THE BEST RECIPES HAVE A STORY
Join us as we re-create the family recipes of history’s most fascinating people. Today we step into the kitchen of the O.O.G., Al Capone.
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Recipe Vault Rating: 9.8/10
Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Pans Required: One Legacy
Al Capone doing his infamous wink on the courthouse steps.
When he wasn't being a ruthless mobster, Al Capone ate Walnut Spaghetti.
This humble dish was apparently his favourite meal. Which says a lot, given Al had a taste for the finer things. And could afford all of them.
At the height of his power he was worth about 1.5 billion dollars in today's money.
That's a lot of clams.
I think I'm using that right.
As the story goes, the recipe came from his mother’s side.
Mrs Scarface, or Teresina Capone as she likely preferred, was an Italian immigrant devoted to her family. Her kitchen would have been a world away from the streets where her son built his empire.
The pasta itself was simple. Garlic, olive oil, crushed walnuts. A hallmark of Teresina’s Neapolitan heritage. Every mouthful a reminder of the modest life Capone left behind in his climb to the top.
As we recreated the recipe, we found ourselves wondering about the nights Teresina cooked it.
Was it a weekly meal they shared together?
Was it a go-to recipe for the times Al popped by at 4AM with ‘friends from work’?
All we know is that this grounding recipe makes the world settle down a bit.
Eating it, we could almost see Al through Teresina’s eyes. For a brief moment he was no longer the untouchable Scarface. He was just a little boy.
A little boy with lots and lots of guns.
Al Capone and his mother Teresina Capone.
Al Capone in a swimsuit looking at a plant.
A lot of clams.
400 g spaghetti, cooked and drained
⅔ c extra-virgin olive oil
1 bulb garlic, roughly chopped
1 ½ c walnuts
1 fresh chilli, sliced – more or less to taste
½ medium onion, finely diced
1 c flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 large lemon, zest and juice
1 t salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper to taste
⅓ c grated fresh parmesan cheese
Grated parmesan cheese
Fresh tomatoes
Chopped parsley
This is a great recipe to season your new Ironclad. A long slow simmer of aromatics in oil form the basis of the walnut sauce and set the foundation for a deep oil patina.
To start, divide the walnuts in half. You will medium chop half of them and swiftly pulse the remaining half in your high speed blender to resemble bread crumbs.
Pour the olive oil into your Legacy Pan and over a low to medium heat gently simmer the chopped walnuts, onion garlic and chilli in the oil until the garlic and onions are lightly browned. It will take about 20 minutes. Don’t be tempted to raise the heat, enjoy the process, channel your inner Italian grandmother and smell the wonder. At the end of the cooking stir in the ground walnuts and cook for a further minute.
The easiest way to evenly distribute the walnut sauce through the pasta is to move half the oil/walnut mix into a heat proof bowl and return the pan to the stove top.
Over a high heat and using tongs, add half the pasta and toss into the walnut sauce. Now add all remaining ingredients and toss again till well combined.
Adorn with fresh tomato, extra parmesan and chopped parsley.
Serve hot to the table with a crunchy fresh salad.
Here’s a playlist to cook along to. A mix of Al’s own favourites and music to take you back to Teresina’s kitchen in 1920s Chicago. Press play. Stir along. Listen on Spotify.
