Edward Giobbi's Spaghetti alla Foriana
Author Notes: "This is my father’s recipe," writes Eugenia Bone, "one I often serve to vegetarians, who almost always have an epiphany when they taste it on spaghetti." And not only does the sauce keep for other uses, covered in olive oil in the fridge, it gets better and better. The aromas of garlic and oregano are lured out, mingling with the nutty bits and perfuming the oil. Bone stuffs pork chops with it, stirs it into seafood stew, and spoons it on top of bruschetta. Sauce recipe adapted from Well-Preserved by Eugenia Bone (Clarkson Potter, 2009). —Genius Recipes
Serves 4 with sauce to spare
Foriana Sauce
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 5 tablespoons sliced garlic (about 10 large cloves)
- 3 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons olive oil plus more for covering the jars
- 1/2 cup white or golden raisins
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a fine chop, until the nuts are like damp granola. Add the oregano and pulse a few more times to combine.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet over a medium heat. Add the nut mixture, the raisins, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid burning or searing.
- If storing sauce for later, bring 3 half-pint jars and their bands to a boil in a large pot of water fitted with a rack. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove the jars with tongs (the tongs don't need to be sterilized). Simmer new lids in a small pan of hot water to soften the rubberized flange. When the jars are dry but still hot, pack in the Foriana Sauce, eliminating as many air pockets as you can. Fill the jars to about 1 inch below the rim. Add a 1/2-inch layer of oil to cover. Wipe the rims with a paper towel, set on the lids, screw on the bands, and refrigerate. Check on the sauce a day after you make it: you may need to add more oil to ensure it is completely covered.
- Be sure to cover the surface of the sauce well with oil after each use. Remove only the quantity of sauce you need for a dish and allow that to come to room temperature. Cover the remaining sauce in the jar with fresh oil and return it to the fridge promptly.
- You can hold Foriana Sauce, covered in olive oil in the refrigerator, for 10 days. (Note: Because of a low but very serious risk of botulism, make sure that the sauce heats through thoroughly in Step 2, and do not keep it in the refrigerator for longer than 10 days.)
Spaghetti alla Foriana
- 3/4 pound spaghettini
- 1 cup Foriana Sauce
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese (serve on the side to make the dish vegan-friendly)
- Cook the spaghettini in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss with the Foriana Sauce. Garnish with the cheese. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
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over 1 year ago I_Fortuna
I have put golden raisins in my rice dishes before but never pasta. This looks great and I can easily anticipate how great it will be.
almost 2 years ago Robert
I'd like to try this for my fiance'. Two questions: Can I halve the recipe with good results, and will a little extra stay good in the fridge for a day or two without canning?
over 2 years ago EmilyMarieC
This is absolutely delicious, and so easy! I used it as an excuse to make homemade semolina spaghettini and it was the perfect accompaniment. I was impressed with how complex the favor was without that key "secret" Italian ingredient, anchovy -- it's great to have an equally-flavorful option for vegetarians.
over 2 years ago KK
My family loves this recipe. I added some heavy cream, sundried tomatoes and arugula. Used whole grain thin spaghetti. The dish was still dry, not saucy, it was delicious. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
almost 3 years ago Omnishambles
Made with pistachios instead of pine nuts, and wanted to note that the pistachio is a very worthy substitute. This stuff is truly amazing. Ate on spaghettini the first night, and stuffed beneath the skin of a spatchcocked chicken the next -- the skin crisped up and the garlicky nutty juices did their good work. And then for breakfast, spooned over a cloud of ricotta on a slice of nutty, seedy toast. Next up: a plan to make a weirdo variation with cashew nuts and almonds, and curry leaves instead of oregano -- it could go in a very different direction, but an equally delicious one I think.
over 3 years ago Phyllis Aniello
Hey Dr. Benny, Ed Giobbi's Lasagna. Best ever. Look for it. XXXOOO
over 3 years ago JohnL
Glad to see this recipe still being highlighted on the homepage from time to time--It really is delicious, quick & easy to make, versatile, and ADDICTIVE. It instantly became one of my most prized recipes. I like it so much I ordered the book and it finally hit me why all the talk of food safety--"Well Preserved" is a book that deals with canning and preserving food, and the author is simply being abundantly cautious which is appropriate in a book about preserving food. I keep a stash of this (I call it nut pesto) in the fridge and don't let my supply run out before I make another batch. It's that good. MUST TRY.
over 1 year ago Christa
The talk of food safety is just because nuts in oil is a possible botulism breeding ground, and botulism will kill you.
over 3 years ago Victoria Plettner-Saunders
I'm late to the comments on this one - just made it last night as a light winter Sunday supper with a green salad. Too bad I'd already opened a Cab and didn't have a chilled white wine at the ready - it would have been a lovely pairing. I added a few diced dried cranberries and a handful of dried breadcrumbs (reduced the nuts a smidge as well) - we loved it! My husband ate seconds. I put the rest of the mix in the freezer rather than go through the messy oil procedure. I'm assuming that will still address the toxicity issues.
This is NOT supposed to be a wet sauce (as per many comments below) it is a nutty, brown, crunchy preparation with touches of tart sweet fruit. You might want to drizzle with a little extra extra virgin olive oil but I didn't find it necessary. Oh and the oregano wasn't overpowering. A new dish for our quick dinner repertoire.
over 3 years ago JohnL
I tested a half batch of this recipe as a first course serving tossed with vermicelli and thought it was inspired and had an excellent balance of toasted nuttiness, garlic and oregano. I will definitely be making it again. For anyone undecided about trying it, think of it as a variety of pesto with the herb and nut proportions turned upside down. It is supposed to be dry and crumbly because of the high ratio of ground nuts--similar in effect to some of the pasta dishes that incorporate toasted bread crumbs at the last second for texture--you can (and I did) add a bit of water to loosen it, or more oil as you will do anyway when you top off your container for storage of the wonderful Foriana paste. The oregano is not too strong at all--again think how much basil goes into a typical pesto--a ton. The raisins are just barely there and you only bite into one occasionally. They add their little bursts of subtle sweetness and chew, and they definitely belong in the dish. I would much rather have an interesting first course serving of pasta Foriana than the usual pasta with pesto made with basil. And this is just as good with or without the cheese. And its an easy recipe to prepare, with few ingredients (mostly staple pantry items), and its something nice to have on hand in the fridge for a quick pasta dish. You will think of lots of ways to use it besides pasta. I have to agree: GENIUS!
over 3 years ago Patricia Judice
I didn't have enough golden raisins, so I used some fresh dates cut into small pieces. Very tasty.
over 3 years ago Diane
I don't quite understand this dish. The crumbly, stiff dry texture of the sauce (I hesitate to call it that) was almost inpenetrable. I ended up draining the pasta very quickly, but still added at least a cup of pasta water to loosen it up and incorporate it (much like a fettucini alfredo preparation). The sweetness of the raisins seemed overpowering and I found myself adding salt, salt and more salt. I loved the earthy balance of the oregano. I also don't understand preserving the sauce in an oil to prevent the raw garlic from spoiling… the garlic is indeed cooked. I love every other genius recipe I've tried, but somehow I feel like I'm missing something on this one, perhaps it's as simple as personal preference.
over 3 years ago becky
added a can of tuna and a couple tablespoons of capers to this along with the spaghetti. very tasty and simple supper! thought I'd have trouble using up the leftovers in time but that won't be a problem as I can't seem to stop dipping crackers into it.
over 3 years ago JohnL
When you said tuna and dip, I immediately thought of Patricia Wells' recipe for Lemon- and Oregano-Seasoned Tuna Mousse from her Trattoria cookbook. It has attained cult status in some circles. Its not really a mousse, just a dip for crackers and crudités you can throw together in minutes in the food processor. It's killer.
almost 4 years ago dc
Looks delish, but I can't afford that many pine nuts!!
about 4 years ago Fred B.
re: the botulism issue...
I could half this, I suppose, but since serving will be just for one and I don't have the canning equipment and there'd be extra sauce, how about some thoughts on any issues with the freezing. Cool to room temp? Straight into freezer? Invite several unknowns over to sample my culinary experiment?
over 3 years ago JohnL
That was the one thing I found off-putting about the recipe--all this talk of botulism seemed to take up half the recipe. I have made and stored millions of things made with garlic and never heard a whisper of such spoilage talk and storing in sterilized jars, etc. I guess I'm taking a chance and living on the edge.
over 3 years ago Fred B.
Thanks John for bringing this back into my field. I set it aside at the time and will now go dig it out again. "Damn the toxicology report. Full steam ahead!"...or something like that.
about 3 years ago SlowLorus
I think this is because the recipe was originally published in the author's column & book, both called "Well Preserved," which has a focus on canning & other preservation techniques. You can make this recipe, throw it all into a big clean jar to store in the fridge if you're using it in the next couple of days. Or freeze it. I've found it to be a very forgiving and flexible recipe. And delicious, of course.
about 4 years ago Ann.cleary
Is botulism really a risk?
about 4 years ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Creative Director of Food52
Yes, storing undercooked garlic in olive oil (an anaerobic environment) poses a serious risk of botulism -- but this recipe is safe if prepared per the instructions.
over 4 years ago Patricia Judice
I froze a small portion dry, and it remained flavorful and intact when I defrosted. Then did a finishing toasting in a skillet with olive oil and crushed red pepper.
over 4 years ago joannajw
I could eat this for every meal from now on!
over 4 years ago joannajw
OMG I'm drooling over the pan as I cook it....don't worry it's all for me :)
over 4 years ago neighome
I've made this twice. I love it, but find I need quite a bit more olive oil that called for.
almost 5 years ago sophiea
Just made it tonight. Delicious! I used Parmesan instead of Pecorino because I had it and it worked great. The garlic and nuts got golden brown and crispy. I added a bit more olive oil to the sauce and pasta (since I made it and used it in the same night, I hadn't gone through the step of canning it and topping it with olive oil in the jar). It wasn't too much oregano and I normally hate raisins but the golden raisins in this context were perfect - little bursts of sweet. Try this recipe!
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