Although it may sound a little “non-Italian”, the concept of frying pasta isn’t new to Italian culture. Originally a way to use leftovers, this recipe is so simple and so good that you’ll want to make it even if you didn’t boil too much pasta for dinner last night. To make pasta chips, you can use any kind of pasta corta but we find that no pasta shape works better in this recipe than corzetti. We like to serve fried corzetti pasta chips with a spicy tomato ketchup.
Fried Corzetti Pasta Chips
For the pasta chips:
corzetti pasta
vegetable oil, for frying
oregano
salt and pepper
For the spicy ketchup:
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1 piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 kg tinned plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
200 ml red wine vinegar
50 gr brown sugar
Tabasco sauce
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the corzetti pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta and place the corzetti coins on a tray covered in parchment paper. Let cool. (Skip this step if you’re making fried corzetti pasta chips using leftover pasta.)
In a large, dip skillet pour enough vegetable oil (you want to deep-fry corzetti pasta). Heat over high heat.
When the oil is hot, add a few corzetti coins and cook until golden brown and crispy (a couple minutes per side).
Remove the corzetti coins from the oil and place on paper towel to drain. Season with oregano, salt and black pepper. Serve immediately with a spicy tomato ketchup.
To make the ketchup, place the onion and celery in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan with the olive oil, the ginger, salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir constantly. Add the tomatoes and 400 ml of water. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce it’s reduced by half. Now pour the sauce in a blender and process until smooth and thick. Pour the mixture in a pan, add the vinegar, the brown sugar and the Tabasco sauce (to taste). Cook on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the ketchup is thick enough.