Category: pasta

Orecchiette con le Cime di Rapa (Orecchiette With Broccoli Rabe)

Cime di rapa, turnip greens—also called rapini or broccoli rabe—are the most representative vegetables of the Apulian winter, piled on the market stalls and dinner tables of this Southern Italian region. They are the protagonists of a regional dish, orecchiette con le cime di rapa. The flowers and the most tender leaves are boiled along…


A Beginner’s Guide to Making Fresh Pasta

In my family, fresh pasta is for special occasions. Be it a holiday like Christmas or Easter, a family gathering, or a big dinner with friends, this is when we take out the wooden board, the rolling pin, and the pasta machine to make mounds upon mounds of golden, silky sheets of dough. Once you…


Fresh Pasta Dough

This is the basic recipe for fresh pasta that my grandma taught me years ago. There’s a golden ratio to follow that is extremely easy to remember: 1 egg and 100 grams of flour, half all-purpose and half semolina. Then scale up as needed. Makes enough for about 4 servings, depending on the recipe 100…


Lemon Tagliolini 

As much as I love a robust meat or game sauce, a summer basil pesto, or a rich cheese sauce, when it comes to enjoying good, homemade fresh pasta, I prefer a more delicate sauce. This one is fresh and lemony, with just enough cheese to still make it a comfort food. It is bright…


Grandma’s Lasagne With Béchamel and Tuscan Ragù

There are countless variations of lasagne throughout Italy. What they all require is a layering of ingredients and flavors: Paper-thin sheets of fresh pasta are usually combined with ragù, bechamel, and cheeses—from mozzarella to scamorza, to a simple dusting of Parmigiano Reggiano.  My grandma’s version calls for béchamel sauce, her Tuscan ragù, mozzarella, Parmigiano Reggiano,…


Simplicity Meets Elegance: Lobster Pasta for the Holidays

Holiday festivities are muted and gatherings reduced this year, inspiring feelings that toggle between a yearning for glitter and a craving for comfort. How to celebrate and what to eat strive for a balance between these mixed desires. In my mind, the following recipe achieves just that. It’s simple yet elegant, special but not pretentious,…


Kamut Pasta: Ancient Wheat, Cold Air, Perfect Pasta

A group of newly acquainted food writers wandered up the cobbled roads of a Roman hill, presumably toward a Michelin-starred restaurant, in April of 2016. Our loose parade extended half a block, whatever that means in Rome. Atop the hill was an architecture firm, in the penthouse of which awaited an eight-course dinner. Our fearless…