It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a pasta dish. It’s not that I haven’t been eating pasta (I have) but I’m also not going to bore you with another Bolognese recipe or any other standard pasta dish that most of us regularly enjoy.
Instead, it’s time to showcase another rustic dish, filling yet light on the pocket and the palate. Last year Misko of Greece sent me some samples of their Greek pasta and one of the more unique shapes were their “kampanoules” (καμπανοÏλες) or in English – “little bells”.
The package reads that they are indigenous to the province of Thessalia, which sits between Macedonia and and Attica. The shape of this pasta also mimics the shape of the little bell-shaped flowers that grow wild on the mountainsides.
Enough with flowers, pasta tastes better, no?
This recipe comes from the side of the package of Kampanpoules. This is a simple dish, using only vegetables, herbs, olive oil and the pasta itself. I’ve made this dish a few times and it always satisfies me with it’s fresh flavours and I never feel bad about eating a big bowl.
Another Greek cheese that’s grated on top of pasta dishes is the aged, dry Myzithra. Myzithra comes fresh and aged and it’s made like ricotta cheese (from the leftover whey).
Dry Myzithra comes in large, grapefruit sized balls, it’s a hard and salty cheese. When grated it has the characteristics of a mild Romano.
Kampanoules With Peppers and Basil (καμπανοÏλες με πιπεÏιÎÏ‚ και βασιλικό)
(for 4)
2 cups or 500gr. of “καμπανοÏλες”
1 cup of diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/3 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small red onion, diced
1 cup of fresh button mushrooms, sliced
1 green pepper (banana or cubanelle), sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1/3 cup pitted black olives, rough chop
1 cup of fresh basil, chiffonade
Grated dry Myzithra cheese
- Place a large pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Add a good amount of salt and cook your pasta (kampanoules) for 10-13 minutes.
- In a large skillet, add your olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Now add your mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers and simmer for about 8-10 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the chopped olives and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
- When your pasta is cooked, drain it and add to the sauce along with your basil and toss to coat all the pasta with the sauce.
- Divide pasta into four plates and grate the dry Myzithra over each serving.
If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://kalofagas.blogspot.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author. © 2007-2009 Peter Minakis
56 Responses
Yet another recipe from your yummy blog that I MUST make!!
I’m off to London on Monday and I will be in search of food products that I can not get here!
Love the recipe Peter and the pictures too!
The kind of pasta dish I’m sure to enjoy! Funny looking pasta. I love their interesting shape!
Cheers,
Rosa
The kind of pasta dish I’m sure to enjoy! Funny looking pasta. I love their interesting shape!
Cheers,
Rosa
The kind of pasta dish I’m sure to enjoy! Funny looking pasta. I love their interesting shape!
Cheers,
Rosa
The kind of pasta dish I’m sure to enjoy! Funny looking pasta. I love their interesting shape!
Cheers,
Rosa
The kind of pasta dish I’m sure to enjoy! Funny looking pasta. I love their interesting shape!
Cheers,
Rosa
The kind of pasta dish I’m sure to enjoy! Funny looking pasta. I love their interesting shape!
Cheers,
Rosa
That looks soul-satisfying! I bet the pasta holds the sauce so well!
Peter, first of all let me say sorry for not commenting in such a long time. Things have been mad and blogging, as well as reading blogs had to go on the back burner a bit.
The pasta dish look fab and bright, just what’s needed on a dull January day!
This bring the summer to our plates Peter! I think I will use pesto, because fresh basil is difficult to come across in the middle of winter.
I’ll have to find a mail order source for kampanoules. This looks great.
Love the fun pasta shape! The cheese almost sounds like ricotta salata… and I like that you use mildly spicy peppers instead of the standard green bell. Looks delicious!
Another winner, Peter! It looks both lovely and delicious. I make an Italian version of this dish quite often. I love the simple, fresh flavors and versatility of it.
Mmm pasta and hard, salty cheese! What more could a girl ask for?
Oh, that does sounds like a great pasta dishes, the flavors would be just wonderful
Can anything prepared by you ever be boring????? I am fascinated by the shape of this pasta. Great flavors!
I’m dooling on my keyboard. Pasta, onions salty olives, garlic and cheese…they are calling my name.
That’s definitely a gorgeous rustic pasta dish. Mushrooms, tomatoes and peppers are always a great combination.
Not bad. (for a Greek) ;) LOL
Every time I visit you, I learn new type of cheese. This Myzithra is one of them. Simply humble pasta is perfect for me.
Cheers,
Elra
DAMN good !!! This is a must make well all of yours are!!
Great looking dish, Peter. In Italian, this pasta is know as Campanelle (which also means little bell). I really like it, but have trouble finding it in stores.
My little guy found some kampanoules in the market recently, and requested that I buy them. Different shapes make the pasta so much more fun, don’t they? Nice selection of veggies added to it; that’s what makes pasta good in my book.
I love the shape of this pasta! So unique. I also find that irregular shapes like this tend to retain sauce better. Will have to look for these.
Darn. And I was just getting ready to post another bolognese recipe. Hahahaha! Just kidding. Love pasta like this — especially with mizithra. I try to keep a big hunk of it in the fridge. Good on salad, too.
Fresh basil is a lovely crowning touch for your kampanoules. Yet another tasty dish, Peter!
I love the shape of those little noodles!!! Also love this pasta dish. It sounds so fresh tasting! Must try!
Now that’s what I call my kind of pasta! I want to snatch that pepper ring right off the top and eat it! Love all those flavors you’ve got goin’ on there, especially those banana peppers. I love using different shapes of pasta, too. The only kind of Myzithra I’ve had is the hard grated kind; my son loves with on pasta with brown butter.
i love fun-shaped pasta. i’m convinced that it tastes better than plain ol’ spaghetti. great dish, peter. :)
Oh my goodness! This looks like a delicious dish. I love that pasta!
This looks delicious. We eat similar kinds of pasta (ingredient-wise). Rustic, like you said, and so delicious. What a fun pasta shape!
Campanelle is one of my very favorite pasta shapes. :) Beautiful dish, Peter!
Nothing wrong with a pasta post! Pasta is ripe for creative expression.
I’m making chicken and pepper burritos, but will not be boring you with that.
Campanelle is one of my favorite pastas and I just wrote a brief post this afternoon on how I really like Misko’s line of region-specific pastas but I had never seen the Kampanoules. Will definitely keep an eye out for them now.
Sounds like a great dish Peter. Lots of simple, yet vibrant flavors.
I love the shape of these little bells. Great job!
I love those kampanoules that you have received. Quick recipe that is perfect for a weeknight meal.
I saw Kampanoules the other day at the store and i loved the shape. I wasn’t too familiar with these. Now you post about it i think it’s a sign i must do something with it.
What a great pasta dish Peter! I can find Kampanoules here too! The veggies and mushrooms are calling me… I think I’ll have pasta for lunch, your pictures made me hungry chico!
These are the healthiest little bells I’ve seen! Absolutely delicious Peter!
I feel so happy that I have all the ingredients for that dish, so I can enjoy your fab recipe:))
What an elegantly rustic dish!The perfect recipe for my winter vasiliko.
Another stunning pasta dish Peter. This would fit in very well with my commitment to making healthy, delicious and quick dishes for the new year.
That sounds delicious Peter. I think I sometimes spend too long making a pasta sauce, when something simple and quick like this would be equally delicious and of course it has that lucky word, mushrooms in it!
This pasta is so fun! I am loving it! Peppers and basil are my favorite too. I can’t wait to dive into this dish!
it’s cold and there is no sun for days and all I want is carbs! and now after seeing this Peter I’m dying! LOL
Oh, this pasta dish looks so good. I think I have all the ingredients on hand – it may just be dinner tonight.
Love that this recipe has diced tomatoes in it versus a tomato sauce. I also love its rustic simplicity—pasta, fresh veggies, herbs & cheese and I'm good to go!
This looks delightful, Pater. I’m a big fan of Myzithra — though I don’t keep it on hand as often as I should.
I was just thinking the same thing as Maryann! ;))
Hello my dear Peter, I love this and I love basil too!! yummmy!!!!!!
xxxxxxx Gloria
Pretty looking pasta, & a very simple & easy recipe. I love all the fresh things that went in there.
Soma(www.ecurry.com)
Just gorgeous Peter and perfect for the freezing cold weather we are having.
Love the little bells! And this is a good, simple and healthy pasta dish that I know I’d enjoy. That Greek cheese sounds interesting – we see very little in the way of Greek cheeses over here.
I love the shape of that pasta and the ribboned edge.The cheese sounds really intersting too.You Grreks have some great cheeses I see.
I made myself a promise not to buy anymore pasta until I used up everything in the house. I gotta tell ya – you’re making my life very difficult.
Such an unusual pasta shape. Simple flavorings make for the best pasta.