Spaghetti with Walnuts - Al Capone's Favorite Pasta Dish

According to his grand niece, there was a particular pasta dish 1920's Gangster Al Capone loved - Spaghetti Con Salsa di Noci - spaghetti with walnut sauce. This may seem odd to many people used to spaghetti with tomato sauce but this is a typical "peasant" dish from the Campania region of Italy where Capone's family roots were. There are various versions of  Salsa di Noci with different flavor details but the basic ingredients are - chopped walnuts, minced garlic, Italian flat leaf parsley, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Other flavor ingredients might include - hot red pepper flakes, lemon zest and juice, anchovies and oregano. 

That said, I am using the recipe Al' Capone's grandniece wrote in her book about him. 

It is a simple dish but with a lot going on - earthy flavor from the walnuts with a little brightness from the lemon juice, heat from the red pepper flakes and buttery gooiness from the melted Parmesan cheese. Save this recipe for the nights you want an easy, delicious comfort meal. You will love it!

Ingredients:

- Spaghetti

- Walnuts

- Garlic

- Fresh Parsley

- Hot Red Pepper Flakes

- Lemon juice

- Parmesan Reggiano

- Olive Oil

- Salt

Chop the walnuts - 

Mince the garlic -
               

Chop the parsley -

Cook the Spaghetti until al dente. Reserve some of that salted, starchy pasta water for the sauce later.

Heat some good olive oil in a pan over low heat. Add the chopped walnuts, garlic, fresh parsley, red pepper flakes and lemon juice.

Stir everything together so that it's all well-coated in the olive oil and cook until fragrant.

Add the spaghetti and toss until the pasta is well coated in the sauce. Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer until it starts to thicken.

Fold in grated Parmesan cheese and add a final drizzle of olive oil before serving.

Add more cheese to your taste

Fall-off-the-Bone Baked Chicken Wings

Who doesn't love chicken wings? They are the perfect party or game watching treat. After eating 10 times our body weight in chicken wings over the years, we have found what we feel is the perfect method to make them. You are totally welcome to tell us, that no, no, no! You, or your dad or your cousin from Buffalo, has absolutely the best way to make them. This is just a simple technique, let your favorite home made or store bought sauce make them shine. 

INGREDIENTS  

3 pounds Chicken Wings separated into drums and flats

1 tablespoon roasted garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp Salt

Olive oil

1 tsp black pepper

1 - 2 tablespoons baking powder

1/2 cup sauce of your choice for basting

How to -

1 - Spray or dribble olive oil on the wings as a binder and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and thyme. Gently massage seasonings into the wings.

2 - Spread wings evenly on a baking sheet and put in the fridge, uncovered, for 3 - 4 hours to marinate and dry.

3 - Remove wings from fridge and let set at room temperature for 20 minutes. 

4 - Preheat the oven to 250° F.

5 - Sprinkle the wings with 1-2 tablespoons of non-aluminum baking powder toss to coat each wing lightly.

6 - Place wings on top of a cooling rack inside a baking sheet. You want the fat to fall away from the wings. You don’t want to cook the wings in the fat.

7 - Bake the wings, uncovered, on the top rack of your oven for 40 minutes at 250°.

8 - Remove from the oven and turn oven up to 450° F.

9 - Once the oven is ready, put the wings back in oven and cook on the top rack for 30 minutes - rotating half way (at about 15- 20 minutes).

10 - After 30 minutes remove from the oven and brush wings with your home made sauce or store bought.  Place back in oven (top rack) for another 10 minutes or until crispy. 

11 - Let rest for 5 -10 minutes after done cooking and serve with blue cheese dressing.