Elephant Garlic Pasta (Pici all’Aglione).

Step 1

Peel, chop and crush the aglione. Chop the red chili pepper if using a fresh one. And peel and chop the tomatoes if using fresh too.

Step 2

Sauté the aglione and chilli pepper in a little olive oil just until the garlic starts to soften. Then add a little water. Cover the pan and let the aglione cook slowly on a low heat until it’s really soft. (About 15 minutes).

Step 3

Every few minutes, mash the aglione with a fork and add more water if necessary. You don’t want it to brown. It should get creamy.

Step 4

Once the aglione is soft and creamy, add the tomato passata (or peeled tomatoes), some salt and pepper and mix everything together. Cover the pan again and simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes.

Step 5

While the sauce is simmering, put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.

Step 6

Finally drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sauce. Mix everything together gently over a low heat. Then serve immediately with some chopped fresh basil or grated Pecorino Romano if required.