The original Sicilian pasta with tenerumi is a summer soup despite appearances.
It is part of the ancient tradition of Sicilian farmers, who pruned the tips of the long Sicilian zucchini plants to strengthen the vegetables, and with those tips, they made a sweet and delicate soup with the raw materials they had at hand: the pasta and the homemade tomato preserves that some families still make today.
Indeed, every year I also make preserves of both the tomato sauce and the cherry tomatoes, and it was with one of my jars of cherry tomatoes that I made the “picchi pacchi”, the typical peeled tomato sauce added to the pasta with tenerumi, then a sprinkle of caciocavallo, 2 basil leaves, and there you have the Sicilian peasant summer at your home.
Thought for you:
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Sicily
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 228.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 19.31 (g) of which sugars 2.89 (g)
- Proteins 7.25 (g)
- Fat 14.34 (g) of which saturated 1.99 (g)of which unsaturated 1.62 (g)
- Fibers 2.63 (g)
- Sodium 378.70 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 11 oz tenerumi (already cleaned)
- 10 oz peeled tomatoes (I used cherry tomatoes)
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 7 oz spaghetti (broken)
- to taste basil
- to taste salt
- to taste caciocavallo (ragusano d.o.p. or baked ricotta for grating)
A look at health
Tools
What we need to make
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Pan
Steps
Getting to know tenerumi
These are the leaves of the long Sicilian zucchini plant.
It’s a climbing plant that climbs onto canes specifically placed there by farmers. From its branches grow these leaves “the tenerumi” from which long zucchinis dangle.
As the plant grows, to strengthen the vegetables, the tips are pruned, collected, and then cooked.
Separate the leaves from the stem and remove buds and tendrils.
Wash them several times in plenty of water, until it becomes clear.
The leaves of the tenerumi are velvety and turn the water green, creating a natural foam.
Once washed and drained, stack them to make cutting easier,
then cut them into 1/2 inch strips.
Put a pot with plenty of water and salt on the stove and bring to a boil, then add the tenerumi and cook them for 5 minutes meanwhile…
In a pan, add extra virgin olive oil and chopped garlic, and let it brown,
then add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them with a wooden spoon.
I had cherry tomatoes, and they work just as well. Season with salt.
Break the spaghetti into 1-inch pieces,
and add them together with the tenerumi and cook them with just enough water to cook the pasta.
When there’s 1 minute left for the pasta to be done, add the sauce “picchi pacchi” and finish cooking.
Serve the pasta with tenerumi with basil leaves and a bit of grated ragusano d.o.p. caciocavallo.
The original Sicilian pasta with tenerumi, the soup without the pasta, keeps for up to 3 days in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer with all its water, separated from the picchi pacchi.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
The original Sicilian pasta with tenerumi
Can I also add pieces of long zucchini?
Yes, certainly
Can leaves from other zucchini be used?
No, because they are not tender and have a fuzz on top.
