Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
This lusciously rich sauce is my first choice for Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi, but it is also good on just about any type of fresh pasta. Gorgonzola Cream Sauce is a rich and velvety sauce that adds a burst of flavor to any dish. Made with creamy Gorgonzola dolce cheese, this sauce has a tangy […]
Beet and Ricotta Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
Gnocchi made from potatoes or ricotta may be the most familiar, but there are many other kinds found throughout Italy. Spinach gnocchi in Rome, mushroom gnocchi in the Alto Adige, and bread gnocchi in the Tyrol are just a few of the kinds I have enjoyed. Made by kneading together a bit of flour and […]
Basil Ricotta Gnocchi with Tomato Butter Sauce
Light and delicate gnocchi made with ricotta and flecked with fresh basil are a far cry from the more familiar, heavier potato gnocchi. Their flavor reminds me of the filling for good cheese ravioli. Paired with a buttery fresh tomato sauce, they are heavenly. To make gnocchi that are light, not dense, drain the ricotta […]
Pumpkin Gnocchi alla Romana
Roman-style gnocchi are made with semolina flour and baked with butter and cheese. Here is a variation on that theme, with pureed pumpkin or another winter squash. The vegetable gives a warm color and mild sweetness to the gnocchi. Canned pumpkin or frozen squash puree makes a good shortcut, or you can use your own […]
Cavatelli with Erice Pesto and Eggplant
When I stayed in Erice, a medieval town perched on a hilltop in western Sicily, a thick fog swirled through the streets one night as six of us made our way to a tiny trattoria. The menu was limited, so we all ordered the same pasta. Soon the waiter stepped out of the tiny kitchen […]
Pasta Torta
For this savory torta, leftover pasta and sauce and a layer of mozzarella—either smoked or plain—or provolone or other meltable cheese are packed into a baking pan liberally coated with butter and bread crumbs and baked. After a brief rest, the beautiful golden torta is slipped out of the pan and served. With its brown […]
Two in One Penne with Mushrooms and Cream
This recipe is a two-in-one because you can serve the pasta simply with the mushroom and cream sauce or take it a step further and bake it into a luscious casserole. In Piedmont, in northwestern Italy, porcini, or cèpe, mushrooms are used, but they are quite expensive here, so I choose a mix of flavorful […]
Baked Pasta Fagioli
Vicolo della Neve (“Little Street of the Snow”) is a restaurant and pizzeria in Salerno that is said to be two hundred years old. It got its name from the ice sellers who once populated the neighborhood in the days before refrigeration. My husband and I loved everything we ate there, from the sweet bell […]
Bow Ties Baked with Cauliflower and Cheese
Big baroque-looking heads of cauliflower, some creamy white and others tinged with pink, were piled high in the markets in Sicily one fall, so I wasn’t at all surprised to find them included in our lunch when I visited the home of a family of cheese makers near Ragusa. After touring their immaculate small dairy […]
Baked Spaghetti Frittata with Broccoli Rabe and Smoked Mozzarella
In Naples, spaghetti and beaten eggs are mixed with broccoli rabe and smoked mozzarella, poured into a pan, and baked into a golden pasta frittata. Served hot or at room temperature, this is a great dish for a party or picnic. Smoked scamorza, a cow’s-milk cheese, is similar to mozzarella but firmer and drier. Baked […]