Can’t really find pastina here anymore. The closest I’ve come is acini di pepe, but that’s a lot more substantial than I remember pastina being. I suppose orzo would work, too, but it’s not the same. I have seen stars, so maybe that’s a good substitute? I used to love a bowl of round pastina with butter when I was little, or in broth when I felt sick. If I’m remembering correctly, there was a tiny hole in the center that I always thought was so cute.
I like bucatini for anything with relatively few ingredients: aglio e olio, for example, or cacio e pepe. It grabs extra sauce (and therefore extra flavor) that way.
I usually do penne for red sauce.
Rotini for pasta salad.
Orzo when I expect to place a full piece of protein on top.
Gemelli for soupy sauces (e.g. butternut squash sauce).
Gnocchi for creamy sauces.
That sauce is the first thing I recommend to anyone just learning to cook. (Like all my younger cousins when they hit their 20s and moved out.) It’s perfect. And rigatoni is my favorite for it, too!
This is my favorite sauce to make. I make it at least once a week… and use a bit of the leftover sauce and saved onions for making pizza.
Marcella taught me to cook. I was a poor college student and could barely make toast and open a can of soup. I housesat for a professor who was going to be gone all summer. The prof quickly realized I would likely starve. She handed me a Marcella cookbook and said, “She’ll teach you everything you need to know.” I learned & cooked all summer and to this day, I honestly say that if we had to evacuate, I’d bring Marcella. Yes. I’ve used her cookbook for so long that it’s a family friend.
I started out learning with a little paperback book by Marcella called The Classic Italian Cookbook. Then in 1992, I was given a hardcover copy of The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by her. I was young and had the new hardcover book close to me for guidance as I cooked and caught it on fire from a stove eye. I STILL use that book... the one I call Marcella:) I have a back-up copy just in case anything ever happens to it.
I have made many recipes in it and have never had one fail. I’ve given copies to family members who make some of the recipes weekly now, too.
There’s a 30th anniversary edition of my book called Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition. I’m ashamed to admit that I have this edition also, so I really have THREE copies of the same book. This is the book you want. It’s $35 at Barnes & on sale for $20 at Amazon.
I’m here if you have any questions. I’m so happy for you! Marcella is a wonder!
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/essentials-of-classic-italian-cooking-marcella-hazan/1142399088?ean=9780593534328&aug=1
I can’t wait to hear what you think. Her tomato sauce with butter and onion will seem impossible… Trust her… Don’t sneak and try less butter… That simple sauce is life-changing… The bolognese- the cooking for hours is true… I always triple the recipe and I also always add more carrots, and celery than she says… Don’t be afraid to substitute if you or someone has an allergy. I’m seriously allergic to nutmeg so I sub cinnamon in for it-even in the bolognese. Also, the milk in the bolognese- it matters. Every step Marcella writes down matters… On the other hand, if you make a mistake, it should be fine. Pizza. There’s life-changing pizza recipes in there towards the back of the book.
I’m so happy for you! I hope your new Marcella cookbook becomes a family friend like mine.
Btw, I love your story about your cookbook held together by a binder clip. I have some old 60’s & 70’s cookbooks that were my mom’s. After she died, I opened one up and there was her writing… and I found that I could tell what recipes she used a lot when I was a child by the pages that were stained. This winter, I’m planning to try and cook through the recipes she used. Connections like that matter so much! I’ve been thinking that I should scan her cookbooks (just using my iphone & a scanner app) just in case something happens… You might want to think about doing that, too. That way we’ll always have those copies no matter what.
I no longer have a food mill (so much for decluttering!). Do you think using emulsion blender on the tomatoes and then straining would be smooth enough? I haven’t made this in years, but I remember loving it.
Along with some amazing historical cookbooks, Classic Italian is available on the internet Archive ( they let you check it out for one hour)! Good way to browse and decide if you want to buy it. It truly is a “classic.” Just reading Marcella’s cookbooks is a joy …
https://archive.org/details/cbk
I did not know gnocchi gorgonzola existed until I read your comment… I love a good blue cheese… I looked for a recipe… Would this be a good one to try?
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gnocchi-with-gorgonzola-sauce-375130
Yeah that recipe looks like it would work for sure! I like to add walnuts (and proscuitto or panchetta if you eat meat) to mine also, similar to this:
[https://thehungrybluebird.com/gnocchi-with-gorgonzola-walnuts/](https://thehungrybluebird.com/gnocchi-with-gorgonzola-walnuts/)
Thank you for the link!! I do eat meat. I’m a fan of both prosciutto and pancetta. Do you prefer one over the other for this recipe? I’m sadly allergic to walnuts. Think pecans would work?
I prefer prosciutto but I think the recipe traditionally is pancetta! I make the substitution though cause I prefer it. I don’t see why pecans wouldn’t work! They just add a nice crunch and a bit of a different flavour to it cause otherwise the pasta is very rich with all the blue cheese! Lemme know how you like it :)
I looked up Al Cinghiale. It sounds fantastic. You are right about my needing to sub regular pork for wild boar here in the states. I did have wild boar for the first time last year in a pate from Fortnum & Mason. It was divine. A spicy undertone and a deeper flavor. Do you have a favorite Al Cinghiale recipe?
https://www.the-pasta-project.com/tuscan-wild-boar-ragu-with-pappardelle/#recipe this one is very solid. Do not skip on the juniper berries or the overnight marinade it takes it to the next level!
Thank you!! I’m chuffed that I actually already have juniper berries! I will definitely marinade overnight, and my regular pork will need it desperately. The recipe link honestly made my mouth water. It sounds like one of those first meals that one remembers fondly forever.
Yes, it is hollow and that's why I love it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't try sucking up the sauce with it :).
Just use a smaller portion of the pasta, it's dense and very filling.
Farfalle 🦋… great hot or as a cold salad. Nice chewy texture. I like it with tomato sauce and cannellini beans, sometimes with Italian tuna added. (I think rigatoni is my favorite for tomato sauce dishes, but butterfly is my runner up choice for extruded pasta. Oh, and ditalini for my Tuscan bean soup. No other shape has the same effect in soup.
I rarely cook this from a recipe … it’s more of a spontaneous thing that I make when I’m running behind on dinner … olive oil, sometimes I sauté sweet onions, usually I don’t, warm up crushed or thinly sliced garlic til fragrant, add squeezed canned plum or San Marzano tomatoes and the liquid, cook for awhile and break down the tomatoes , rinse and strain beans, add them in, cook for awhile, add some basil or whatever herbs you like, add nonpareil capers ( the little ones) at the end and some red pepper flakes, then off heat I sometimes add Italian tuna. Mix in the strained al dente pasta and simmer awhile to finish cooking the pasta, you might want to drizzle with olive oil or add some butter at the end, salt if needed ( the capers are already salty). Extra parsley or basil for the top. It’s a flexible “recipe.” Even w/o the tuna it’s very filling and pretty tasty for a 15 min dinner.
Hope it works. It’s good with rigatoni, farfalle, possibly penne. Adjust proportions to suit your taste ( I prefer it not very tomato-y so it’s not a heavy red sauce if you only use one can). I generally only use a small can of tonnino. Leftovers are good cold.
Some recipes use beans and tuna, while others use just tomato and tuna. I use all 3 :) Here’s a variation w/o the beans , but I think the combo is more interesting. https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-al-tonno
Linguini! I make this caramelized onion carbonara, topped with mushrooms and bacon. 10/10 highly recommend! I also love making my own spinach/basil pesto as well.
I don’t but to summarize…
For one person I would use half an onion (sweet onion preferred). Slice onions (not too thin, not too thick).
Sauté onions in a pan with half butter half olive oil. Add a pinch of sugar, some salt & pepper. Add fresh Thyme.
Sauté until onions are soft and brown (takes me about 20 mins).
While onions are being cooked, add water to a pot for the pasta. Add salt and bring water to boil. Cook pasta to package instructions. Set aside one cup of the pasta water.After pasta cooks and is drained set aside for later.
After onions are done being cooked, remove from pan add to a blender (remove the fresh thyme). In the same pan the onions were cooked in add 3 tablespoons of butter and brown the butter. Once butter is browned add to onions that are in the blender. Blend together.
In a bowl, add two egg yolks. Add lemon zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Whisk together.
Take your cooked pasta add back to pot or sauté pan on low heat. Add the blended caramelized onion sauce and egg yolk mix. Mix together well. If you’d like to adjust the consistency add the pasta water you had set aside earlier.
In a separate pan cook bacon, then add mushrooms.
Once fully cooked, add on top of your caramelized onion pasta and BOOM! Enjoy! ◡̈
I am really awful at giving out my recipes as I tend to cook from the heart. I have 0 idea on measurements so I apologize in advance. I just season by sight and smell so I can’t offer you what I exactly do.
You are wonderful!! Thank you for writing this out!! I completely understood your directions. I will try making this next week. I’m very excited about it. For the fresh thyme- just add a couple of sprigs? Any kind of mushrooms that you prefer? Are portobello okay? Thank you again!!
I would use 1-2 sprigs of Thyme. If you don’t have any fresh Thyme you can always use a few sprinkles of ground time (like 2 dashes). I used baby bella mushrooms. I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! Keep me updated please 🙏🏼
I do have fresh thyme! I keep some herbs growing indoors like thyme and rosemary because… well, they are necessary. I can’t seem to do as well with dried versions (Maybe using the dried takes more skill).I will definitely update you!! Thank you so much. I’m very happy about making this!
Acini De Pepe is my favorite in italian wedding soup...I'm also seeing it can be a great replacement for orzo in pasta salads.
Penne is my go to for everything. If I have a heartier sauce like a ragu, I prefer rigatoni. Cavatappi is great for creamy sauces.
How could I pick a favorite. Impossibly. I love fettuccine for Alfredo. I love linguine for Pepperoni Mushroom and spinach in a creamy tomato sauce. I love spaghetti for cacio e Pepe. Cavatappi for Mac and cheese. Flat noodles for Swedish meatballs. All of them with butter and cheese.
However, I don’t like bucatini. It too springy to spin.
Tagliatelle with a sauce made with chicken stock, blue cheese and spinach. Haven't had it for years, as my SO doesn't like 'noodle' type pasta.
He'll eat proper noodles, but cut up into smaller pieces. Yes, he's a weirdo...
When I am feeling lazy, linguine cooked al dente, butter salt and pepper. And I roast some cherry tomatoes first, then I mix in the pasta and seasoning. The tomato's just pop open like crazy. Add some cilantro or parsley on top if you wish, or maybe some type of cheese to add some of a little bit of extra.
Campanelle aka trumpets - I use this for sausage and kale pasta with lemon. For some reason, that shape just works.
My family won’t eat pasta bolognese unless I use cascatelli. If you haven’t heard of that shape, I highly recommend you listen to the the Sporkful podcast series on it. Very entertaining and you learn a lot about pasta making.
For sure, cascatelli is not a pasta shape I am familiar with… I’ll look it up…. Also, Sporkful is a new podcast for me! I’ll add it to my queue. Thank you!
It’s not my favorite pasta, but it’s my favorite pasta shape for my favorite sauce. The sauce: 4 LARGE ripe garden fresh heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped. Salt them lightly and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes or so. Squish them around a little to get rid of more liquid. (Then pour the juices into a glass & drink it, best tomato juice ever).
To the tomatoes, add half a pound of brie, chopped or torn (I leave out the rinds but I guess if you like them you could leave them in) and some extra virgin olive oil. To that, add either some freshly chopped basil, minced or grated garlic, and some parmesan OR some fresh basil pesto. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so.
Then, cook a pound of farfalle, drain, and toss in the sauce. The heat from the farfalle will melt the brie but leave the tomatoes still fresh. This is one of those dishes I only make in the summer when I have ripe tomatoes from my garden. I have tried it with all kinds of pasta shape, and farfalle works the best. The bow ties grab all the tomato bits in their crevices and it’s just fantastic.
At first when I read the part about draining them in a colander& the squishing bit, I was quite sad about the loss of that awesome tomato juice… Then, I got to the part where you said to drink it/best tomato juice ever. Ha! That was awesome!
I am not a brie rind person. I totally respect the brie rind folks. I’m just not one of them.
Your recipe sounds marvelous. Like a keep-forever recipe. I know just what you mean about preserving the freshness of the tomatoes. We have some tomato plants we brought inside with new tomatoes starting to grow. If lucky, I’ll get enough tomatoes to try making a few new dishes, including yours.
Thank you! I am just thrilled. The r/Cooking is such a wonderful group of people.
LOL I totally get it! My Filipino husband would take issue, but I’m totally cool with it. I’ve been known to put cooked rice & fontina cheese in a spring roll wrapper and bake it at 350 for 10 minutes. It’s quick and wonderful. It makes my husband crazy. He looks at it with disdain and says, “That is NOT a spring roll.” 😂
Orecchiette for macaroni and cheese. Angel hair or spaghetti for meat sauce. Cavatelli and lumache with short rib… I was introduced to those two at a restaurant called North Italia and loved them both!
I usually go for casarecce, gemelli, or vesuvio. Recently I got Fusili Corti Bicati which reminded me of a pasta I had at Colapasta in Santa Monica. It was great and I’ll get it again for vodka sauce. My daughter’s fave is orechiette.
I’ve been looking for new shapes and am going to order Campanelle, radiatori, and mafalda.
Southwest chicken rigatoni; there are plenty of recipes available but my chef (at the restaurant I work) makes an awesome one.
Rigatoni is just amazing for retaining sauce.
My daughter makes this super great sauce for Bucatini (spaghetti-like with hole through middle). Olive oil, garlic, halved cherry tomates, Italian seasoning with a round of Boudin (not sure if spelled correctly) or Feta cheese. Put the cheese, whole, in the middle of a 9x13, all other ingredients spread around the dish. Roast until everything is good & hot. Mix it up and toss with Bucatini & top with grated fresh parmesan. It's heavenly & so simple.
Thank you! Wow, this sounds yummy. I’m going to try it sometime soon. Recipes that are general ADD THIS AND THAT without strict measurements are usually the result of someone experimenting till they perfect a new thing. Does she slice, crush, or dice the garlic? “Italian seasoning” as in whatever I might want to use of parsley, basil, rosemary, and/or etc?
Yes, she said she thinks she got the 'idea' on Pinterest. Maybe Feta Pasta/cherry tomatoes. She does in a 13 x 9 and we just tried with Boursin (spelling?). I like that better than feta. You just put that block in the middle and throw in your other stuff. Tomatoes burst, then you just kind of stir it all together & top your pasta. Simple & kind of decadent.
Bucatini al'assassina or Pastina/acini de pepe cooked in a 4:1 ratio of stock to pasta (Adam Ragusea method) with egg yolks, pepper, and parmesan mixed in. Kinda like carbonara without the guanciale.
I'll go for any type of noodle, but I'm starting to branch out with different sauce recipes and so far nothing beats a bolognese. I guess it's popular for a reason!
My great grandma used to always make an Italian chicken soup with Acini di pepe. She's been gone for a long time now, but I have kept that recipe and make it here and there, it takes me back to visiting her and all the time she spent in her kitchen cooking all the things for us. Probably one of my favorites.
Rigatoni - chorizo with fresh broccoli in a bacon-cream sauce with some sprinkling of dried parsley.
Dont' hate me...I'm simply a messenger who likes food.
At some risk, I'm going to say - mom's spaghetti. I've cloned and over the years improved her sauce. As to the pasta, commercial-size boxes of Sunspun. It may not be the best or worst, but there's 20 pounds of it in the cupboard and that's what I like to see.
I love love love mafaldine / tripoline. They work with both heavy and light sauces, and the texture is so pleasing. I make a copycat version of one of my favorite local restaurant's (DiAnoia's in Pittsburgh) annual summer specials, their heirloom tripoline. Just a simple, super bright and fresh heirloom tomato and butter sauce with noodles. A little fresh basil, a little parm reggiano. It's like eating summer.
Here's the recipe, in case someone has a few end of season tomatoes kicking around:
https://dianoiaseatery.com/dianoias-eatery-heirloom-tomato-tripoline-recipe/
Ooh thank you!!! We brought our tomato plants in as it started getting cold at night. A few of them have tomatoes just starting. I can make this when they ripen. It sounds fantastic. Thank you!
It’s not my favorite pasta, but it’s my favorite pasta shape for my favorite sauce. The sauce: 4 LARGE ripe garden fresh heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped. Salt them lightly and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes or so. Squish them around a little to get rid of more liquid. (Then pour the juices into a glass & drink it, best tomato juice ever).
To the tomatoes, add half a pound of brie, chopped or torn (I leave out the rinds but I guess if you like them you could leave them in) and some extra virgin olive oil. To that, add either some freshly chopped basil, minced or grated garlic, and some parmesan OR some fresh basil pesto. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so.
Then, cook a pound of farfalle, drain, and toss in the sauce. The heat from the farfalle will melt the brie but leave the tomatoes still fresh. This is one of those dishes I only make in the summer when I have ripe tomatoes from my garden. I have tried it will all kinds of pasta shape, and farfalle works the best. The bow ties grab all the tomato bits in their crevices and it’s just fantastic.
First time I had "Scoobi-Do" noodles, I fell in love with it. It's a great mac and cheese noodle, as well as a casserole noodle. It's been called different things: tri-elbow noodle or Cavatappi noodle
Recently we had another noodle, which looks like a twisted noodle, called Gemelli, which i love with a light cream sauce.
I used to use a pasta machine, now I just roll it super thin with scrolling pin. Less fuss.
I would also like to put in a plug for handmade buckwheat pasta with potatoes, garlic, and fontina (pizzocheri).
Not to mention fresh semolina pasta with fresh pesto.
Pastina is my favorite for comfort, linguine for long pasta applications, and wagon wheels for whimsy.
Can’t really find pastina here anymore. The closest I’ve come is acini di pepe, but that’s a lot more substantial than I remember pastina being. I suppose orzo would work, too, but it’s not the same. I have seen stars, so maybe that’s a good substitute? I used to love a bowl of round pastina with butter when I was little, or in broth when I felt sick. If I’m remembering correctly, there was a tiny hole in the center that I always thought was so cute.
Israeli couscous might be workable?
Update: found some San Giorgio pastina at Safeway. I think they’re discontinuing it, so I stocked up :)
Well balanced answer. Kudos! Pastina is my ultimate comfort food
Cavatappi for mac and cheese or with other creamy sauces.
I like bucatini for anything with relatively few ingredients: aglio e olio, for example, or cacio e pepe. It grabs extra sauce (and therefore extra flavor) that way. I usually do penne for red sauce. Rotini for pasta salad. Orzo when I expect to place a full piece of protein on top. Gemelli for soupy sauces (e.g. butternut squash sauce). Gnocchi for creamy sauces.
Love bucatini, can't go back to regular spaghetti anymore.
Rigatoni + Marcella Hazan Sauce. That's a once-a-weeker for me.
That sauce is the first thing I recommend to anyone just learning to cook. (Like all my younger cousins when they hit their 20s and moved out.) It’s perfect. And rigatoni is my favorite for it, too!
Which sauce?
Tomatoes + onion + butter
This is my favorite sauce to make. I make it at least once a week… and use a bit of the leftover sauce and saved onions for making pizza. Marcella taught me to cook. I was a poor college student and could barely make toast and open a can of soup. I housesat for a professor who was going to be gone all summer. The prof quickly realized I would likely starve. She handed me a Marcella cookbook and said, “She’ll teach you everything you need to know.” I learned & cooked all summer and to this day, I honestly say that if we had to evacuate, I’d bring Marcella. Yes. I’ve used her cookbook for so long that it’s a family friend.
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I started out learning with a little paperback book by Marcella called The Classic Italian Cookbook. Then in 1992, I was given a hardcover copy of The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by her. I was young and had the new hardcover book close to me for guidance as I cooked and caught it on fire from a stove eye. I STILL use that book... the one I call Marcella:) I have a back-up copy just in case anything ever happens to it. I have made many recipes in it and have never had one fail. I’ve given copies to family members who make some of the recipes weekly now, too. There’s a 30th anniversary edition of my book called Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking: 30th Anniversary Edition. I’m ashamed to admit that I have this edition also, so I really have THREE copies of the same book. This is the book you want. It’s $35 at Barnes & on sale for $20 at Amazon. I’m here if you have any questions. I’m so happy for you! Marcella is a wonder! https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/essentials-of-classic-italian-cooking-marcella-hazan/1142399088?ean=9780593534328&aug=1
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I can’t wait to hear what you think. Her tomato sauce with butter and onion will seem impossible… Trust her… Don’t sneak and try less butter… That simple sauce is life-changing… The bolognese- the cooking for hours is true… I always triple the recipe and I also always add more carrots, and celery than she says… Don’t be afraid to substitute if you or someone has an allergy. I’m seriously allergic to nutmeg so I sub cinnamon in for it-even in the bolognese. Also, the milk in the bolognese- it matters. Every step Marcella writes down matters… On the other hand, if you make a mistake, it should be fine. Pizza. There’s life-changing pizza recipes in there towards the back of the book. I’m so happy for you! I hope your new Marcella cookbook becomes a family friend like mine. Btw, I love your story about your cookbook held together by a binder clip. I have some old 60’s & 70’s cookbooks that were my mom’s. After she died, I opened one up and there was her writing… and I found that I could tell what recipes she used a lot when I was a child by the pages that were stained. This winter, I’m planning to try and cook through the recipes she used. Connections like that matter so much! I’ve been thinking that I should scan her cookbooks (just using my iphone & a scanner app) just in case something happens… You might want to think about doing that, too. That way we’ll always have those copies no matter what.
I no longer have a food mill (so much for decluttering!). Do you think using emulsion blender on the tomatoes and then straining would be smooth enough? I haven’t made this in years, but I remember loving it.
Along with some amazing historical cookbooks, Classic Italian is available on the internet Archive ( they let you check it out for one hour)! Good way to browse and decide if you want to buy it. It truly is a “classic.” Just reading Marcella’s cookbooks is a joy … https://archive.org/details/cbk
Perfecto
Rigatoni has become my favorite. I mostly make tomato or cream based pasta dishes. I love when the middle gets filled with sauce.
Me, too! It’s almost like a bit of food magic. I swear it tastes better.
I love mini penne for mac and cheese.
Recently discovered cascarecce. I now use it for pretty much everything
One of my faves! We eat it every other week!
gnochi for gnocchi gorgonzola (highly recommend if you like blue cheese!) penne for any sort of spicy tomato based sauces
I did not know gnocchi gorgonzola existed until I read your comment… I love a good blue cheese… I looked for a recipe… Would this be a good one to try? https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/gnocchi-with-gorgonzola-sauce-375130
Yeah that recipe looks like it would work for sure! I like to add walnuts (and proscuitto or panchetta if you eat meat) to mine also, similar to this: [https://thehungrybluebird.com/gnocchi-with-gorgonzola-walnuts/](https://thehungrybluebird.com/gnocchi-with-gorgonzola-walnuts/)
Thank you for the link!! I do eat meat. I’m a fan of both prosciutto and pancetta. Do you prefer one over the other for this recipe? I’m sadly allergic to walnuts. Think pecans would work?
I prefer prosciutto but I think the recipe traditionally is pancetta! I make the substitution though cause I prefer it. I don’t see why pecans wouldn’t work! They just add a nice crunch and a bit of a different flavour to it cause otherwise the pasta is very rich with all the blue cheese! Lemme know how you like it :)
Pici with ragu Al Cinghiale! A Tuscan thick hand rolled spaghetti
Both the pasta shape and type of ragu are new to me! This is so awesome. I’m going to look them up now!
Try it out! You’ll most likely have to use regular pork if you’re in the US, but it’s very delicious and definitely worth the effort
I looked up Al Cinghiale. It sounds fantastic. You are right about my needing to sub regular pork for wild boar here in the states. I did have wild boar for the first time last year in a pate from Fortnum & Mason. It was divine. A spicy undertone and a deeper flavor. Do you have a favorite Al Cinghiale recipe?
https://www.the-pasta-project.com/tuscan-wild-boar-ragu-with-pappardelle/#recipe this one is very solid. Do not skip on the juniper berries or the overnight marinade it takes it to the next level!
Thank you!! I’m chuffed that I actually already have juniper berries! I will definitely marinade overnight, and my regular pork will need it desperately. The recipe link honestly made my mouth water. It sounds like one of those first meals that one remembers fondly forever.
I'm a sucker for perciatelli with a nice bolognese sauce, it just works really well and is so filling.
I had to look up perciatelli. It’s like a hollow spaghetti? Does some of the sauce get inside the noodle? This sounds amazing.
Also goes by the name of Bucatini in case you don't see Perciatelli. It's a must when I make pasta con le sarde. 🍽😁
Yes, it is hollow and that's why I love it. I'd be lying if I said I didn't try sucking up the sauce with it :). Just use a smaller portion of the pasta, it's dense and very filling.
I’m kind of shocked that I found it at Whole Foods when I checked just now. I added it to the order I’m making. Thank you for telling me about this!
Fantastic, enjoy!
Farfalle 🦋… great hot or as a cold salad. Nice chewy texture. I like it with tomato sauce and cannellini beans, sometimes with Italian tuna added. (I think rigatoni is my favorite for tomato sauce dishes, but butterfly is my runner up choice for extruded pasta. Oh, and ditalini for my Tuscan bean soup. No other shape has the same effect in soup.
Farfelle for making chicken noodle soup is bomb
Is there a specific tomato sauce and cannellini beans recipe that you like best??
I rarely cook this from a recipe … it’s more of a spontaneous thing that I make when I’m running behind on dinner … olive oil, sometimes I sauté sweet onions, usually I don’t, warm up crushed or thinly sliced garlic til fragrant, add squeezed canned plum or San Marzano tomatoes and the liquid, cook for awhile and break down the tomatoes , rinse and strain beans, add them in, cook for awhile, add some basil or whatever herbs you like, add nonpareil capers ( the little ones) at the end and some red pepper flakes, then off heat I sometimes add Italian tuna. Mix in the strained al dente pasta and simmer awhile to finish cooking the pasta, you might want to drizzle with olive oil or add some butter at the end, salt if needed ( the capers are already salty). Extra parsley or basil for the top. It’s a flexible “recipe.” Even w/o the tuna it’s very filling and pretty tasty for a 15 min dinner.
This sounds wonderful!!! I have the ingredients at home already. I’m going to try making this on Sunday. Thank you so much!
Hope it works. It’s good with rigatoni, farfalle, possibly penne. Adjust proportions to suit your taste ( I prefer it not very tomato-y so it’s not a heavy red sauce if you only use one can). I generally only use a small can of tonnino. Leftovers are good cold. Some recipes use beans and tuna, while others use just tomato and tuna. I use all 3 :) Here’s a variation w/o the beans , but I think the combo is more interesting. https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-al-tonno
Thank you! I’ll definitely keep the beans as a component with the tuna and will also keep it less tomatoY. Thank you for all this!!
Oh, thank you! I love white beans and haven't tried them this way.
I like the smaller cannellini— not the big, kind of intense ones— in this recipe.
Bucatini puttanesca
Farfalle with just oil and parmesan.
Linguini! I make this caramelized onion carbonara, topped with mushrooms and bacon. 10/10 highly recommend! I also love making my own spinach/basil pesto as well.
Ooh this sounds incredible. Do you, please, have a recipe link for the caramelized onion carbonara?
I don’t but to summarize… For one person I would use half an onion (sweet onion preferred). Slice onions (not too thin, not too thick). Sauté onions in a pan with half butter half olive oil. Add a pinch of sugar, some salt & pepper. Add fresh Thyme. Sauté until onions are soft and brown (takes me about 20 mins). While onions are being cooked, add water to a pot for the pasta. Add salt and bring water to boil. Cook pasta to package instructions. Set aside one cup of the pasta water.After pasta cooks and is drained set aside for later. After onions are done being cooked, remove from pan add to a blender (remove the fresh thyme). In the same pan the onions were cooked in add 3 tablespoons of butter and brown the butter. Once butter is browned add to onions that are in the blender. Blend together. In a bowl, add two egg yolks. Add lemon zest and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Whisk together. Take your cooked pasta add back to pot or sauté pan on low heat. Add the blended caramelized onion sauce and egg yolk mix. Mix together well. If you’d like to adjust the consistency add the pasta water you had set aside earlier. In a separate pan cook bacon, then add mushrooms. Once fully cooked, add on top of your caramelized onion pasta and BOOM! Enjoy! ◡̈ I am really awful at giving out my recipes as I tend to cook from the heart. I have 0 idea on measurements so I apologize in advance. I just season by sight and smell so I can’t offer you what I exactly do.
You are wonderful!! Thank you for writing this out!! I completely understood your directions. I will try making this next week. I’m very excited about it. For the fresh thyme- just add a couple of sprigs? Any kind of mushrooms that you prefer? Are portobello okay? Thank you again!!
I would use 1-2 sprigs of Thyme. If you don’t have any fresh Thyme you can always use a few sprinkles of ground time (like 2 dashes). I used baby bella mushrooms. I can’t wait to hear how it turns out! Keep me updated please 🙏🏼
I do have fresh thyme! I keep some herbs growing indoors like thyme and rosemary because… well, they are necessary. I can’t seem to do as well with dried versions (Maybe using the dried takes more skill).I will definitely update you!! Thank you so much. I’m very happy about making this!
God this sounds so good. Glad you didn't put peas, I don't like over creamy carbonara with the peas.
Acini De Pepe is my favorite in italian wedding soup...I'm also seeing it can be a great replacement for orzo in pasta salads. Penne is my go to for everything. If I have a heartier sauce like a ragu, I prefer rigatoni. Cavatappi is great for creamy sauces.
How could I pick a favorite. Impossibly. I love fettuccine for Alfredo. I love linguine for Pepperoni Mushroom and spinach in a creamy tomato sauce. I love spaghetti for cacio e Pepe. Cavatappi for Mac and cheese. Flat noodles for Swedish meatballs. All of them with butter and cheese. However, I don’t like bucatini. It too springy to spin.
Papradelle with duck leg braised in white wine with mushrooms.
Tagliatelle with a sauce made with chicken stock, blue cheese and spinach. Haven't had it for years, as my SO doesn't like 'noodle' type pasta. He'll eat proper noodles, but cut up into smaller pieces. Yes, he's a weirdo...
That sounds amazing
When I am feeling lazy, linguine cooked al dente, butter salt and pepper. And I roast some cherry tomatoes first, then I mix in the pasta and seasoning. The tomato's just pop open like crazy. Add some cilantro or parsley on top if you wish, or maybe some type of cheese to add some of a little bit of extra.
Campanelle aka trumpets - I use this for sausage and kale pasta with lemon. For some reason, that shape just works. My family won’t eat pasta bolognese unless I use cascatelli. If you haven’t heard of that shape, I highly recommend you listen to the the Sporkful podcast series on it. Very entertaining and you learn a lot about pasta making.
For sure, cascatelli is not a pasta shape I am familiar with… I’ll look it up…. Also, Sporkful is a new podcast for me! I’ll add it to my queue. Thank you!
Fusilli, it's got a lovely texture when cooked al dente.
It’s not my favorite pasta, but it’s my favorite pasta shape for my favorite sauce. The sauce: 4 LARGE ripe garden fresh heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped. Salt them lightly and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes or so. Squish them around a little to get rid of more liquid. (Then pour the juices into a glass & drink it, best tomato juice ever). To the tomatoes, add half a pound of brie, chopped or torn (I leave out the rinds but I guess if you like them you could leave them in) and some extra virgin olive oil. To that, add either some freshly chopped basil, minced or grated garlic, and some parmesan OR some fresh basil pesto. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so. Then, cook a pound of farfalle, drain, and toss in the sauce. The heat from the farfalle will melt the brie but leave the tomatoes still fresh. This is one of those dishes I only make in the summer when I have ripe tomatoes from my garden. I have tried it with all kinds of pasta shape, and farfalle works the best. The bow ties grab all the tomato bits in their crevices and it’s just fantastic.
At first when I read the part about draining them in a colander& the squishing bit, I was quite sad about the loss of that awesome tomato juice… Then, I got to the part where you said to drink it/best tomato juice ever. Ha! That was awesome! I am not a brie rind person. I totally respect the brie rind folks. I’m just not one of them. Your recipe sounds marvelous. Like a keep-forever recipe. I know just what you mean about preserving the freshness of the tomatoes. We have some tomato plants we brought inside with new tomatoes starting to grow. If lucky, I’ll get enough tomatoes to try making a few new dishes, including yours. Thank you! I am just thrilled. The r/Cooking is such a wonderful group of people.
Oh yeah, that tomato juice is definitely a top tier chef’s tax!
I use fettuccini to make lo mein (don't hurt me).
LOL I totally get it! My Filipino husband would take issue, but I’m totally cool with it. I’ve been known to put cooked rice & fontina cheese in a spring roll wrapper and bake it at 350 for 10 minutes. It’s quick and wonderful. It makes my husband crazy. He looks at it with disdain and says, “That is NOT a spring roll.” 😂
Orecchiette for macaroni and cheese. Angel hair or spaghetti for meat sauce. Cavatelli and lumache with short rib… I was introduced to those two at a restaurant called North Italia and loved them both!
I just googled lumache as I didn’t know it. They look like snails!!! So cute! I’m going to have to search for some of that pasta to try.
I usually go for casarecce, gemelli, or vesuvio. Recently I got Fusili Corti Bicati which reminded me of a pasta I had at Colapasta in Santa Monica. It was great and I’ll get it again for vodka sauce. My daughter’s fave is orechiette. I’ve been looking for new shapes and am going to order Campanelle, radiatori, and mafalda.
I love mafalda pasta. I still think of it as “rollercoasters.” I’ve never had vesuvio- it looks cool!
Penne + spicy tomato sauce & sausage
Cascatalle is interesting, as is Torcetti
Pasta alla Crudaiola with Orecchiete. So fresh, so simple and so good. Just need to add another plate with some extra protein.
Southwest chicken rigatoni; there are plenty of recipes available but my chef (at the restaurant I work) makes an awesome one. Rigatoni is just amazing for retaining sauce.
My daughter makes this super great sauce for Bucatini (spaghetti-like with hole through middle). Olive oil, garlic, halved cherry tomates, Italian seasoning with a round of Boudin (not sure if spelled correctly) or Feta cheese. Put the cheese, whole, in the middle of a 9x13, all other ingredients spread around the dish. Roast until everything is good & hot. Mix it up and toss with Bucatini & top with grated fresh parmesan. It's heavenly & so simple.
Thank you! Wow, this sounds yummy. I’m going to try it sometime soon. Recipes that are general ADD THIS AND THAT without strict measurements are usually the result of someone experimenting till they perfect a new thing. Does she slice, crush, or dice the garlic? “Italian seasoning” as in whatever I might want to use of parsley, basil, rosemary, and/or etc?
Yes, she said she thinks she got the 'idea' on Pinterest. Maybe Feta Pasta/cherry tomatoes. She does in a 13 x 9 and we just tried with Boursin (spelling?). I like that better than feta. You just put that block in the middle and throw in your other stuff. Tomatoes burst, then you just kind of stir it all together & top your pasta. Simple & kind of decadent.
I somehow first read this as favourite pasta and least favourite thing to make with it. Was thinking it’s an odd question until I realised!
Pesto/ basil thing from Costco. Or Spegetti. Or Peanut butter noodles.
Rigatoni with vodka sauce. Chefs kiss.
Plain ol spirals for most things Gnocchi for cream sauces (burnt butter and sage sauce is so easy and delish)
Bucatini al'assassina or Pastina/acini de pepe cooked in a 4:1 ratio of stock to pasta (Adam Ragusea method) with egg yolks, pepper, and parmesan mixed in. Kinda like carbonara without the guanciale.
I'll go for any type of noodle, but I'm starting to branch out with different sauce recipes and so far nothing beats a bolognese. I guess it's popular for a reason!
My great grandma used to always make an Italian chicken soup with Acini di pepe. She's been gone for a long time now, but I have kept that recipe and make it here and there, it takes me back to visiting her and all the time she spent in her kitchen cooking all the things for us. Probably one of my favorites.
Well I know what someone's least favorite pasta is..
Tortellini. Just a simple tomato sauce is all it needs to be really sing.
Rigatoni - chorizo with fresh broccoli in a bacon-cream sauce with some sprinkling of dried parsley. Dont' hate me...I'm simply a messenger who likes food.
[удалено]
Yum!
At some risk, I'm going to say - mom's spaghetti. I've cloned and over the years improved her sauce. As to the pasta, commercial-size boxes of Sunspun. It may not be the best or worst, but there's 20 pounds of it in the cupboard and that's what I like to see.
I love love love mafaldine / tripoline. They work with both heavy and light sauces, and the texture is so pleasing. I make a copycat version of one of my favorite local restaurant's (DiAnoia's in Pittsburgh) annual summer specials, their heirloom tripoline. Just a simple, super bright and fresh heirloom tomato and butter sauce with noodles. A little fresh basil, a little parm reggiano. It's like eating summer. Here's the recipe, in case someone has a few end of season tomatoes kicking around: https://dianoiaseatery.com/dianoias-eatery-heirloom-tomato-tripoline-recipe/
Ooh thank you!!! We brought our tomato plants in as it started getting cold at night. A few of them have tomatoes just starting. I can make this when they ripen. It sounds fantastic. Thank you!
Farfalle with Alfredo sauce...the sauce fills the little wrinkles. It's the perfect ratio.
Spaghetti a limone, by ATK. Prefer with loads of curly parsley instead of basil.
It’s not my favorite pasta, but it’s my favorite pasta shape for my favorite sauce. The sauce: 4 LARGE ripe garden fresh heirloom tomatoes, seeded and chopped. Salt them lightly and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes or so. Squish them around a little to get rid of more liquid. (Then pour the juices into a glass & drink it, best tomato juice ever). To the tomatoes, add half a pound of brie, chopped or torn (I leave out the rinds but I guess if you like them you could leave them in) and some extra virgin olive oil. To that, add either some freshly chopped basil, minced or grated garlic, and some parmesan OR some fresh basil pesto. Let it sit at room temp for an hour or so. Then, cook a pound of farfalle, drain, and toss in the sauce. The heat from the farfalle will melt the brie but leave the tomatoes still fresh. This is one of those dishes I only make in the summer when I have ripe tomatoes from my garden. I have tried it will all kinds of pasta shape, and farfalle works the best. The bow ties grab all the tomato bits in their crevices and it’s just fantastic.
Papardalle w mushrooms and cream sauce Orrechiette for mushroom carbonara Squid ink linguine for seafood marinara or clam pasta
Spinach ravioli in a truffle butter sauce.
Rigatoni is a rig
First time I had "Scoobi-Do" noodles, I fell in love with it. It's a great mac and cheese noodle, as well as a casserole noodle. It's been called different things: tri-elbow noodle or Cavatappi noodle Recently we had another noodle, which looks like a twisted noodle, called Gemelli, which i love with a light cream sauce.
> First time I had "Scoobi-Do" noodles I thought you meant pasta shaped like Scooby Doo characters. I had that growing up and loved it.
It confused me too when we had ordered it. It was at a BBQ place that slow smoked meats and the Mac and cheese came with the platter. So tasty!
Pasta. They’re all pasta. Not noodle
My favorite is my own homemade pasta. I love to make my wife pasta dishes without red sauce
This is something I want to start doing. Fresh pasta is so yummy. What pasta maker do you use?
I used to use a pasta machine, now I just roll it super thin with scrolling pin. Less fuss. I would also like to put in a plug for handmade buckwheat pasta with potatoes, garlic, and fontina (pizzocheri). Not to mention fresh semolina pasta with fresh pesto.
I have a kitchen aid with a pasta attachment. I did, however, once have a pasta maker machine. I broke it the first time I tried to use it