The Scammaro Omelet is an ancient recipe of Neapolitan poor cuisine, created by the cook and scholar Ippolito Cavalcanti who included it in his famous book “Cucina Teorico Pratica”.
It is generally prepared during Lent when the faithful refrain from fatty and animal-derived foods.
The word “scammaro”, which has taken the meaning “lean”, comes from the word “scammarare” (“to stay out of the room”) and refers to monks who adhered to the typical Lenten restrictions, unlike those monks who, for health reasons, were allowed to consume fatty foods as long as meals were eaten inside their rooms.
Despite its name, making it doesn’t require eggs, like the classic pasta omelet, but only cooked long pasta (vermicelli or spaghetti) seasoned with a mix of olives, pine nuts, and capers which is then fried again in a pan to form the characteristic golden crust.
It seems that the Scammaro Omelet was one of the favorite dishes of Maestro Eduardo De Filippo, as testified by his wife Isabella Quarantotti, in the book titled
“I Cook the Way I Want”
But let’s see in detail how to prepare it.
Are you ready? Then… let’s cook and eat!!
See also: Sweet Casatiello Stuffed Fried Paccheri Sorrentina Gnocchi Neapolitan Rustic Spaghetti with Escaped Clams
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 10.5 oz spaghetti (or vermicelli)
- 1 clove garlic
- 3.5 oz black olives (of Gaeta or Taggiasca, pitted)
- 3 fillets anchovies in oil (optional)
- 0.7 oz pine nuts
- 2 tbsp salted capers (desalted)
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- to taste pepper (ground)
- 1 tbsp water (from cooking pasta)
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pan
Steps
To prepare the scammaro omelet, start by cooking the pasta in plenty of slightly salted water.
While the pasta is cooking, in a pan, sauté the garlic clove in oil, add the anchovies (I skip this, opting for a vegetarian version), black olives, desalted capers, and pine nuts. Let everything flavor for a few minutes, then remove the garlic and transfer the seasoning to a bowl.
When a couple of minutes are left until the end of cooking, as indicated on the package, drain the pasta and put it in the bowl with the seasoning, along with a tablespoon of cooking water.
At this point, adjust the salt and pepper, add the chopped parsley, and mix everything for a few minutes so that the pasta releases a bit of starch which will then act as a binder instead of eggs.
In the same pan where you prepared the seasoning, heat a bit of oil and pour in the pasta, press it well so that it occupies the entire surface of the pan, and finally let the scammaro omelet cook on low heat for 15 minutes on each side, taking care to move the pan over the heat so that even the edges cook well.
Once ready, let it cool slightly and serve.
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