A Soup of Quadrucci Egg Pasta with Fresh Peas + Carrots
Moving forward. On the cooking of Central Italy's Sabina region
“In order to gather as much information as possible about our cuisine and gastronomic traditions, I personally went to every place in our beautiful province. I have thus collected recipes, advice and indications from older people whom I have urged to go back in memory to the past age, to the good times gone by. Mostly a reality of hardship and sacrifice reflected in the quality of life and a fairly poor diet in both quantity and calories. Therefore, this Sabino eating means rediscovering tastes, flavours and aromas that are dormant but not forgotten, because today's cuisine should be careful to recreate the flavours of the past and respect tradition.
What surprises most in Sabina cuisine is that it reveals, despite the heterogeneity of its sources, and perhaps for this very reason, an unsuspected richness. Umbria, Abruzzo, Marsica and Lazio allowed for this political birth creating today's Sabina, (which does not coincide with the Sabina of the Romans) and the notable legacy of tastes, preparations, traditions, character and temperaments. Cuisine is civilization and culture — and it’s for this very reason, precisely for the cultural value of the table and for the weight of civilization that it holds.
If you can consider that cooking is man's creation and therefore falls within the forms of art, expressing the values and meanings of the place in which it occurs, it is perfectly understood that civilization can be detected and clearly clarified also through the culinary traditions of the table.” - Maria Giuseppina Truini Palomba, la cucina sabina
Riccardo picked me up from the airport on Good Friday. We had only met the week before, so it was a quick turnaround. I had forgotten to leave my number, but he tracked me down and invited me back to Italy for Easter weekend. He miraculously found an affordable last-minute ticket from London. I suppose he was determined and I naïve.
The previous weekend he had driven me up the via Salaria (a road so important that it merits its own post) to Canneto Sabino in the region of bassa or lower Sabina northeast of Rome so that I could feast my eyes on an olive tree that was over 2,000 years old. I thought it was an odd way to impress a woman, especially because I hardly believed that a tree could be so old, but I guess it was a symbolic preface for what was to come.
Our second trip up the via Salaria in the darkness of the night would take us just over an hour again driving northeast up through the winding roads and tunnels that run under the natural divide of the Sabine hills to Riccardo’s hometown of Rieti in alta or high Sabina.
The city of Rieti (Reate) in the heart of the province of the same name was, according to legend, founded at the beginning of the Iron Age (9th–8th century BC). Both the city and province of Rieti became a major site of the Sabine nation one of Italy’s most ancient tribes and today it still exists as the capital of the modern geopolitical region of Sabina and the ‘umbilicus’ at the geographical centre of Italy.
Many would be surprised to know that Rieti is directly responsible for Rome’s birth, and it was this pivotal moment that initiated the intricate link between the two cities until this day. Rea Silvia, the goddess for which Rieti is named, was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus who founded the city of Rome. The abduction and unfortunate rape of the Sabine women by the Romans to populate the newly founded city is reflected in many great works of art. Tito Flavio Vespasiano who founded the Roman empire and many ancient Roman scholars were also born here, and the Sabina region has played host to numerous populations, rulers and noble families throughout the ages. Today archaeological remnants of these strong ties can be found at every turn.
“The city often came into contact with the newborn Rome, which at that time was not yet powerful and was suffering from being crushed by other populations, especially the Etruscan ones who dominated the Peninsula. The Sabines, according to several historians, made a fundamental contribution to the foundation and proliferation of the city of Rome. The primitive history of Rome is in fact very linked to the Sabina, not only for the legendary Rape of the Sabine Women, but also for the origin of at least two of the 7 kings of Rome from Cures, namely Numa Pompilius and Ancus Martius.” - Storia.it
These facts were rattled off with pride by Riccardo as we drove and his passion for local history allows for a constant rediscovery of this place that we call home.
A symphony of birdsong, the snowcapped mountains of Terminillo, freshly ploughed fields and spring’s colourful blooms welcomed me to my first morning in Rieti – the same sounds and visions that surround me now as I type. Here I found an Italy that I had never imagined far from the commercial imagery of the touristic hot spots that most of us know – for better or worse preserved by the lack of efficient connections to Rome.
That weekend was a crossroads of religion and food. All that I had never seen or tasted before. With the background hum of Easter rites taking place in capital, la coratella, a traditional local dish (also popular in other regions) made with lambs’ offal and artichokes was presented to me for breakfast on Easter morning. The smell brought me back lightyears to my childhood home, where the air was heavy with the scent of the liver and onions that my mother would cook for my Irish father. With the greatest difficulty, I consumed my traditional Easter breakfast with a side of pizza di Pasqua, hard-boiled eggs, pecorino and salame despite the number of cocktails taken the night before. I was never to refuse food served to me as a guest in someone’s home. The liver eaters had drilled this act into me as an important sign of respect. Later we would lunch on delicate ribbons of fettucine laced with chicken livers plated by men in white coats.
A year later, after we officially became a couple, I insisted that Riccardo and I move from Rome to become residents in Sabina and more specifically Rieti, as I was keen to immerse myself in the food culture, language, people, rhythms, practices and cultural heritage of this inspiring space. The lure of the ever-changing season, colours, local produce, garden-fresh fruit and vegetables and the traditional practices of the countryside were hard to resist. The cucina Sabina had gotten a hold on me.
It is hard to believe that first weekend was 15 years ago, 15 years since I started cooking and learning about our local and accessible ‘cucina povera’, excited with my recent diagnosis of celiac disease (ironically diagnosed that same month), to learn about all of the naturally gluten-free dishes and ingredients that were available to me.
Years ago, when I stumbled upon Maria Giuseppina Truini Palomba’s book la cucina sabina while perusing the cookbook section of our fabulous little bookshop in Rieti, the only book written about our kitchen in the Italian or English language, I immediately devoured her work and a whole new understanding of this world expanded before me. This cookbook took up biblical status in our kitchen, and its pages are now worn and stained.
“Today's Sabina is almost like a Harlequin's costume, made up of many pieces: there is a piece of Abruzzo, there is a bit of Marsica, a bit of Umbria, there is Rome and then there is the heart of Sabina, the real Sabina, that is formed by the territories once of the Abbey of Farfaquella, near Cures, the place where the legendary rape of the Sabine women took place. (…)
Sabine cuisine is respectful of nature and the alteration of the seasons, therefore everything has its time and every occasion its dish. It is a cuisine linked to seasonal products. (….) It’s a frugal and poor cuisine, linked to the agricultural economy that has always characterized our land.
(…) Daily eating consisted of only one plate, a single dish, generally a hot soup eaten in the evening or reheated in the evening to serve on top of pieces of bread.
The Sabine borders have shifted throughout time, and they are often mistakenly associated with the Province of Rieti, while the current territory includes the three regions of Lazio, Abruzzo and Umbria touching the five provinces of Rieti, Rome, L'Aquila, Perugia and Terni. Her boundaries outline a rich history that springs forth from a bountiful and varied landscape boasting an exceptional water, agricultural and pastoral heritage.
“The Sabina, starting from the confluence of the Aniene with the Tiber, unfolds like an elegant vessel, between Umbria and Lazio, and then, between the Apennines, reaching up to Norcia and Accumoli, the two last cities of its relevance” - Giuseppe Antonio Guattani
Maybe it’s a bit of an exaggeration to recall the Garden of Eden or a land before time when one first encounters the lush acres of centuries-old olive trees and fruit orchards that stretch over Sabina bassa as they pave the way to Sabina alta. A space where the fertile soils of the Rieti plain come into communion with the high plains nestled in Sabina’s mountainous regions to play host to endless fields of sunflowers, amber waves of various grains, legumes, chestnuts, potatoes, mushrooms, truffles, saffron, wild foods and everything else that you could hope to find in the majestic woods that grow the crevices of her snow-capped peaks. Sabina’s uncontaminated and picturesque bodies of water, natural springs and clear turquoise rivers are home to freshwater crustaceans and fish. Not to mention the internationally renowned animal bi-products whose excellence are a result of the grazing of this rich landscape. It is this remoteness and the untainted rhythms of these rural economies that have allowed the traditions of this space to stay intact. A centuries-old way of life deeply connected to the land.
And from this world springs forth her kitchen.
And what are her recipes? Moving forward I will be writing predominately about la cucina sabina and the cuisine of Central Italy to recreate recipes of both the past and present while respecting tradition. I will also be gathering authentic recipes provided by our local producers and country folk. I hope you will follow along with interest as I publish these accessible dishes many of which are naturally plant-inspired, gluten-free, lactose/dairy-free and vegan.
There has always been an ebb and flow of culinary inspiration between the capital and the surrounding regions of Central Italy making it hard to pinpoint the origin of certain popular recipes. At the same time, these provinces, villages, cities and towns for reasons of story, land and time can also claim certain ingredients and dishes as part of their distinct culinary heritage without debate.
I have chosen this recipe for quadrucci con piselli or ‘quadrucci with peas’ as a salute to the common and individual identities that can be found in the modern cuisine of current-day Lazio. This dish also pays homage to the culture of the minestra once served as the piatto unico in the farmer’s world ever-changing and stretching with what was available most often including wild foods and plant protein. The cucina Sabina includes endless recipes for what was and still is an easy-to-prepare, nourishing and medicinal soup. An ancient and flexible fast food per se.
There is no doubt that households here in Rieti and in Sabina were preparing this recipe before 1927 when the province was transferred from Umbria to Lazio. With this, we might ask ourselves who really owns the origins of some recipes and can we put borders on them? Do they spring forth from regions, provinces, cities, villages and towns or simply a human condition in a place and time? It’s a conversation.
A minestra of quadrucci with piselli is a relatively modern culinary invention that would have entered kitchens after the inception of Italy’s pasta culture in the 17th century. The eggs, needed to prepare the ‘pasta all’uovo’ would not have been afforded by every family until recent times.
The recipe below is my own spring take which invites you to layer the flavour of the peas by using a vegetable broth prepared with fresh pea pods so that you can make the most of the entire plant before throwing them into the organic bin. This time around I added carrots to accompany their longstanding companion the pea. I think they work and if you don’t agree, you can always leave them out and double the amount of peas.
Quadrucci originated as a way to make use of the leftovers that came from freshly made pasta because ‘non si butta via niente’ – you don’t throw anything away. Today you can find quadrucci dried or purchased fresh here in Italy in your local ‘pasta fresca’ or supermarket. If you are unable to get your hands on these shapes, you can also cut them from strands of fresh fettucine. The quadrucci that I used here were dry and gluten-free, but here in Italy we can also buy fresh gluten-free egg pasta (ideally fettucine or sheets of lasagne) to cut fresh squares if you wish. In these times when gluten-free products are in such demand, I have no doubt that you can find something similar near you. Making them handmade if you have a notion is the most luxurious and satisfying thing.
A Soup of Quadrucci Egg Pasta with Fresh Peas + Carrots
Quadrucci all’uovo con piselli e carote
GF/V/DF
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the vegetable broth:
½ small leek
1 small onion
1 stick of celery with leaves
1-2 carrots peeled
A few handfuls of fresh pea pods
A handful of fresh parsley
For the soup:
2 litres of vegetable broth
1 medium stick of celery with leaves
5cm of a white of a leek
1 medium shallot
200g of fresh peas
200g of carrots peeled
200g of quadrucci regular or gluten-free
Olive Oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Optional to serve: Finely grated pecorino romano and/or Parmigiano Reggiano
Method:
For the vegetable broth:
1. Add 2 litres of cold water to a medium-large pot. Add all of the washed and trimmed vegetables and herbs. Add a teaspoon of salt.
2. Bring the contents to a boil and then simmer over low heat covered for at least an hour.
For the soup:
1. Small dice your carrots.
2. Make a trito by finely chopping together the shallot, leek and celery.
3. Coat the bottom of a medium-large pot with a thin film of olive oil.
4. Add the chopped vegetables to the pan and cook over low heat until translucent.
5. Add your vegetable broth, peas and carrots.
6. Boil, bring to a simmer, add another teaspoon of salt.
7. Add the pasta and cook according to the package or until al dente.
8. Serve hot with some grated cheese if you wish.
Notes: You can bulk up your veggie broth with things like garlic, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns etc. but I think less is more here. If all you have are frozen peas and carrots by golly use them. The same goes for ready-made vegetable stock cubes. 100 years ago the rural populations of Sabina would have been grating pecorino cheese over their minestra when called for as access to Parmigiano Reggiano, a product of the North was unheard of (as recounted by my mother-in-law). Lardo, pancetta, and guanciale would have been traditionally added to the chopped vegetables that you cook in oil (soffritto) so you can try that too. Quadrucci are delicious in any type of broth.