Spaghetti al Cartoccio

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup plus 1 TB olive oil
• 1 medium garlic clove, minced
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomato with basil
• 1 lb dry spaghetti
• sea salt, to taste
• ground pepper, to taste
• 2/3 cup (about 3 oz) pitted black olives, such as Kalamata
• 1 oz sundried tomatoes (about 6 pieces), julienned
• 1 tsp crushed red peppers or to taste (optional)
• 1/2 bunch of Italian parsley, stems picked, washed and dried, finely chopped
• 5 12 x 16 inch wax paper rectangles
• cooking oil spray
• extra parsley leaves, cleaned, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.

Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. When hot, add the minced garlic and cook for about one minute stirring often until fragrant but not brown. Add the can of tomatoes, stir and let cook for 20 minutes over low heat, stirring from time to time. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water for no more than 3 minutes. The pasta should not be fully cooked, not even al dente, as it will continue cooking once it is mixed with the sauce and placed in the oven inside the "cartoccio" or pouch. The pasta should only be pliable and half way cooked. Save about 1 cup of the pasta water, drain the pasta and rinse with cold water until cooled. Place in a bowl and add tablespoon of olive oil, tossing to coat. Set aside.

Season the tomato sauce lightly with salt and pepper, add the olives, sliced sundried tomatoes and crushed red pepper, if using. Cook for another 10 minutes, stirring from time to time and tasting for seasoning. Let cool for a few minutes and then toss with cooled pasta making sure all pasta is well coated. Add the chopped parsley and toss again. If the pasta seems too dry, sprinkle with a bit of the saved pasta water to moisten it.

Take one wax paper rectangle, spray it lightly with cooking spray and fold the 14" side in half so it resembles a book. Open the "book" and place one serving of the tossed pasta on the right hand side of the "book" making sure to include olives and sundried tomato pieces in the serving. Do not add extra sauce, if the pasta is too saucy, it may make the wax paper break.

Close the book. To seal the edges of the pouch, you are going to fold a series of overlapping triangles. Starting with the bottom left corner of the "book" fold a small triangle with the tip going up and over the wax paper. Repeat again with another triangle that overlaps the first. Continue turning up the paper in overlapping triangles, making sure that there is little space between the seals and the pasta and folding the sides tightly to resemble a half moon shape envelope.

Carefully lift the envelope or cartoccio and place on a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining 4 pieces of wax paper. Place the cartoccio pieces in the oven and cook for another 10 minutes.

Place each cartoccio on an individual plate, cut open the cartoccio with scissors and garnish with parsley leaves.

 

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