Pasta & Gnocchi Archives

Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Creamy Stracciatella Cheese

July 11, 2020 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

Hello friends,

Long time no see! A lot has happened in the past month. We’re back in the US after a whole year spent in Italy, near my family. I can say our hearts and bellies are happy and full: so many shared moments with people we love; such familiar and unforgettable flavors! Oh, I miss everything and everybody so much already.

We ended up gravitating around Northeastern Italy, only stepping once outside the Italian border (to eat at a restaurant in a little Slovenian village). Even if we initially thought we’d travel more, our year in Italy was very rich (and enriching) , regardless!

We loved being close to the sea and to the Alps! The opera in Verona, a weekend in Milan, our summer vacation in a luxury hotel in Alto Adige, a week at my favorite beach, getting lost in Venice for the hundredth time were just some of the highlights of our time there. The most cherished moments, though, were the simplest of all.

I’m thinking of something as simple as getting a brioche and a cappuccino at a local cafe or riding our bikes through the quiet roads around the house, just before the sun disappeared behind the mountains. I loved our dinners under the porch — lately they were on high demand because Olivia loved the colorful string lights. Seeing old friends, eating gelato & pizza, strolling around markets, foraging for wild herbs, shopping at my favorite shoes stores…the list goes on and on! Lastly, the best thing of all was seeing Olivia growing up close to her nonni, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She had lots of attention and love coming from all over the place…I’m not sure how I can replace that, but it was a real blessing! During our time there, she grew into a chatty, smart, and curious toddler.

Now we’re off to a new start and we’re slowly getting used to our new life here in Alexandria, VA. Readjusting this time is a bit harder because of all the restrictions related to COVID. Thankfully, we still have friends here and we also found a house we’ll soon move into. I can’t wait to settled and get all my kitchen stuff back! In the meantime, I have some recipes that have been in the back burner for a long time.

Pasta with Tuna and Lemon is definitely a classic in Italian cuisine. This recipe is a keeper and also a lifesaver because it’s easy, quick, and tasty. We resorted to it on multiple occasions during our last weeks in Italy and even here in our temporary apartment. The quality of tuna is really important, so make sure to use the best you can find. I love to add luscious and creamy stracciatella to this dish: it goes so well with the zesty lemon and it balances out the heat from the chili peppers.

Just in case you’re not familiar with it, stracciatella is the soft, delicate and creamy center of burrata — it’s basically what makes burrata so good! This heavenly and pillowy soft cheese is a mixture of shredded fresh mozzarella curd and cream. I know it’s gaining popularity outside of Italy, so I encourage you to look for it at your local specialty store. If you can’t find it, you can easily replace it with her more famous sister, burrata.

This recipe can be enjoyed any time of the year, but I particularly love it for the summer. It’s so fresh and so tasty!

SPAGHETTI WITH TUNA, LEMON, AND CREAMY STRACCIATELLA CHEESE

Total Time 15 minutes

Author Very EATalian

Ingredients

320 g (11.5. oz) spaghetti
extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 organic lemon juiced and zested
crushed red pepper flakes OR a fresh red hot chili pepper (seeded and sliced)
300 g (10.5 oz) good-quality tuna in extra-virgin olive oil drained
1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped
stracciatella cheese in desired amount, at room temperature

Instructions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. While pasta is cooking, prepare the “sauce”.
In a wide sauté pan, over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and a clove of garlic. Let it become fragrant and then add chili pepper sliced (or red pepper flakes), lemon zest and 1/4 cup of cooking water from the pasta pot. Cook briefly and let the liquid evaporate. Then add the tuna and the lemon juice, and cook for just a couple of minutes. Remove from the heat and let the flavors mingle until the pasta is ready.
Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan. Turn on the heat, toss the pasta in the tuna/lemon sauce, until coated, for a minute or two. Remove the clove of garlic.
Serve in bowls along with 1 or 2 tablespoons of stracciatella. Sprinkle with parsley. Before eating, make sure you stir in the stracciatella with your fork so that you obtain a nice creamy sauce.

Simple and flavorful Pasta e Ceci

April 21, 2020 By very EATalian 2 Comments

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Simple and flavorful Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with Chickpeas) | Very EATalian

I’m having a moment with Pasta e Ceci (Pasta and Chickpeas). It’s a sort of Southern “cousin” of another bean-based pasta dish we make quite often around here: Pasta e Fagioli soup.

Both of these delicious recipes have their merits: they’re equally humble, nutritious, and filling. My favorite thing about Pasta e Ceci is how all ingredients come together in a harmony of flavors. A fragrant clove of garlic and an aromatic sprig of rosemary set the perfect stage for the beautiful marriage between the bright pureed tomatoes and the hearty chickpeas.

Like many other Italian dishes, you can prepare Pasta e Ceci in many different ways, according to family and regional traditions. I personally like my Pasta e Ceci just like Emiko Davies does: I like it to be less of a soup and more of a pasta, with just enough sauce to call for a spoon. I also like to be generous with tomatoes and puree about 1/3 of the chickpeas I use. The rest of the chickpeas dots the pasta, adding textural interest to the dish.

The best way to go is obviously dried chickpeas. I took a little shortcut and used the canned ones, and the result was still delicious! Make sure you don’t discard the water, though, as it will be an important thickening and flavoring addition to the sauce!

Short pasta works well with this recipe. I scored some mixed-shape pasta at the grocery store and it turned out to be a great source of entertainment for Olivia. She spent a good amount of time sorting out the different shapes. She also got really sad when she realized she ate all her chickpeas and she had no more.

A drizzle of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkle of shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese will be the perfect final touches to your Pasta e Ceci. If you like a bit of heat (and I DO!), you can add a hint of peperoncino (chili powder).

So there you have it. This simple and flavorful Pasta e Ceci is kid-friendly, cheap, nutritious, filling, and just DELICIOUS. I hope I inspired you to make it, too!

If you make this recipe, please let me know how it turns out for you! You can leave a comment below the recipe or share a photo on IG or FB. Don’t forget to tag me with #veryeatalian! Grazie!

5 from 1 vote

Simple and flavorful Pasta e Ceci

Pasta e Ceci (Pasta with chickpeas) is an incredibly satisfying and nutritious pasta recipe made of cheap pantry ingredients. The pasta is cooked in a delicious sauce made with chickpeas, pureed tomatoes, garlic, and rosemary. You’ll love this dish so much, you’ll want to make it again!

Servings 4

Author Very EATalian

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas (don’t discard the water!)
1 clove garlic smashed
1 sprig rosemary
½ can (7 oz or 200 g) pureed or chopped tomatoes
300 g short pasta (I used mixed shape pasta)
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
chili powder (optional)

Instructions

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Sauté the garlic with the rosemary, until fragrant. Add the pureed tomatoes and let cook for about 3 minutes, on low heat.
Add the chickpea liquid from the can and ⅔ of the chickpeas. In a separate small bowl, puree the rest of the chickpeas with a couple of tablespoons of water, to obtain a creamy, thick sauce. Add the pureed chickpeas to the sauce, too.
Add 3-4 cups of water to the saucepan, until it becomes quite watery and then add the pasta and a generous pinch of salt. The pasta doesn’t need to be completely submerged by the watery sauce, but it needs to have enough liquid in which to cook. For this reason, you will need to add a couple more cups of water, as the pasta cooks. The cooking liquid will eventually reduce and cook down into a creamy sauce. Cook pasta until al dente, stirring occasionally.
When the sauce becomes a nice liquid cream that’s not too thick, your Pasta e Ceci is ready.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with generous shavings of parmesan cheese and a little drizzle of olive oil. Make sure you serve it with a spoon!

Orecchiette with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Sun-dried Tomatoes

December 18, 2019 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

Orecchiette with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Sun-dried Tomatoes is the kind of pasta dish I could never get tired of and eat every day. I simply love it. It comes together pretty quickly and it bursts with tons of flavor!

I have to confess this recipe was originally for orecchiette with JUST sausage and broccoli rabe: a popular twist on the classic dish from Puglia, orecchiette con cime di rapa. Then, one day, my mom came home hugging a GIANT jar of sun-dried tomatoes: “Your aunt got this from a friend but she doesn’t eat them…so she gave them to me”. My jaws dropped. I’d be the happy recipient of any unwanted gifts of that kind, any day of the week! Those wrinkly little guys looked like the perfect colorful addition to my recipe.

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Butternut Squash Ravioli (Ravioli di Zucca)

October 22, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Everything is pumpkin-flavored these days and you probably already had butternut squash cooked in any possible way this season…but have you ever tried Butternut Squash Ravioli (Ravioli di Zucca)? They’re delicate pockets of thinly rolled pasta hiding a delicious filling of sweet and nutty squash, bitter-sweet amaretti and savory Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Back in Italy, we typically toss them in a lovely aromatic butter sage sauce. They’re pretty much impossible not to love!

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Cat’s Ear Greens and Asiago Cheese Orecchiette

March 29, 2016 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

Have you ever seen those tall yellow flowers that grow wild in open fields or lawns? It’s cat’s ear (Hypochaeris Radicata), a plant that’s commonly mistaken for dandelion and whose leaves make a delicious base for pasta sauce!

Identifying cat’s ear isn’t hard. Unlike dandelion, its stems are thin, long and branched; the leaves are lobe-shaped, thick, and with a profusion of tiny hair on both sides (hence the name), and together, they form a thick rosette that lays flat on the ground; the root is deep and fleshy. For a better visual comparison, look here.

The good news is that even if you mistake cat’s ear for dandelion greens, it’s no big deal as both plants are edible! Remember my orzotto with dandelion greens and mascarpone cheese?

Foraging wild greens is something I’ve always done with my mom and aunts when spring comes around. Our favorite spot is a field, right next to my dad’s orchard. We pick cat’s ear when it’s not flowering as its leaves are less bitter and more tender.

If you’d like to forage cat’s ear (or any other wild greens), all you need is a bag, a knife, and a trained eye. Make sure you avoid polluted areas (like driveways or anywhere along the streets) and choose places free of pesticides or herbicides. Pick an open field you know or check your own lawn. Dig your knife deep into the ground and around the base of the plant. Clean your harvested greens by cutting off the root, and select the greenest leaves. Wash them multiple times — three or four times is ideal, especially if you picked them from a place frequented by pets.

When your cat’s ear is well-washed, you’re ready to make this lovely and easy Cat’s Ear Greens and Asiago Cheese Orecchiette! Of course, you can choose any other pasta shape you prefer but I highly recommend orecchiette as their thick texture really go well with this sauce. Cat’s ear‘s mild bitterness really shines when sautéed with garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. It’s such a basic yet elegant combination.

Foraging food that took no effort on your part to grow is simply awesome. The only “effort” is to take a walk in nature and look out for plants that grows wildly.

Cat's Ear Greens and Asiago Cheese Orecchiette [Orecchiette con Piattello e Asiago]

Author: Very EATalian

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

300 g (10.6 oz) orecchiette pasta
1or 2 garlic cloves
a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
225 g (8 oz) cat's ear, washed
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 or 3 generous handfuls (more than 1 cup) of Asiago cheese, shredded

Instructions

In a wide pan, briefly saute a garlic clove in a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and add cat's ear. Cook, adding a little bit of water. Once the greens have become tender and the water has evaporated, add salt and pepper. Turn off heat.
Cook orecchiette in salted boiling water until they rise to the surface.
Transfer drained orecchiette to the pan and saute for a few minutes. Remove garlic from the pan.
Add Asiago cheese at the very end, right before turning off the heat. Gently mix and serve.

How to Make Orecchiette

March 24, 2016 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

Hello again, friends!

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last post. Needless to say my break was probably too long, but much needed. In case you were wondering, this is what happened these past weeks and kept me away from my blogging routine (they’re really good things, for the most part!):

My deployed husband (whom I haven’t seen in 4 months) came to visit me! As usual, our time together was awesome and too short. During his stay in Italy, we were able to accomplish something we have been wanting to do for a long time – i.e. to visit Sicily and meet his Sicilian relatives. We had a great time and I hope to be able to post some photos soon!
I upgraded my camera and this is a HUGE piece of news. For months, I spent countless hours sounding out reviews on any possible photography website in order to understand what camera would better fit my needs. I finally set my heart on a Nikon model and got it. I’m happy to announce I’m SUPER satisfied with it. I’m “legit” now! LOL.
I did my first portrait session (with my new camera!) — it was an exciting experience altogether and I’m looking forward to my next portrait session. I really can see a future in this.
After much anticipation, my husband and I found out our next destination: we’re going to the D.C. area! If there’s one place that could counter-balance the super-sad fact that I’m leaving Italy again, it’s Washington D.C.; lots of beautiful memories there. As soon as we found out about it, we started the house hunt. We’re still a few months out, but we just can’t help it!
My computer decided to stop cooperating and I’m in the middle of backing up all my files and getting ready to migrate everything to a new computer. Despite my desire to post new photos & stories, I can’t seem to get through this painful process fast enough.
Lastly, I realized that after 1 year of almost-uninterrupted blogging, I needed to put this little creature of mine on hiatus, just so I could come back with fresher ideas and stronger purpose…all the above-mentioned circumstances simply made it happen.

So I’m back at it BUT I’m still in the middle of working out my computer issues. In the meantime, I was miraculously able to work on something I know you’ll love – an orecchiette tutorial!

Orecchiette are cute “little ears” of pasta (“orecchio” means “ear” in Italian). In Puglia (that beautiful southern region that’s easily recognizable because it’s the heel of the boot), making orecchiette is a tradition women pass down from generation to generation and, if you ever visit the old part of Bari, you’ll see the “orecchiette ladies” lining the streets, rolling out dough, and forming tiny perfect cups at the speed of sound. Thousands of these orecchiette are then left to dry on big racks. Once they become dry, they’re ready to be packaged and purchased from passer-by and tourists.

Now, granted my technique isn’t comparable to the masterful hands of these expert ladies, I’m proud to say my FIRST orecchiette turned out quite well! It’s a fun activity to do with the family and I seriously cannot wait to make them again for my American friends when I go back stateside.

To make orecchiette you’ll only need semolina flour, warm water, and just a tiny bit of extra-virgin olive oil. You can check out the full recipe at the end of the post). Now, let’s get to the technique:

Once the dough has rested for about 15-20 minutes, cut a piece and roll it out in a 1 cm-thick log (that’s a little less than 1/2 inch). Keep the remaining dough wrapped in plastic film.
Cut the log in square-shaped pieces (once again, measuring 1 cm or a little less than 1/2 inch).
Take one dough square. Press the tip of a table knife (I used a butter knife) against the corner farthest from you, holding it at an angle.
Press down hard and pull the knife towards you, rolling the dough; keep going until dough wraps around the knife.
Using the other hand, turn dough inside out, pushing your thumb in the center of the little dough disk.

…and tah-daaaah! You just made your first orecchietta.

Wow. It’s more difficult to write it down than to actually make them! This GIF should help you understand better.

Don’t be intimidated. I guarantee the first ones will look terrible, but as you keep going you’ll notice they’ll look better and better. I promise, you’ll be proud of yourself!

I love the fact that these little domes can really catch any kind of sauce you want to use. Orecchiette usually call for a sauce made with greens like broccoli rabe. I made one with freshly-picked wild greens, garlic, and Asiago cheese….and it was awesome.

Last tip: since you’re at it, make an extra batch, let it dry and freeze for weeknights.

Orecchiette

Prep time

50 mins

Total time

50 mins

Author: Very EATalian

Recipe type: Pasta

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

300 g (10.6 oz) semolina flour
150 g (5.3 oz) warm water
½ tsp of extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients until you obtain a soft, yet firm dough.
Knead for a few minutes, until smooth. Form a ball.
Wrap it in plastic film and let it rest for 15 minutes.
Cut a piece and roll it out in a 1 cm-thick log (that's a little less than ½ inch). Keep the remaining dough wrapped in plastic film.
Cut the log in small square-shaped pieces (once again, measuring 1 cm or a little less than ½ inch).
Take one small dough square. Press the tip of a table knife (I used a butter knife) against the corner farthest from you, holding it at an angle.
Press down hard and pull the knife towards you, rolling the dough; keep going until dough wraps around the knife.
Using the other hand, turn dough disk inside out, pushing your thumb in the center of the dough disk.
Repeat the same steps for the rest of the dough.
Spread the orecchiette on top of a drying rack or a lightly floured tray, and let them dry. When they harden up (it doesn't take too long), you can either cook them right away or freeze them inside a plastic bag.
Cook them in salted boiling water until they rise to the surface (cooking time depends on how dry they are - mine took about 5-7 minutes).
Drain orecchiette and sautée with a freshly made sauce.

Fluffy Pumpkin Gnocchi with Smoked Ricotta

November 5, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

My birthday is coming up. May I make an early wish?

I want a little helper. Somebody who’s tech-savvy and patient enough to save my cell and computer’s memories from exploding on me – I’d like all files transferred & copied on multiple devices and not on a cloud, thankyouverymuch. That’s priority #1. THEN, it would be so darling if he/she could recover all my old photos from my crashed external hard drive – that’d be like a huge patch on my broken little heart. It definitely wouldn’t hurt if my little helper happened to be a web designer with great social media skills….