Authentic Strascinati con Mollica e Peperoni Cruschi Recipe Basilicata, Italy

The key ingredients of this simple pasta dish are strascinati pasta, crumbled fried heirloom peppers called peperoni cruschi, and breadcrumbs which have been sautéed in olive oil until golden. The preparation starts with sautéeing breadcrumbs. Once they are done, garlic and peperoni cruschi are sautéed in olive oil until fragrant, at which point, the peperoni cruschi are set aside, and the garlic is thrown away. As the last step, all the components are mixed — the fragrant oil, the peperoni cruschi, the breadcrumbs, the cooked strascinati pasta, and the grated cacioricotta. The recipes differ in the amount of ingredients, and can also call for ingredients like anchovies and peperoncino for a touch of heat.