Garganelli di Imola is a typical pasta from Romagna, and in particular, it seems that their origin can be linked to the city of Imola.
And among my favorites are garganelli with bell pepper sauce a la Jader.
Brief notes of Romagna mythology.
And I was born in Imola, the town that represents the link between Emilia and Romagna, I grew up eating piadina and garganelli (and tortellini and many other good things).
Anyone who has had occasion to frequent the rustic, old-fashioned family-run trattorias of Romagna knows that the menus always included a dish named after a person.
Probably a tribute to the developer of the recipe.
Among these, it has happened that some have become characters, becoming part of the collective imagination of a town and sometimes assuming almost legendary traits.
And for every curious customer who has asked about the guy named on the menu, the number of anecdotes that increase the myth of the characters grows.
Who is Jader?
No one knows for sure who Jader is. Even the true identity of these mythological characters from Romagna is not as important as the dish they left behind and the tale of their legendary exploits. What is certain is that Jader’s sauce was as famous as his name (I don’t know if you know that in Romagna, unusual names have always been popular).
I’ve always thought of him as the man of recycling, imagining Jader, the day of his fortunate creation, opens the fridge and sees peppers and mushrooms a bit worn out.
At that point, Jader saves what he can. He throws a bit of everything into the pan, adds some smoked bacon, seasons the pasta, and brings it to the table.
If someone called the sauce with his name, it means the taste was good.
Garganelli with bell pepper sauce a la Jader.
The garganelli a la Jader that I am sharing is a dish inspired by the menu of a traditional trattoria.
This particular trattoria was located just outside Imola, along Montanara road. The one that climbs from Imola towards the Apennines until Romagna embraces Tuscany.
That of the old trattoria Da Miseria in Imola, for example, was a spicy sauce with peppers, mushrooms, and sausage. I used smoked bacon, but you can do as Jader did, use whatever you find in the pantry and fridge.
And if it is true that garganelli is an egg pasta that works well with any sauce, sausage ragù, bacon, shallot sauce, clams, or even vegetable sauce, I have a preference for Jader’s.
To enter the restaurant, one passed through a tobacco bar. Then, through a narrow initiatory passage, almost entirely occupied by a large fireplace used for barbecuing meat, you entered the restaurant.
The embers of the fireplace were always burning. And when you passed there, the persistent smell remained on you and your hair for the whole evening. It would follow you home.
But no one ever complained. In the only room where you could eat, it wasn’t easy to find a place.
Buona cucina, Monica
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Food tip:
The egg garganelli grow while cooking, do not overdo the quantity.
Tasty garganelli with bel pepper sauce a la Jader
serves 2
List of Ingredients
garganelli of Imola, about 180 g
half red and half yellow pepper
1/2 small yellow onion or 5 shallots or one little leek
about 100 g mushrooms
70 g smoked bacon
1 finger of red wine
salt, butter, olive oil to taste
Method
Wash and clean the peppers, removing the seeds and filaments. Cut them into small pieces.
Peel and finely chop the onion (or shallot or leek).
Put a little oil and butter in a pan, add the onion, and cook over low heat with olive oil and salt for about 5 minutes.
Add the peppers and cook for a further 5 minutes.
In the meantime, clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices, add them to the pan, and stir.
Then add the bacon, sprinkle with chili pepper if you like, stir and keep the pan on low heat for a few minutes before switching off.
The sauce should cook for about 12-15 minutes in total.
Cook the garganelli in boiling salted water. Drain when al dente, pour into the pan, add plenty of Parmesan cheese, stir and serve.
