A classic Neapolitan comfort dish: pasta cooked directly with potatoes until creamy and rich, flavored with a simple soffritto, rosemary, tomato paste, and a Parmesan rind. Traditionally it’s made with pasta mista—a mix of leftover pasta shapes—because the recipe was born as a way to use up what you had on hand. Even though in Italy you can buy ready-made pasta mista, any short pasta works perfectly, true to the original spirit of making it with whatever is in the pantry.
A quick, seasonal pasta that hits all the right notes: sweet cherry tomatoes, tender fava beans, and crispy pancetta, finished with thyme and salty Pecorino. Bright, savory, and ready in under an hour.
Cenci are a typical Tuscan dessert we make during Carnival, basically they are aromatized fried dough rags (cenci means rags in Tuscany).
They are crunchy and sweet, thanks to the powder sugar topping, and instantly bring back my child memories (it looks like it does the same to my daughters 😁).
This fennel and orange salad is a classic Sicilian winter side: crisp, bright, and naturally light. Finished with Riviera olives, paper-thin Tropea onion, and a splash of orange juice, it pairs beautifully with both fish and meat.
Fresh chitarra spaghetti finished in the pan with a pure tomato sauce made from crushed San Marzano tomatoes, slowly reduced and seasoned only at the end with garlic and basil. Spaghetti al pomodoro are an icon of Italian cuisine—but only if you make them properly: a concentrated sauce, the right timing, and a final toss with starchy pasta water so every strand is coated and glossy. A simple, focused dish where texture, balance, and real tomato flavor are the whole point
A traditional Northern Italian pumpkin cappellacci recipe made with butternut squash. The key is drying the roasted squash properly, then serving either with melted butter and Parmigiano or (optionally) a light ragù.
I’m not claiming this tart is “healthy”… but it’s honestly not that bad. The shortcrust uses relatively little butter and sugar, it’s made with semi-whole wheat flour, and the filling is built around 70% dark chocolate—so yes, indulgent, but also a solid-quality treat. It takes some time to make, but that’s how it’s done.
Broccoli are one of the healthiest vegetables around—but let’s be honest, they can feel a bit boring. This recipe turns them into a silky, restaurant-style cream that coats stone-ground tagliatelle beautifully, finished with bright lemon zest and crunchy toasted breadcrumbs. The result is simple, balanced, and surprisingly gourmet for such a humble ingredient.
Cream in savory sauces is a bit of a “chef shortcut”: it rounds everything off fast, sometimes a little too fast. But in the right recipe—like this one—it’s exactly what you want, because it binds the roasting juices into a silky, tangy little sauce with balsamic. I used to make this dish with pork loin (arista), but it turns out it’s just as good—if not better—with turkey breast, lighter yet still juicy when you baste it properly.
Aglio, olio e peperoncino was the first pasta dish I ever cooked—ages ago.
One of the pillars of Italian cuisine, perfect when you’re in a hurry and the fridge is basically empty.
Lately it’s gone viral everywhere (even in Korea), and in this “everyone’s a chef” era we love to make things weird just to impress our followers. So yes—people started baking garlic in the oven, turning it into a silky cream, and calling it a “chef-level” upgrade.
I tried it. And honestly? For me… it doesn’t work. Try the original version instead!
Recipe by Carlo
