For this recipe you need a nice handful of silene vulgaris, a spontaneous spring plant otherwise known as: grisol, strigoli, stridoli, carletti, smears, scrissioi, s-ciopit or sclopit, zimole, s-ciopetin, verzulì, cuiet or versèt, concigli.
The number of variations in the name makes us understand how this perennial plant is widespread throughout Italy, and according to tradition used to make risotto, omelettes and savory pies or as a filling for fresh pasta.
Here I propose a very simple raw pesto with which you can season a pasta, rice or other cereal, rather than using it as an accompanying cream for a cecina or as a sauce for a pinzimonio.
The number of variations in the name makes us understand how this perennial plant is widespread throughout Italy, and according to tradition used to make risotto, omelettes and savory pies or as a filling for fresh pasta.
Here I propose a very simple raw pesto with which you can season a pasta, rice or other cereal, rather than using it as an accompanying cream for a cecina or as a sauce for a pinzimonio.
Ingredients
1 handful of silene
1/2 clove of garlic
2 cups of cashew coffee (soaked for 3 hours in warm water)
3 gr coarse salt
extra virgin olive oil and pepper
Method
Wash the silene, peel the garlic, put them in a blender together with the salt, 1 pinch of pepper and 1 small cup of extra virgin olive oil. Blend until you get a velvety cream. If necessary, add a couple of tablespoons of water to the blender to make the pesto more fluid.
Serve at room temperature or cold.
Suggestions
In the photos you can see the toasted fregola, typical Sardinian pasta format, seasoned with this pesto and a few pieces of cecina to complete the dish.
For the cecina:
Ingredients
2 cups of chickpea flour
2 coffee cups of extra virgin olive oil
warm water
salt
Method
Put the chickpea flour in a bowl together with a pinch of salt and oil. Incorporate the water little by little, stirring constantly with a whisk. The dough should reach the consistency of a liquid bechamel.
Cover with a lid / plate and put in the refrigerator to rest for 1 night.
The following day, mix the dough with a fork. Place a non-stick pan or an iron pan on the stove. Grease it with a little extra virgin olive oil and, when hot, start pouring 1 ladle of dough. Bake it on both sides until the part of the central dough has dried (you can do the test with a toothpick, as for a dessert). As they are ready, place the chickpeas on a plate lined with food paper. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Alternatively, you can bake them for 20 'at 200 ° C, covering the pan with parchment paper (or directly on the traditional cast iron plate, if you have it)
