I have never, in my life, refused a plate of pasta. I truly believe that there’s very little a classic spaghetti al pomodoro can’t fix. I believe in the magic of a simple pasta al limone, in the comfort of a Bolognese ragu, and the reassuring powers of a green springtime pesto. I have been stunned to silence by a caramelized cabbage pasta sauce, I have worshipped at the altar of pillowy gnocchi, and summer isn’t summer until we’re sharing an enormous bowl of spaghetti alle vongole.
At the risk of burying the lede, this week’s newsletter is going to be about pasta. Recipes and cookbooks followed by sauce and pasta shape pairings, plus tips, below. Because, to me, pasta is inextricable from the good life. It’s always there for you. And even when it’s as basic butter with Parmesan, it’s goddamned delicious.
My all-time favorite pasta cookbooks and recipes:
Books: Odette Williams’ Simple Pasta is a must-have. If you’re ready to graduate to the more hardcore handmade pasta stuff, American Sfoglino, by LA-son Evan Funke is gorgeous. And for instructions from the mother country, it’s Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking.
Recipes you can find online: First, Marcella’s butter, onion, tomato sauce is a three ingredient magic pomodoro. I make my orecchiette with burst cherry tomatoes very, very often at home, too. An alla checca in the summer? Anytime, anywhere.
I will only make Bolognese ragu with my Sicilian grandmother’s secret ingredient. I will change the meat from time to time (I’ll do turkey, all pork, whatevs) but the rest stays the same.
One need not stray from what works, which includes Odette’s spaghetti al limone. If you watched Stanley Tucci’s “Searching for Italy,” you may recall the spaghetti alla Nerano (a caramelized zucchini pasta) which is divine. Jamie Oliver’s lightly creamy mushroom pasta hits that mark between simple and luxurious. What would a pasta newsletter be without a classic carbonara? And I have made Pasta Queen’s broccoli pasta countless times since seeing it on TikTok.
I’m nothing if not loyal, which is why I still make this Buzzfeed recipe for penne with gorgonzola, lemon, and honey which I have had bookmarked for ten years. I add a pile of arugula every time because that slightly wilted lettuce gives it the hint of bitterness it needs.
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