This simple pasta is an elegant way to sample truffles. Ritrovo’s delicate egg pasta is made with truffle and porcini mushrooms from the Piedmont region of Italy. Regalis’s White Truffle Oil is deliciously fragrant. Best of all, you can fix this Michelin-worthy dish in about 15 minutes.
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Gardens are overflowing with zucchini this time of year, and this classic Italian pasta is a great way to make use of it. The dish comes together quickly, and the combination of saffron, zucchini, cream, and pecorino provide a deeply satisfying flavor. One key is to julienne the zucchini into matchstick-size pieces and cook them long enough to release their rich flavor. And remember to save a bit of the pasta water when you drain the fettuccine—it’s as essential as the cream is in making the sauce creamy. Finally, don’t skip that quick finishing sauté of pasta and sauce to bind the wonderful flavors together.
There is a transformative power in salt. It has a complex relationship with flavor. While salt has a taste of its own, it also balances and enriches the flavors of other ingredients. James Beard himself once asked, “Where would we be without salt?”
Unless you want to declare your status as an American in Italy, don’t ask for a meatball sandwich. But that doesn’t mean the Italian diaspora didn’t result in some gems being born on foreign shores. Italian American cuisine is its own thing—and the meatball sandwich loaded with melted cheese is a great example. Like anything, its quality depends on the ingredients. Make this recipe with great bread, our housemade meatballs and marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano and even high-minded Italian purists will have a hard time not joining in the feast. Enjoy.
As a general rule, if you come across fresh shelling peas, buy them. Sweet and tender, they’re lovely cooked simply with butter and salt. But as you may well know, they are also great with pasta. Can’t find fresh peas? Frozen peas will do or, if you prefer, asparagus makes a great substitute. However you make it, fresh Lagana bucatini, a house favorite made right here in Seattle with Shepherd’s Grain flour, is the perfect backdrop for this flavorful sauce. The creamy sauce with peas and pancetta is an Italian classic for good reason. Enjoy!
