Notes about Recipes in this book

• Spring minestrone with ditalini (Minestrone leggero con ditalini)

  • Ganga108 on October 31, 2022

    Even tho we are having a very extended Winter this year, I was determined to make this soup. And it is gorgeous, evoking the Spring that we wish we were having. A couple of notes, tho. It says serves 4 -6 - I'd reckon 6-8. It overflowed my large soup pan and I had to leave out the spinach (200g), and remove some of the cooked veg before I added the pasta to cook. It doesn't use stock - I recommend a light vegetable stock (I added some of my own dried herbs to compensate). There wasn't any ditalini or other soup pasta available locally, so I used orzo pasta.

• Classic pesto (Pesto alla Genovese)

  • Ganga108 on November 01, 2022

    Always a winner, especially to top a big bowl of minestrone or a huge plate of pasta. Yum. This is hand-made, and a far superior taste to blender/food processor pesto imo. Both texture and taste is different. Hand made is easy, and this recipe describes the steps very well. I remember the time I first made pesto by hand, after a class by Bill Granger in Sydney in 2000. Changed my life.

• Tomato sauce I (Salsa di pomodoro I)

  • Ganga108 on November 06, 2022

    In this house, life is too short to peel and seed tomatoes, so I use this recipe as a basis for a "rough cut" tomato sauce, with more texture than intended. Alternatively I blend the tomatoes in the Vitamix before cooking for a smooth sauce. But for a Sunday night fun meal, the "rough cut" one is perfect. This time with bucatini pasta. Watch you are not flicking sauce everywhere as you suck up the pasta!

• Classic Bolognese sauce (Ragù alla Bolognese)

  • debkellie on May 04, 2014

    A great ragu: I substituted chicken liver pate for chicken livers as they appear to be unobtainable recently! Makes a huge quantity of sauce, with great flavour!

  • debkellie on August 23, 2020

    Returned to this one 6 years later: still a great ragu!

• Spaghettini with tomato and basil dressing (Spaghettini salsa a crudo semplice)

  • Ganga108 on November 22, 2021

    Page 69. A classic and the simplest of pasta recipes - a raw mix of tomato, basil and oregano to top your pasta with. It is definitely quick and easy. I love to add red or green chilli, slices. Leave out the garlic if you are heading out for the evening (but I love to slice it and add it to the sauce for extra garlicky bite). I also have pesto in the freezer from Summer's basil crop, so I don't have to think twice about adding a good dollop on top of the tomatoes.

• Linguine with everything (Linguine con tutto)

  • Ganga108 on November 06, 2022

    This really is "with everything" but the sort of (extremely delicious) pasta dish can be thrown together on a weeknight. Very herbaceous. Very delicious. Chop the ingredients while the pasta is cooking. Anchovies replaced with a little thinned miso. Sometimes I'd use a little wakame or kombu instead. Yum.

• Spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli (Spaghetti all'aglio e olio)

  • Ganga108 on October 27, 2022

    A basic yet classic pasta dish, one of our favourites, easy to make late at night or after a tough day at work. Love the introduction to this recipe which has the Romans fighting the Neapolitans for invention rights.

• Linguine with Tuscan pesto (Linguine al pesto di noci)

  • Ganga108 on February 11, 2023

    Delicious. Quick and easy.

• Fusilli with almond and mint pesto (Fusilli al pesto di mandorle e menta)

  • Ganga108 on February 19, 2023

    Is it enough if I tell you that all had seconds, and the comment was "OMG that was good"?

• Maccheroni with silverbeet (Maccheroni alle biete)

  • debkellie on January 28, 2023

    Glut of silverbeet & chillies. Very tasty. Comes together very quickly. I overcook ed the silverbeet: next time I'd have the pasta ready BEFORE making the sauce.

  • grace674491 on January 10, 2026

    This recipe is a staple in our household. Easy for a midweek meal in a hurry. We use sultanas instead of the golden raisins, and silverbeet instead of the chard as they are more readily available where we live and we usually have them on hand. People are unsure when I tell them the combination, but it’s always a hit.

• Linguine with swordfish (Linguine al pesce spada)

  • Kitiara121 on June 03, 2025

    This recipe is fantastic and easily made. I plan on putting this into my menu planning. Note: I could not find the red chilies so I shook in a few red pepper flakes which were a great substitute.

• Parmesan farfalle with mushrooms (Gasse con salsa al funghetto)

  • Ganga108 on November 22, 2022

    I used store-bought farfalle, as I don't cook with eggs. A delicious and easy meal. I added some thinly sliced tofu to the mushrooms, in place of the eggplant, for a protein-enhanced vegetarian meal. And topped it with the Classic Pesto from this book (to replace the parmesan that would have been in the hand-made pasta). The pasta was a perfect choice. So delicious. I'd also love the dish without eggplant but with wilted greens. Yum.

• Parmesan farfalle with prosciutto and peas (Gasse al piselli)

  • grace674491 on January 10, 2026

    This is another midweek regular in our household. Our kid usually asks us to make extra for her lunch so she can share it with her friends.

• Corzetti with pork and fennel sausage (Corzetti di valpolcevera)

  • grace674491 on January 10, 2026

    This is a regular in our household, fondly nicknamed by the kid ‘sausage pasta’. The sauce is hearty, tastes delicious and is quick to make.

• Bolognese-style lasagne (Lasagne alla Bolognese)

  • debkellie on May 23, 2015

    Excellent.

• Potato gnocchi with Gorgonzola and pistachios (Gnocchi al Gorgonzola e pistacchi)

  • Ganga108 on November 13, 2022

    I found some spinach gnocchi in an Italian grocery (as I don't cook with eggs), so was able to make this delicious dish. Easy once you've got the gnocchi (home made or store bought). Extremely delicious.

• Ms. Marmite Lover

  This beautiful produced book...surprised me because at first glance, who needs another book on pasta? This book taught me new pasta recipes and inspired me to lust after a pasta stamp...

  Full review