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When your sweet bub gifts you Testaroli, you know he’s paying attention. In the beginning, he told me his favorite pasta was just that... and I almost fell over. Most people don’t know what that is, so it made me feel all warm and fuzzy!
You, too, should experience this ancient masterpiece of pasta. If you want to know where you can buy yours feel free to reach out!
Ceramic collab by the amazing Dara Levine @museummileart
Monday is tough. I never liked the feeling in my gut on Sunday knowing the weekend was over and work would soon begin. I wish I could wrap myself in a blanket and hibernate until Thursday night showed up. I think there is a way to shut out those shallow Sunday feels. The dreadful Mondays don’t have to be so bad if you look forward to anything that makes you feel good. Anything at all! For some of us (myself) it’s looking forward to a favorite meal like this. I don’t care how bad it is for you as long as the soul feels right!
The first thing I didn’t expect to see on the streets in Accra, Ghana were boiling vats of water for pasta. There was pasta around us, mostly spaghetti that locals were selling on the streets. I couldn’t help but feel super curious by all of it, especially when nearly every hotel menu offered pasta in some form. Ghana’s food scene is fulfilled by spice. If you want to feast like a true Ghanaian, you will have to bring on the heat!
While digging through my memories and brainstorming recipe ideas I remembered seeing Pasta Arrabiata on some menu somewhere! And I thought it would be clever to bridge two worlds into one. A Lazio, Italy region classic could not be more perfect for a Ghanaian palate. It’s the spice baby!
My sauce will kick you in the booty and make you feel warm and fuzzy all at the same time. It’s rich with lots of fat from olive oil and slabs of butter that cooked slowly into the sauce as it roasted in the oven. It’s thick and viscous, not quite how a tomato sauce should be, but what I think is the perfect consistency for richness and cozy fall weather. Cheese is not common in a Ghanaian diet, but there is no darn way I couldn’t include it here. So with further research, I found that farmer's cheese is quintessential in Ghana if and when there is any cheese to be had or used at all. It’s like a mascarpone ricotta combo, creamy but crumbly and perfect for the top of a baked pasta. And I love the addition of breadcrumb for a little buttery crunch factor.
I thought it would be a smokey idea. Instead of standing over a hot flame in mid summers heat stirring your tomatoes every 10 minutes, why not go to the grill instead? Summer equals grilling and light fair. The last thing you want to eat in hot weather is something super rich and heavy. But! There’s still a way to make so much use of those tomatoes that grow wildly all summer long. If you like those little bits of charred tomato skin sprinkled throughout your food then I think this is the right fit for you! Charring the tomatoes give it edge and allows you to kind of think outside of the box. Lemon zest and cojita cheese sprinkled over the pasta offer that kind of punch that a tomato sauce variation needs! Check out this recipe below!
This pasta is simple, it’s amazing and it’s feminine- which I love! It’s my take on cacio e pepe but with different cheese, different “peppercorns” (that are actually dried berries), and seasoned pasta water! I would love for you to get in on this one because it’s fabulously delicious. I made this for Mother’s Day since my mom loves cacio e pepe and she loves all things pink. It felt like the right thing to do! I used Benedetto Cavalieri’s Spaghettoni pasta which is fairly traditional for this Roman-style dish. The game changer was the Sicilian Incanestrato cheese which is hard, aged cheese like parmesan or pecorino, but a whole lot better!!! Is that possible and did I actually admit to this? YES.
I discovered this cheese at a small Italian market on the upper east side but I can’t imagine it’s not sold elsewhere?! And the pink peppercorn berries took a little hunting but I am in love now! The seasoned pasta water adds another level of flavor. Other than salting your water to taste the equivalent of the black sea I think cooking pasta in brothy water with the addition of aromatics accentuates the flavor so much more.
I have been dying to get my hands-on Benedetto Cavalieri Pasta since I left the southernmost part of Puglia about a year ago! I was lucky enough to tour the premise of this factory in its centennial year as a student then, visiting from Castello di Ugento with the CIA. My gosh! Was the dried pasta just so perfectly dry! I was never one to be a fan of fresh pasta, which sounds insane- what kind of Italian are you, Francesca!? - but, truthfully, I really do love the texture and mouthfeel that only dry pasta can offer. It’s what makes me desire pasta, even more, every day. Even in the days, I cannot have it, because I have had too much in the last week already!
I am so thrilled to be able to develop recipes with this historical and classically gourmet pasta brand! Benedetto Cavalieri makes their pasta out of durum wheat which grows in regions of Puglia and Basilicata. They do not use chemicals to grow and harvest their wheat products. And, once it’s time to process the pasta they use the “Delicate” method to slowly knead, press, and dry (at low temps) their pasta.
My goal is to make you just as crazy in love with dried pasta like myself and to share no regrets whatsoever while eating multiple bowls of this incredible carb. I can only inspire you if you subscribe to The Garnished Palate blog where new recipes and dreamy photos of twisted pasta shapes wait for you.
Tubettini Rigate: I grew up eating bowls of ancini di pepe or tubettini in soup with lots of cheese and chicken broth. Because tubettini are so tiny, like a grain of rice, I thought why not make it as if you are cooking risotto? It’s so dreamy and creamy with the mascarpone cheese and crumbled pecorino Romano. I drizzled egg yolk on top instead of olive oil, but please add both if you like the extra richness!