Pasta alle olive verdi - Pasta with green olives

It must of been in 1994 that I read the first Donna Leon novel featuring Commissario Guido Brunetti - this sympathetic crime commissioner living in Venice with his wife Paola, professor for english literature, and their childred Raffi and Chiara.

Back then, I just came back from spending a couple of days in Venice. So when I started reading this first novel I was able to picture exactly where the commissario was moving which made it even more fun reading.  One more aspect for me loving the books was, that Commissario Guido Brunetti loves food and wine and his wife always prepares the most delicious dishes for her family (I haven´t figured out yet how she manages to serve a two-course dinner every day - actually she seems to be cooking like this even twice a day - having a fulltime job.) Obviously these lucky people have a different rythm of life as we do.

Anyways, ever since this first book I couldn´t wait until the next one of the series was published every year in July.

All the more I was rejoicing when I found out about the plans of publishing a cookbook with the recipes Paola prepared with so much love. (I´m still waiting for this to happen with the series on Commissario Montalbano written by Andrea Camilleri). Of course I had my copy in hand more or less the day it was published (have I mentioned before that I´m a "cookbook-addict"??) . Brunetti´s cookbook
I like it a lot, it´s entertaining to read with text excerpts from the respective novel and it seems to bring you this family even closer (I always wished to have been born in Italy...).

One of the pasta recipes was an instant eye-catcher. If you like olives, you will love this pasta! So try it!!

click HERE for a printable version

Serves 4

350 g             Fusilli (I used Trofie yesterday because I didn´t have any Fusilli in the house)
    2                Cellery stalks, cut into brunoise
                      How to cut using a Chef´s knife
    1                Carrot, cut into brunoise
    1                Shallot, cut into brunoise
    8 tbsp        Olive oil of good quality
1-2 tsp           Sea salt
                      Learn about gourmet salt
                      Peperoncino, crumbled (the amount you desire)
130 g             Green olives, pitted and chopped (be sure to
                      buy good quality green olives with the pit
                      that have a firm flesh like e.g. french picholines.)
                      How to pit olives
 40 g              Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
   1 bunch       Fresh basil leaves
                    

Heat the olive oil in a big, coated frying pan to medium-low heat. Add the cellery, carrot, shallot, salt and peperoncino (dried chili pepper). Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes adding a little hot water once in a while.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the olives and sauté for two more minutes.
Cook the pasta, drain and add to the saucepan together with the parmesan cheese, a shot of finest olive oil, some freshly ground black pepper and lots of fresh basil leaves .

Serve immediately with more Parmesan and basil on the side.

Buon appetito!