mild whey byproduct of traditional cheese making.
This week, we've serve our Calabrian pesto with fresh paccheri pasta and beautiful sun-dried tomatoes. Paccheri are a large, tubular-shaped pasta originating from Campania and Calabria. “Paccheri” literally translates to “slaps”, which is derived from the sound they make when eaten. Paccheri were invented by Sicilian pasta makers in order to smuggle Southern Italian garlic into Prussia during the Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Prussian garlic was small and weak compared to the large, pungent, Italian cloves, so Italian farmers hid 4-5 cloves in each piece of paccheri and smuggled it across the northern border.
Note: Please consume or freeze our pasta and sauces within 2 days of delivery.
INGREDIENTS
Allergens in BOLD & CAPITALISED:
Durum WHEAT Semola, WHEAT Flour, EGG, Rice Flour
Red Bell Pepper, Onion, Vegetarian Hard Cheese (MILK, Salt, Vegetarian Rennet), Ricotta (Pasteurised Cow's MILK, Cream (MILK), Salt, Acidity Regulator; Lactic Acid), Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Garlic, Red Chillies, Salt, Black Pepper
Tomatoes, Sunflower Oil, Water, Wine Vinegar, Sea Salt, Sugar, Garlic
MILK, Salt, Rennet (Microbial Coagulant), EGG Lysozyme
RECIPE CARD
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NUTRITION
Calories per serving: 757kcal
Following nutritional information is per 100g:
- Energy 1079kJ
- Calories 259kcal
- Fat 7.4g
- Of which saturates 2.5g
- Carbohydrates 36.6g
- Of which sugars 5.4g
- Protein 10.7g
- Salt 0.6g