60 pcs circa

ready in 1H30 mins

350 gr mostarda

1,5 kilo pumpkin

180 gr parmesan cheese, grated

salt and pepper

a pinch of nutmeg powder

10 crunchy amaretti biscuits

1 or 2 eggs (dpeending on final consistency)

Fresh Pasta

600 grams all purpose flour

6 eggs + 1 egg yolk

half tbs of salt

In a container mix all ingredients for the fresh pasta and knead for 10 minute. Set aside well covered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile peel the pumpkin and cook it until the meati s tender in one of these 2 ways:

• microwave oven: 25 minutes circa max power
• normal oven at 160° C for 40 minutes circa

Let it cool then mash it in a mixer. Set aside.

In a mixer, mix mostarda (well drained), crushed amarettis, one egg (you might add the 2nd one at a later stage depending on the consistency of the filling), salt and pepper, parmesan cheese, nutmeg.

Add the pumpkin and mix well. Consistency should be like a little softer than a potato pure. If too firm, add the remaining egg.

Using a pasta machine, roll the pasta to 1 mm thick.

Put it on a floured surface, on the below half put a tbs of pumpkin filling every 15 cm, flip the other half of the pasta above it and seal well (as shown in pictures).

Cut with a knife or a rolled cutter at the desired shape (it can be square or half-circled), final tortelli should be 7×5 cm circa.

Cook in hot and salted boiling water for 6 minutes.

Season with fried butter (fry it with a few fresh sage leaves), and grated parmesan.

My recipe for Pasta alla Gricia

There is no other region in Italy that has such a good offering when it comes to pastas like Lazio. No tomato, just 2 simple ingredients: onions and cheek lard, sprinkled with grated pecorino cheese. A melt in mouth recipe, for people looking for savoury stuff!

Serves 5

Ready in 45 min

400 grams pasta at your choice

3 big onions

200 grams diced cheek lard

100 grams Grated pecorino cheese

half glass olive oil

Salt and pepper

Slice finely the onions.

Heat the olive oil and add the sliced onions.

Bring salted water to boil.

Let simmer at medium-low heat for 20 minutes covered with a lid (until translucent) adding 2 or 3 tbs of water. At high heat, remove the cover and let the water evaporate. Set aside.

Cook the pasta.

In another casserole fry the diced bacon until golden, then add it to the cooked onions.

Once ready drain the pasta and put it into the pan – medium heat – with the onion and bacon mixture, stir fry for a couple of minutes and serve sprinkled with grated pecorino cheese.

Ready in 45 mins

350 grams pasta (such as maccheroni)

250 grams Chanterelle mushrooms

100 grams gruyere cheese grated

300 ml fresh cream

half scallion (or half small onion and half garlic clove)

40 grams of butter

Bring salted water to a boil. Meanwhile clean and cut the mushrooms. Chop finely the scallion.

Fry the scallion into the butter. Once golden, add the mushrooms and stir – medium heat – until the water has evaporated.

Cook the pasta.

Meanwhile, add the cream to the mushrooms, bring to a boil, add the grated cheese. Retain from heat.

Put the cooked pasta into the mushroom sauce, mix well: it should be very creamy (if necessary add some cooking water). Season with fresh ground pepper and serve.

Serves 4

1H

350 gr pasta (short maccheroni)

4 aubergines

3 anchovies or 2 cm anchovies paste

2 garlic cloves

half glass of olive oil

100 grams grated pecorino cheese

ground dried chilli peppers

500 ml frying oil

Heat the frying oil. Dice che aubergines into small pieces  max 2 cm long.

Fry the aubergines in the hot frying oil until golden brown. Set aside.

Bring enough water to boil. Meanwhile stir fry the garlic (minced or full cloves at your choice) along with the anchovies (or anchovie paste), and add the aubergines, mix well. Set aside.

Cook the pasta as per directions. Once ready add the cooked pasta and stir it on high heat for a couple of minutes. Serve and sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese.

Pasta Crudaiola

500 gr pomodori freschi / 500 gr ripe tomatoes

1 dl di olio d’oliva / 1 dl olive oil

2 spicchi d’aglio / 2 garlic cloves

1 cucchiaino di origano / 1 teaspoon oregan

basilico q.b. / basil leaves (just enough)

sale e pepe / salt and pepper

Lavare i pomodori e tagliarli a piccoli cubetti (come nelle foto). Metterli in un colapasta per togliere l’eccesso d’acqua.

Wash a cut the tomatoes into small cubes (as shown in the picture). Drain them in a drainer to exceeding water away. 

Mettere in un recipiente. Aggiungere 2 spicchi d’aglio tagliati grossolanamente (li toglieremo), il basilico tritato, l’origano e metà dell’olio d’oliva. Non aggiungere ancora il sale (altrimenti il pomodoro diventa molle). Mettere in frigorifero per un paio d’ore.

Put in a container. Add the garlic cloves cut in big pieces (we will retain them), the chopped basil leaves (as much as you want), the oregan and half of the olive oil. Do not add salt now (or the tomatoes will get mushy). Put in fridge for a couple of hours.

Mentre cuoci la pasta, prendi i pomodori dal frigo e aggiungi sale e pepe a piacere. A parte fai soffriggere 2 spicchi d’aglio nell’olio rimasto, aggiungi tutto (olio e aglio) ai pomodori e mescola bene.

While you cook the pasta, take the tomatoes out of the fridge. Add salt and pepper to the tomatoes. Fry 2 garlic cloves in the remaining olive oil until golden. And add, still hot to the tomatoes. 

Scola la pasta e uniscila ai pomodori. Spolvera con ricotta salata grattugiata.

Drain the pasta, and put it into the tomatoes. Spread with the shaved ricotta cheese.

Pasta porri e salsiccia

500 gr pasta fusilli

2 porri / leeks

250 gr salsiccia / pork sausage meat

mezzo bicchiere di vino / half glass white wine

sale e pepe / salt & pepper

olio d’oliva / olive oil

Cuocere la pasta.

Cook the pasta.

Nel frattempo, tagliare i porri a rondelle e saltarli con olio d’oliva in una padella.

Meanwhile, slice the leeks and stir fry them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Aggiungere la salsiccia a pezzetti.

Add the pork sausage meat crumbled.

Fare evaporare i liquidi di cottura e bagnare con il vino bianco, fare sfumare per 5/10 minuti.

Make the sausage juice evaporate and then add the wine, let it evaporate for 5/10 minutes.

Aggiungere la pasta e saltare per un paio di minuti. Servire con un poco di ricotta salata garttugiata.

Add the pasta and pan fry for a couple of minutes. Serve if you like with shaved matured ricotta cheese.

500 gr pasta

500 gr cavolfiore bollito/steamed or boiled cauliflower

50 gr pasta d’acciughe /anchovies paste 

2 spicchi d’aglio/garlic gloves

peperoncino/hot peppers

2 dl olio extra vergine d’oliva/extra-virgin olive oil

100 gr pan grattato/breadcrumbs

sale e pepe/salt & pepper

Cuocere il cavolfiore a vapore.

Nel caso in cui vogliate bollirlo. il cavolfiore va immerso nell’acqua salata quando questa è in ebollizione (purtroppo la bollitura fa disperdere notevolmente i principi nutritivi – immergere gli alimenti nell’acqua che bolle contribuisce a disperderne meno perché le proteine degli alimenti a contatto con il caldo creano una patina protettiva). Cuocerlo sempre con la radice verso il basso. La punta estrema del cavolfiore dovrebbe stare fuori dall’acqua altrimenti si spappola.

Cook the cauliflower (steamed or boiled).

If you wish to boil it, the cauliflower must be put into the casserole when the salted water is boiling. This is helping in nutritions elements not to 

In fact unfortunately boiling is a very aggressive cooking bprocess that is making the food loose most of its mutrition facts. Putting it into boilg water helps cause the proteins into the food reacts to the extreme hotness by creating a sort of proteic film on the food itself which is helping in mantaining the nutrtion facts.

Always boil it with the big root below. The top part of the vegetable must peak out from the water a bit.

In una padella mettere l’olio, il peperoncino, l’aglio e la pasta d’acciughe a fuoco medio-basso lasciare soffriggere per 10 minuti. Estrarre l’aglio.

In a pan ad the oil, the chili peppers, the garlic and the anchovies paste. Fry it at low heat for 10 minutes. Take the garlic out of the pan. 

A parte fare saltare con un filo d’olio il cavolfiore bollito e tagliato a pezzi. Deve abbrustolire un pochino quindi questa operazione va fatta a fuoco vivo.

In another pan make stir fry the cauliflower with a bit of oil. Make it burn a bit so the heat must be very high.

A parte prendere il pane grattato e metterlo a secco in una pentola, a fuoco vivace farlo abbrustolire finché non diventa color nocciola.

While the pasta is cooking, in a pan, put the breadcrumbs and make them burn a bit by stirring continuously until it becomes brown.

Cuocere la pasta – possibilmente nell’acqua di cottura del cavolfiore.

Scolare la pasta e rimetterla nella stessa pentola, unire l’olio con la pasta da acciughe, i cavolfiori e saltare un paio di minuti a fuoco alto. Impiattare e cospargere con il pan grattato prima di servire.

Cook the pasta (possibly in the same water where you cooked the cauliflower)

Drain the pasta and put it back in the casserole, add the anchovies oil, the cauliflowears and stir on on medium heat for a couple of minutes. Put into plates and spread with the toasted breadcrumbs before serving.