By, Silvia Nacamulli
2 min read
By, Silvia Nacamulli
My paternal grandfather, Nonno Bino, was originally from the ghetto of Venice and came to Rome in the 1930s to find a job and a wife. He married my grandmother (Nonna Bianca) and worked with her in the family business - at the time a small shop selling glass and ceramic household products. I cherish my Venetian origins, and Venetian Jewish cooking is one of the richest cuisines in Italy. In fact, Venice had Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Italian Jews living together, and as a result the food in the ghettos was varied, exotic and cosmopolitan.
This recipe is a staple of Venetian Jewish cooking, even if its Jewish origins are often forgotten. Bigoli is Venetian pasta originally made with buckwheat flour, but is now more commonly made with whole wheat flour. It is a little thicker than the traditional spaghetti and its texture is rough, allowing the sauce to be more easily absorbed. I am using wholegrain spaghetti here as it is similar to bigoli and more easily available. Wholegrain spaghetti has a nutty flavour, which goes very well with the anchovies.
You may find out that even people who don't like anchovies often like this recipe - somehow the combination of the onions, parsley and wholegrain pasta balance-out the anchovies, creating a rich flavour.
Silvia's website is www.cookingforthesoul.com
