Penne alla Fornaia - Penne with Tomatoes, Pesto, and Ricotta

If there is one thing that unites Italians everywhere, I would say it is pasta. They are in love with pasta. They argue about it, and they can not let a day go by without it. I love this particular pasta dish best in the summer when there are vine ripen tomatoes and fresh basil in the garden. You can also use imported canned Italian tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano) as you will find below. Finding a good Italian whole milk ricotta is important to the flavor of this sauce as well. Shop your local Italian market or deli for a good Italian ricotta, if not buy the very best brand you can find.

Place 4 cups canned imported tomatoes with their juice through a food mill or strainer to remove seeds.

Heat 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add 1/3 large red onion finely diced and 1 garlic clove minced. Cook and stir until onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes.

Ass 1 cup of dry white wine and cook until the wine is almost all reduced.

Stir in the tomatoes and cook uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes. The sauce will start to reduce and thicken and reduce some.

Add 2 tablespoons pesto and mix in well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add 3 tablespoons ricotta and mix well with a wooden spoon until it is incorporated completely into the sauce.

While the sauce is cooking, boil penne in a large pot of salted water until tender but al dente.

Drain the penne and add it to the sauce. Mix well.

Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly grated parmigiano.

Note: You can use your favorite recipe for pesto in this recipe or a store-bought pesto though it won't taste as fresh as it will if you make your own. I will add my recipe for pesto soon.

Pasta al Forno con la Besciamella - Pasta Baked with Bechamel and Parmigiano

This is a simple, inexpensive dish to prepare. It can feed a crowd or a few. The beauty of this dish is that it can be made completely ahead of time and baked at the last moment. The baked penne ooze velvety bechamel and melted parmigiano. Italian comfort food at its best.

Heat 3 cups milk in a small saucepan over low heat. Melt 6 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When the butter foams, add 5 tablespoons flour. Lower the heat to medium-low and stirring, cook about 2 minutes, without letting the flour burn.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the milk all at once. Mix enthusiastically to prevent lumps. Place saucepan back on low heat, season with salt to taste, and cook gently,stirring constantly until the sauce has a medium-thick consistency. This takes around 3 to 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thin, cook a bit longer. If too thick add a bit more milk. Cover the pan and set aside until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about 1 tablespoon salt and 1 pound of penne. Cook uncovered over high heat 7 to 8 minutes. The penne shouldn't be totally cooked because it will cook more in the oven. Drain the pasta and place in the baking dish.

Stir in 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg to the bechamel.

Add the bechamel to the pasta and mix in well.

Sprinkle the penne with 3/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano. Sometime I use 1/2 cup grated Vella dry Jack from Sonoma, CA and 1/4 cup pecorino romano. Dot with 3 tablespoons unsalted butter that has been cut into small pieces. Bake until the cheese melts and the penne has a golden color, around 15 minutes or so. Serve hot.

Buon Appetito!

Spaghetti con Pancetta, Pecorino e Pepe Nero - Spaghetti with Pancetta, Pecorino Romano & Black Pepper

When I was a very small girl I wasn't fond of red sauce on my pasta so Nana would make mine with what I thought was just butter and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. When I tried making this myself a few years back, I found it to be dry, sticky and not the greatest flavor. I have learned the secret that Italian housewives use when making a simple pasta dish with only a few tablespoons of butter, oil, pancetta, or vegetables, and that is adding a bit of the starchy pasta water to the skillet, which in cooking down moistens the pasta and thickens the sauce.

This dish is called Spaghetti all'Amatriciana Bianca in Roma by those born and raised there. They claim that this dish is most authentic to the red sauce version. In the Roma version you would use dried red pepper flakes, adding them when you do the pancetta to add not only spice but heat to the dish. Whether you choose to use black pepper or dried red pepper flakes in this dish, the pepper is the key ingredient. Without it the pasta is on the bland side.

Ingredients Needed to Make This Dish:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 pound thickly sliced pancetta, cut into small strips
Kosher salt to taste
1 pound spaghetti or bucatini
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese or 1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil and butter together in a skillet over medium heat.

When the butter foams add the pancetta. (If you chose to use dried red pepper flakes, add them now as well. Start with a pinch and go from there to taste.) Cook gently, over medium heat (or lower if browning too fast), until the pancetta is lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes or so.

Bring a large pot of water to boil; add 1 tablespoon salt and the spaghetti. (I use Barilla Plus multi grain spaghetti.) Cook, uncovered, over high heat until the pasta is cooked al dente (tender but firm to the bite). Scoop out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and reserve. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet.

Stir in the reserved pasta water, parsley, and cheese. Mix over low heat until the pasta is well dressed with the sauce. Taste and season with salt if necessary (the pancetta is already quite salty) and add your black pepper to taste. You will use more than you normally would put in most dishes. Serve piping hot with a bit more cheese.

Pastas Frescas Caprese del Verano - Summer Fresh Pasta Caprese

This dish is full of fresh summer flavors combining ripe heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and basil plucked from my garden. The dish is not hot when served, but warm. I do not know if they serve something like this in Italy, but it is a refreshing and enjoyable summer pasta dish we enjoy here in California.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Recipe:

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 small shallot, minced fine (about 2 tablespoons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound gemelli or any other curly or tubular pasta
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Juice of 1 lemon, if needed
2 teaspoons sugar, if needed

Whisk oil, garlic, shallot, salt and pepper together in bowl. If tomatoes are not ripe add the juice of 1 lemon and 2 teaspoons sugar. Add tomatoes, gently toss and set aside. Do not marinate for for longer than 45 minutes or the tomatoes will turn to mush.


Meanwhile place cubed mozzarella on a plate and freeze until slightly firm, about 10 minutes or so.

Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 table spoon kosher salt and pasta. Cook until al dente. Drain well.

Add pasta and mozzarella to tomato mixture and gently toss to combine. Let stand 5 minutes. stir in basil; adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. This is a pasta dish that is good on a summer evening, a summer luncheon and served cold it makes a delightful pasta salad.