Spaghetti alla Foriana

Circle B Kitchen

Recipe courtesy of Well Preserved via Food52

This sauce can be stored in the refrigerator and used to top bruschetta or stuff chicken or pork chops or stirred into soups. It only gets better with age as the garlic and oregano perfume the oil. I did not add the raisins so cannot attest to their deliciousness in this sauce. Let me know if you added them and how you liked that.

This recipe 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 (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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 theForiana 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.

4. 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.

5. 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)

chopped fresh oregano

Cook the spaghettini in salted boiling water until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain and toss with the Foriana Sauce. Garnish with the cheese and a little chopped fresh oregano.. Check the seasoning and serve immediately.