At the table with Ilaria: perfect pasta dishes.

Favorite dish? Clearly, it's pasta! Is there anything better?
With countless different shapes, pasta is the quintessential ingredient of Italianity, combining with a myriad of ingredients, from the most traditional to the more innovative and delightful.
It's that comforting dish waiting for you after an intense morning, making you feel at home wherever you are.
Want a tip for some recipes? Here you go. You can find all the ingredients on Spaghetti&Mandolino!

Ilaria's favorite pasta: traditional dishes

Let's start with the most traditional dishes, which are history for Italy!
The first pasta I present is Carbonara! A recipe that is nothing short of legendary, present in historical cookbooks since the 1800s.
Not much explanation is needed: the eggs from Garda Egg Co., a Pecorino Romano DOP for grating, Guanciale Stagionato, and excellent Spaghetti Monograno Senatore Cappelli by Felicetti. Oh, and don't forget the pepper!

Guanciale is the king of Carbonara, but it's not just that! It's also the main ingredient in Bucatini all'Amatriciana, along with pecorino and Passata di Pomodoro.

Let's head back to Rome, because I need to introduce you to two more traditional dishes that deserve your attention: Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe and Pasta alla Gricia. The latter is considered the ancestor of pasta all'Amatriciana. The main difference between the two dishes is that Gricia does not contain tomato. Excellent for this dish are Mezze Maniche made from Gragnano durum wheat semolina.

Now let's move a bit further south and delve into Neapolitan cuisine. I love Spaghetti alla Puttanesca! This is a typical dish, just think that it's also simply called "aulice e chiapparielle" (olives and capers). In fact, the ingredients are: tomato-based sauce, olive oil, garlic, black olives, capers, and oregano.
On Spaghetti&Mandolino you can find the Sugo alla Napoletana with Pomodorino Piennolo del Vesuvio DOP, a sauce that already contains all these ingredients except for the olives, which you can add cut into pieces. How tasty!

Let's stay a bit longer in this wonderful city, so I can introduce you to another passion of mine: Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. I love this dish for its simplicity, Mediterranean flavors, and genuineness. Plus, they're very quick to prepare.
You will need homemade gnocchi, those little gems made of potatoes and flour that will then be enveloped in a creamy tomato sauce, the Pacchetella Pomodorino del Piennolo Del Vesuvio DOP, which is perfect for this recipe. With the addition of basil, mozzarella, and grated cheese, this dish will have a unique flavor, and you'll achieve an incredible melting effect after a brief stint in the oven.

The last traditional recipe I propose is typical of my area: Risotto with Tastasal. This Venetian dish involves the use of ground pork, salted and flavored with salt and black pepper, the Tastasale di Puro Suino. Risotto with Tastasal is very popular, and for a special recipe, I recommend using the Riso Vialone Nano Veronese.

Pasta according to Ilaria: other tasty and innovative recipes

After this excursus on Italian tradition that has already made your mouth water, I want to tell you about other first courses that I like, more innovative and with unique flavors.

The first dish is a Pasta with zucchini, turmeric, and shrimp: a delicate taste and a perfect blend of flavors. To cook it, I use Bruschetta with Zucchini, a great pasta topping even on its own, but you can enhance it with a sprinkle of turmeric and some shrimp.

Another dish that I really enjoy, especially in the summer, is one based on Cereals, like Organic Pearl Barley, dressed with cherry tomatoes and avocado.

I'm also crazy about pasta with Sicilian Wild Fennel Pesto BIO and smoked salmon. You have to try the freshness of this dish!

I could go on and on, introducing you to many more first course recipes that I love, but I'll stop, otherwise you'd have too much to read and wouldn't be able to rush to put the inspired products in your cart to cook yourself a nice tasty pasta!

Now that I've finished the article, I can go cook myself a nice plate of Pasta with onion and toasted breadcrumbs with oil and salt, because I'm so hungry!

Ilaria Chesini