Pasta con la Mollica is a sweet pasta dish from Molise, Italy. “Mollica” means “crumb” in Italian and breadcrumbs are what gives this pasta dish its characteristic texture, while cooked grape must and raisins add a mild, sweet flavor. Homemade breadcrumbs will give you the best result, and we detail how to make them below. This dish is a fantastic as an appetizer or as a side dish complementing grilled fish or chicken.
Try this particular sweet Pasta con la Mollica and surprise all your guests during holidays!
Pair Recipe with Pasta con la Mollica with:
Chicken Stuffed with Gruyere, Arugula and Prosciutto
Similar Colavita Recipes:
Chocolate Pasta Three Ways
Perciatelli con le Sarde
First make the breadcrumbs.
Heat your oven to 425°F
A sourdough loaf works well for breadcrumbs, but you can use a baguette or other Italian bread.
Place the cubes of bread onto a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet as necessary. When properly toasted, the breadcrumbs should be a dark, golden brown color and very dry.
Allow to cool slightly, and then either pulse the cubes in a food processor to the consistency of crumbs or place them in a large Ziploc bag and pound them into breadcrumbs with a rolling pin.
Set aside.
Bring a large stock pot of water to boil. Once boiling, salt the water generously and add the Colavita pasta to the pot. Cook until al dente, about 9 minutes, and drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Drizzle the cooked pasta with a little Colavita Olive Oil to prevent it sticking together while you prepare the sauce.
Add 2 tbsp Colavita olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Add your freshly baked breadcrumbs to the skillet, and mix with the olive oil, toasting them in the pan, but also allowing them to absorb the oil.
Add the grape must and reduce the heat to low.
Add the raisins and mix everything together well with a wooden spoon.
Add the cooked pasta to skillet along with 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss in the pan. If the mixture looks dry, you can add a bit more pasta water, a little at a time.
Remove the pasta to a serving dish, garnish with the roasted hazelnuts.
Drizzle with a little extra grape must, if desired and serve!
First make the breadcrumbs.
Heat your oven to 425°F
A sourdough loaf works well for breadcrumbs, but you can use a baguette or other Italian bread.
Place the cubes of bread onto a baking sheet and bake them in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, rotating the baking sheet as necessary. When properly toasted, the breadcrumbs should be a dark, golden brown color and very dry.
Allow to cool slightly, and then either pulse the cubes in a food processor to the consistency of crumbs or place them in a large Ziploc bag and pound them into breadcrumbs with a rolling pin.
Set aside.
Bring a large stock pot of water to boil. Once boiling, salt the water generously and add the Colavita pasta to the pot. Cook until al dente, about 9 minutes, and drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water.
Drizzle the cooked pasta with a little Colavita Olive Oil to prevent it sticking together while you prepare the sauce.
Add 2 tbsp Colavita olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat.
Add your freshly baked breadcrumbs to the skillet, and mix with the olive oil, toasting them in the pan, but also allowing them to absorb the oil.
Add the grape must and reduce the heat to low.
Add the raisins and mix everything together well with a wooden spoon.
Add the cooked pasta to skillet along with 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water and toss in the pan. If the mixture looks dry, you can add a bit more pasta water, a little at a time.
Remove the pasta to a serving dish, garnish with the roasted hazelnuts.
Drizzle with a little extra grape must, if desired and serve!