There’s a great new Italian restaurant in my neighbourhood! Casa Sabatelli has been open since January and it is making quite an impression. The friendly staff will make you feel at home as soon as you walk in the door. The menu at Casa Sabatelli has been thoughtfully put together keeping in mind the specialties of Puglia, the region in Italy the owners are from. I have had the pleasure of eating at the restaurant a handful of times. Whether it be the homemade gnocchi, carefully layered tomato and buffalo mozzarella salad, or a coffee to sip on while watching the world go by from one of the charming swinging seats by the window, your visit to Casa Sabatelli will be memorable.
You can dine-in or take-away from this restaurant. As a bonus, you can bring the taste of their top quality pasta to your table. On site, they also sell boxes of their carefully crafted pastas, manufactured at their factory in Bari, Italy. This family business has been making pasta for 40 years and the flavour shows attention to using the best ingredients with semolina, and whole wheat flours.
As luck would have it, Casa Sabatelli is well stocked with my favourite pasta shape: orecchiette. I brought home a box, and, wanting to complement the shape and texture of this pasta I coupled it with a small handful of ingredients from my local organic market: yellow onions, chanterelle mushrooms, garlic, lemon, and fresh thyme. The softened onions and mushrooms fit nicely into the pockets of the orecchiette.
To make the meal, I first caramelized a thinly-sliced, medium-sized cooking onion in olive oil. When the onions were soft, I added 2 cloves of pressed garlic, 125 grams of chanterelles, and fresh thyme, and sautéed all until soft. I combined the boiled orecchiette with the onion/mushroom mixture and topped it with a quick squeeze and grate of lemon, more fresh thyme, and cracked black pepper. The final dish is light yet hearty.
I am thrilled that Casa Sabetelli is a stone’s throw from my front door. I will, undoubtedly, be a repeat customer. If you are in Amsterdam’s Oude West neighbourhood (close to De Hallen) it will be worth your while to stop in for a bite! Say hello from The Well Travelled Kitchen and they’ll give you the best seat in the house!
