Catherine Fulvio’s ‘poor folks’ spaghetti: a taste of traditional Italy

TV Chef, food writer and owner of Ballyknocken House & Cookery School, Catherine Fulvio is this week’s Irish Times Food Month guest chef and each day she will share one of her favourite Italian recipes.

Fulvio does not believe in complicated recipes with expensive ingredients.

Instead her focus is on creating recipes that are seasonal, doable and delicious, while not compromising on flavour.

Neapolitan Christmas Eve spaghetti with walnuts

In Italy in the weeks before Christmas, wonderful fresh walnuts arrive in the shops. Traditionally this was a recipe for "poor folks" and it illustrates how Italians respect their ingredients. It is simple, pure deliciousness. Diced aubergine can be added, but bear in mind that the cooking time would be longer.

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Serves four

Ingredients
350g spaghetti
100ml extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, very finely sliced
6 anchovies
150g walnuts, lightly toasted and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Method
1 Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the anchovies and gently mash them with a fork so they dissolve in the oil.

2 Drain the pasta and reserve some of the cooking liquid. Add the cooked, drained pasta to the sauce. Stir in some of the cooking liquid to loosen the pasta and return to the heat.

3 Add the walnuts and cook for a further 1-2 minutes, then season to taste. Add the parsley and serve.

From Eat Like an Italian, published by Gill