Spaghetti Estivi Freddi

Here's my recipe for a delicious summer pasta dish called Spaghetti Estivi Freddi, which means chilled summer spaghetti. It's sort of what we Americans would call a "pasta salad" and thus it's great for a picnic or for eating outdoors on a hot summer evening. It's quite easy to make, though it does require a little planning, as you must prepare the marinated mushrooms ahead of time. As with all simple dishes, success depends upon the quality of your ingredients, so try to get the best and freshest things that you can find. I was able to obtain everything needed for this dish at a rural supermarket so you shouldn't have any trouble. 

Marinated Mushrooms

You will need:

• 2 pounds small mushrooms
• 1/2 to 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• a pinch of freshly-grated nutmeg
• 2 lemons
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 shallot, sliced
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 2 "Turkish" bay leaves
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper

• A large skillet/sauté pan
• a capacious glass or other container to hold the mushrooms while they marinate

Choose small mushrooms, ones with caps not much larger than an inch or so in diameter. White "button" mushrooms, cremini, "Baby Bella", portobello— they're all the same mushroom, just at different stages of growth. The youngest are the white ones, the brownish cremini or "Baby Bella" are a bit older, and the large portobello are the oldest. Either the white "buttons" or small cremini/"Baby Bellas", or a mixture of the two, will work. Try to choose mushrooms whose gills do not show; the cap should curve around and touch the stalk. These are fresher.

It is a myth that washing mushrooms causes them to absorb a bunch of water. Wash them in the following manner: fill a large bowl (or your sink) with cold water and add the mushrooms. Swish them around, rub each one to remove any dirt, then lift them out of the water with your hands and place them onto a kitchen towel to drain and dry. Blot the mushrooms with the towel if necessary. If any of the mushrooms are larger than about an inch in diameter, then halve them.

Heat about one half of the olive oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook them, shaking the pan and turning the mushrooms, for about 5 minutes. Grate a bit of a nutmeg (the equivalent of a pinch) into the pan, toss the mushrooms again, and remove from heat.

Remove the zest from the lemons using a citrus zester or a very sharp knife. You want only the yellow colored part of the lemon peel, not the white part. If you're removing the zest with a knife, chop it finely after it's removed. After you've removed the zest, cut the lemons in half and juice them.

Put the lemon zest, lemon juice, sliced garlic & shallot, thyme, bay leaves and remaining olive oil into the marinating container. Add the mushrooms and any juice/oil from the sauté pan. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste. Give everything a good stir to make sure all the mushrooms are coated with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, up to 5 days.

Spaghetti Estivi Freddi

You will need:

• 1.5 pounds good Italian spaghetti
• 1/3 cup best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped or put through a garlic press
• about 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• about 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/3 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
• about 20 good-quality pitted ripe (black) olives
• 6 anchovy fillets
• about 1.5-2 cups of the marinated mushrooms from the preceding recipe (remove just the mushrooms from the marinade)
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper

• a medium-sized sauté pan or saucepan.
• a large pot for cooking the pasta
• a large serving dish

Roughly chop the olives and the anchovy fillets.

Put the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped/pressed garlic. Set the pan on the stove over medium heat and gently cook the garlic until it turns golden brown. Be cautious not to burn the garlic! Remove the pan from heat and add the mint and basil, the orange juice, the mushrooms, the olives and the anchovy fillets. Stir well.

Bring a large pot of water (at least 8 quarts) to a boil. Throw in a handful of salt and the spaghetti. Cook the pasta, stirring periodically, until quite al dente, usually about 8-9 minutes, but this depends upon your particular brand of pasta. A good rule for this recipe is to cook the pasta for 2 minutes less time than the package suggests. 

Drain the spaghetti well, then transfer it to the serving dish. Pour the other ingredients onto the pasta and toss well. Season to taste with salt & fresh-ground black pepper. Since this dish will be served cold, you may wish to slightly over-salt, as cold food tastes less salty than hot food. Let cool to room temperature then refrigerate until well-chilled. You may prepare this dish hours in advance.

Serve, preferably outdoors, along with good, crusty bread and a light, crisp red or white wine.