Italian pasta recipes vary depending on the regional cuisine. Northern recipes, for example, from the Piemonte, Calabria and Liguria regions include readily available cheeses, cured hams and pancetta, a kind of smoked bacon. The most notable of these recipes is pasta carbonara.
carbonara pasta
This Italian pasta recipe calls for 3-4 strips of pancetta or bacon, 1 egg, 1/4 cup cream, and grated aged cheese. Now, variations on this Italian pasta recipe are enhanced with the use of fresh pasta or spaghetti. Cook the pasta to the desired point and drain it. Meanwhile, sauté the pancetta for about 5 minutes or until crisp if you prefer. Crush a garlic clove until crushed and rub it into the bowl for added flavor. Beat together, egg and cream. Place the drained pasta in a bowl rubbed with garlic. For egg and cream on pasta. Mix briefly to coat. Add the bacon and cheese. Mix to evenly coat the pasta. Serve with Parmesan or Romano cheese curls. For an extra kick, try a native cheese like Fontina. Lightly garnish with freshly ground pepper.
The Central Region
Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Umbria and Marche, including the region of central Italy. Here, the Italian pasta recipes are simple, yet elegant and always delicious on the palate. Parmiggiano Reggiano, olives, coppa and fish enhance the style of central Italian pasta dishes. The ingredients used here are from “Una cucina povera”, a poor man’s kitchen. At Tuscano, you’ll dine on eel, rabbit, veal, and chicken accented with fennel, tarragon, sage, rosemary, and chili. A recipe with Puttanesca sauce is complex only in taste.
For this, use 28 oz peeled tomatoes, lightly blanched until the skin can be easily removed. 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cans finely chopped anchovies, 4 minced garlic cloves, 1/2 cup pitted olives (green, black, or marinated as preferred), 2 tablespoons drained capers, 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon oregano, and salt. 1/4 cup Italian flat-leaf parsley Drain the tomatoes and turn in a food processor until the tomatoes are finely crushed.
In a small skillet, combine olive oil, garlic, oregano, anchovies, olives, capers, pepper flakes, and salt. Sauté 3 minutes until garlic is tender. For this pasta over boiled and drained. Mix with Italian parsley.
The South Region
The southern region of Italy, Lazio, Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia, Molise and Basilicata offer a wide variety of robust peasant cuisine. Ingredients likely include mozzarella, pecorino, goat cheese, lentils, and peperoncini, along with swordfish, tuna, olives, and citrus.
A traditional Italian pasta recipe uses olive oil, lemon, basil, 1 crushed garlic clove, and pine nuts. For the pasta, use orcchetti. In a small bowl, squeeze the juice of one lemon. Set the lemon peel aside. Chop 1/2 cup of fresh basil. Rub the bowl with a garlic clove. Finely chop the rest of the clove. Place the drained orchetti in a bowl. Toss with basil, minced garlic, and olive oil until pasta is well coated. Add lemon juice and pine nuts. Mix well. Using the reserved lemon zest, finely grate and add lightly to the pasta topping.