For Classic Carbonara do as the Romans do, pick up some guanciale and Pecorino Romano cheese. If you can’t find them, just substitute bacon and Parmigiano Reggiano. In regard to pasta, the classic shape is tonnarelli, a long pasta, but spaghetti, mezze maniche, and rigatoni also work well. And don’t forget the eggs and freshly ground black pepper.

Serves 4

lacucinaitaliana.com

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. tonnarelli, spaghetti, mezze maniche or rigatoni
4 oz. guanciale or rindless bacon
¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano)
4 fresh large egg yolks
salt
black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the guanciale into ¼″ layers, then into long, 2″ strips.

Combine the egg yolks with the grated cheese and a pinch of black pepper.

Brown the strips of guanciale for 2 minutes in a pan, until crisp, then turn off the heat and leave to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt. Cook the pasta, setting aside a ladleful of the pasta cooking water, until al dente. Drain.

Pour the reserved hot water into the frying pan with the cooled guanciale, then transfer the pasta to the same pan and mix together. Add the yolk and cheese mixture, stirring rapidly.

In the warm pan with the hot pasta, the eggs will cook gently and become creamy – don’t stir over heat otherwise the carbonara will become lumpy. It’s important to stir quickly to prevent the yolks from congealing and taking on the texture of scrambled eggs.

Season with freshly milled black pepper and serve immediately on heated plates.

A variation, yet basically the same technique…

Fragrant Spaghetti is a medley of Mediterranean herbs and lemon infuse spaghetti with bright flavors and aromas.

Serves 4-6

lacucinaitaliana.com

INGREDIENTS
1 LB. thick spaghetti
4 OZ. homestyle bread (any crusty bread)
1/2 CUP Grana Padano cheese, grated
2 OZ. mixed herbs (thyme, wild fennel, rosemary, mint, parsley, marjoram)
lemon
bay leaves
extra-virgin olive oil
salt

INSTRUCTIONS
For the breadcrumbs: Chop the mixed herbs together. Heat the bread in a pan with a drizzle of oil and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on top. Remove the bread from the pan, season with about 1 oz. chopped herbs and 2 Tbsp. oil and blend everything together.

Bring a pot of water to a boil with a large pinch of salt, 2 bay leaves, and a pinch of chopped herbs. Cook the pasta in the fragrant water until al dente.

In the meantime, for the flavored oil: add the remaining chopped herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice to 1/2 cup oil.

Strain the pasta, reserving a bit of the pasta cooking water, and transfer back to the pot. Toss with the flavored oil, bread crumbs with herbs, Grana Padano cheese, and a bit of the cooking water. Cook for 30 seconds and serve.

This Spanish Seafood Pasta Soup, known as Sopa de Fideos Marineros, is what Spanish Mediterranean food is all about. We´re talking a ton of delicious flavors, easy to make and all done in about 30 minutes. Serve this soup next to a crunchy baguette and a bottle of Spanish white wine for a complete and nutritious meal.

Serves 4

spainonafork.com

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
5 cloves garlic
2 carrots
1/2 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 tomatoes
5 cups fish broth
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1 cup Spanish fideos (small cut spaghetti) 5 oz
2 cod fillets 8 oz each
1/2 lbs raw medium sized shrimp (peeled & deveined)
pinch sea salt
dash black pepper
fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a stock pot with a medium heat and add in the olive oil

In the meantime, finely chop the onion, roughly chop the garlic and cut the carrots (peeled) into small bite-sized pieces

Add the cut ingredients into the stock pot with the hot oil, mix continuously, after 3 to 4 minutes and the vegetables are lightly sauteed, add in the paprika and thyme, quickly mix together, then add in the tomatoes finely grated and season with sea salt & black pepper, mix together and then simmer without mixing

Once the grated tomato has slightly thickened, about 4 minutes, add in the broth and saffron, turn it up to a high heat and give it a gentle mix

While the broth is heating, add the cod fillets over paper towels and pat dry, then season with salt & pepper and cut into bite-sized pieces, also add the shrimp over paper towels and pat dry, then season with salt & pepper

Once the broth comes to a boil, add in the fideos (pasta), mix every 1 to 2 minutes

About 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked al dente, add in the cod and shrimp, mix together, then place a lid on the pan and lower to a low-medium heat, simmer for 2 to 4 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through, then remove from the heat

Transfer into shallow bowls and garnish with fresh parsley

This Garlic Spaghetti with Fried Eggs, known in Spain as Espaguetis al Ajillo con Huevo Frito, is what comfort food is all about. We´re talking perfectly cooked spaghetti, a ton of garlic goodness and a fried egg to take things to the next level.

Serves 2

spainonafork.com

INGREDIENTS
8 oz spaghetti
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 eggs
8 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika
2 oz Manchego cheese
handful fresh parsley
pinch sea salt
dash black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Fill a stock pot a little over half ways with water, season generously with sea salt and heat with a high heat

In the meantime, thinly slice the garlic, roughly chop the parsley and finely shred the cheese

Once the water comes to a boil add in the spaghetti, mix around, then mix every 2 to 3 minutes so the pasta doesn´t stick together and it all evenly cooks

At the same time, heat a large fry pan with a medium heat and add in the olive oil

After a couple of minutes crack in the eggs, cook for 2 minutes or until the egg whites are set and the yolks are creamy, then remove from the pan and cover with foil paper

Using the same pan with the same heat, add in the sliced garlic, mix continuously, after 1 to 2 minutes and the garlic is lightly browned, remove the pan from the heat, add in the hot paprika and mix together

Once the pasta is cooked al dente, transfer directly from the stock pot into the pan with the garlic sauce, then add in the shredded cheese, 2 tbsp (8 grams) of chopped parsley and season with sea salt & black pepper, mix together until well mixed, add some of the pasta water into the pan if the pasta mixture is too dry

Transfer the spaghetti into serving dishes, top off each one with a fried egg, then season the eggs with sea salt & black pepper and sprinkle with chopped parsley, serve at once

In Italy, you’ll often come across pastas with briny and salty aspects from a lot of pantry ingredients like anchovy paste and capers. Those flavors always take me back to Italy! I used them in my lemon zucchini spaghetti, and brightened it up even more with lemon, fresh herbs, aromatic ingredients like garlic and shallots, fresh zucchini… and cheese! The flavors all come together to become this really delicious pasta with a lot of flavor interest, and something about it just reminds me of summer in Italy. This lemon zucchini spaghetti would be so delicious paired with some grilled seafood – and a glass of prosecco!

Serves 4

giadzy.com

INGREDIENTS
1 lemon (thinly sliced and seeds removed)
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots (sliced)
2 cloves garlic (smashed and peeled)
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
1/4 cup capers (drained)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 small zucchini (about 2 pounds total, halved and sliced 1/3 inch)
1/2 pound pasta, such as Spaghetti Chittara or Vermicelli Lunghi
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh dill
1/2 cup fresh basil (roughly chopped or torn)
1 cup crumbled feta or goat cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Season it generously with salt. Add the sliced lemons and blanch for 30 seconds. Using tongs, remove the lemons to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Dry well.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat another 30 seconds. Add the shallots and garlic to the pan and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon for about 2 minutes or until fragrant and beginning to brown slightly. Add the anchovy paste, capers, red pepper flakes and the blanched lemon slices. Cook for another 2 minutes stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon to ‘dissolve” the anchovy paste and brown the lemons. Add the zucchini and remaining salt. Cook on medium high for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Parts of the zucchini should turn deep brown while some parts remain al dente.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes less than package directions, about 8 minutes. Add 1/3cup pasta water to the zucchini pan and stir to deglaze. Use a pair of tongs to remove the pasta directly to the zucchini pan. Sprinkle the bare pasta with the parmesan cheese and toss well to coat the pasta with the zucchini sauce. Some of the zucchini should have gotten rather soft to help create a silky sauce. Add another 1/2 cup water if needed to maintain the sauce. Top the pasta with the herbs and feta cheese and serve.

There are highly individualized versions of spaghetti alla Nerano to be enjoyed. The dish exemplifies Italian cooking traditions here and elsewhere: take the simple riches of what grows nearby and make it as tasty as you can without a lot of fussiness. Its proper preparation demands greater attention to freshness and kitchen craftsmanship than to fancy ingredients.

Serves 4

newyorker.com

INGREDIENTS
6 medium zucchini, sliced into quarter-inch rounds
Sunflower oil, for frying
14 oz. spaghetti
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
2 to 4 oz. grated cheese (such as aged Parmigiano Reggiano, Provolone del Monaco, or Caciocavallo)
1 bunch fresh basil leaves
A pat of butter (optional)
Ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS
Take thinly sliced zucchini rounds and deep-fry in sunflower oil until golden (or even slightly burnt).

Put fried zucchini on a paper towel to absorb oil; let sit in a bowl for a few hours to rest (or put in the fridge overnight). Before using, dab them again with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.

Boil spaghetti in lightly salted water until al dente. Save a cup of cooking water after draining spaghetti.

Reheat zucchini in a frying pan with optional minced garlic.

Place half of the zucchini into a clean pot or bowl, then add a few Tbsp. of cheese and a few Tbsp. of the pasta cooking water. Stir the mixture until cheese begins to melt. Add spaghetti, the rest of the zucchini, and cheese, and continue stirring until cheese and spaghetti water form a saucy emulsion. If the mixture seems too thick, add a bit more cooking broth. If it is too thin, add more cheese.

For Spelt Spaghetti With Olives and Anchovies, the amount of pesto-like sauce you’re making here is so scant that you really do need a stick blender.

Serves 2

nigella.com

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces spelt spaghetti or other spaghetti
salt for pasta water (to taste)
10 pitted green olives
10 anchovy fillets from a can or jar (drained)
1 clove garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
2 tablespoons pinenuts
leaves from 1 small (approx. 1oz) bunch Italian parsley
zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon
¼ cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS
Put a pan of water on to boil for the pasta. When the pan comes to the boil, salt the water generously, or to taste, and add the pasta; my spelt spaghetti needs 8-9 minutes, so I set the timer for 7 and start testing for doneness then.

To make the sauce, put the olives, anchovies, garlic, pinenuts, parsley, lemon zest and juice and olive oil in a small bowl and blitz with a stick blender (or in your mini processor bowl). Don’t worry about the odd unmashed pinenut (or olive); indeed, they are rather appealing.

Just before draining the pasta, remove a cupful of starchy cooking water and immediately add 2 tablespoons of it to the bowl of sauce, then give another brief blitz to combine those last ingredients.

Tip the drained pasta back into its pan, then pour and scrape the sauce on top and toss to mix, adding more of the cooking liquid if you feel you need the sauce to be looser.

Season to taste — you may want pepper or more lemon juice, but I can’t see salt being necessary — then toss again and turn out onto a warm serving dish or divide between 2 plates or bowls.

Burnt, crispy, and spicy are the three essentials spaghetti all’assassina, or “killer’s spaghetti,” a must-eat in Bari, a city in Puglia on the Adriatic Sea. The name assassina, which means killer, refers not to the felony, but rather the risottatura cooking technique that cooks pasta like risotto. Instead of boiling the spaghetti, it’s cooked directly in the pan by consistently adding water to it each time the pasta absorbs it.

Serves 4

lacucinaitaliana.com

INGREDIENTS
12 oz. vermicelli or spaghetti
2 cups tomato purée
tomato paste
oil
garlic
sugar
chili pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
Prepare a broth made with water, 1½ cups purée, and plenty of tomato paste and salt, and bring to a boil. According to the academy, the sauce “must be bright red and tasty, but still a broth.”

In the iron frying pan, add ½ cup oil, 3 garlic cloves (core removed), and chili pepper to taste. Dell’Erba suggests keeping 2 whole and chopping 1. Cook the garlic over a high flame until golden then pour in around ½ cup tomato purée. To temper the acidity from the tomatoes, you can add 1 tsp. sugar.

Spread the purée over the whole pan with a wooden spoon and let it reduce slightly. At this point put the uncooked spaghetti in the pan, distributing them in such a way that the pasta collects the sauce.

“Now the chef starts to take a step back,” explains Dell’Erba. “You don’t have to be in a hurry to turn everything, you have to wait for some of the spaghetti to start the shining process, not burning, but caramelizing”.

Stir spaghetti as it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan a little, swapping the top layer of noodles for those already glossy from having been stuck to the bottom.

At this point add 2 medium-sized ladles of the tomato “broth.” The liquid will sizzle and start to simmer. Let it reduce without turning the spaghetti and “listen” for the boiling point. When you hear it “sizzle” again (the noise changes sharply), keep your distance and wait for the “burning” process to continue (this will take 30 seconds to 1 one minute).

Repeat, stirring to remove the burnt spaghetti from the bottom of the pan while adding more tomato liquid. Each addition must correspond to the time needed for it to sizzle and then repeat by soaking the pasta with the sauce. The stiff spaghetti will start to bend, and the whole process takes about 8-9 minutes. – the assassina “must suffer.”

The result is a hard spaghetti with a different consistency than boiled spaghetti, but only the burnt ones “crunch.” You need to taste it to decide the level of cooking and burning, and serve it when you think it’s ready – bring the pan directly to the table.

Lemon asparagus pasta is a bright and flavorful pasta that’s perfect for spring and summer! Thinly sliced asparagus is quickly sauteed with garlic and oil and tossed with al dente pasta, lemon zest, and juice. Finished with hand-torn fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese, this pasta is as easy to eat as it is to make

Serves 4

sipandfeast.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
1 bunch asparagus sliced diagonally on a thin bias
½ cup extra virgin olive oil divided
6 cloves garlic sliced
½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
3 cups pasta water will most likely not need it all
1 lemon zested and juiced
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup basil hand torn
½ cup parmesan grated

INSTRUCTIONS
Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons per gallon) to boil.

Meanwhile, cut off and discard the bottom 2 inches of the asparagus and slice it into 3-inch long thin pieces on a diagonal bias. At this point cook the spaghetti until 1 minute less than al dente.

Heat a large pan to medium-low and coat the pan with a ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant then add the red pepper flakes and the asparagus. Cook for 1-2 minutes longer until the asparagus just turns bright green.

When the pasta is almost done cooking add 1 cup of pasta water to the pan and turn the heat to medium.

Add the almost-cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. If the pasta is too dry add a bit more pasta water and toss once more.

Once the pasta reaches a perfect al dente, remove the pan from heat and add in the lemon juice and lemon zest and toss to emulsify. Add the basil and a hefty drizzle of extra virgin olive oil as well. Taste test and make final adjustments to salt and pepper. Serve in bowls and divide the grated parmesan.

Note
– Try your best to cut the asparagus into thin slices on a diagonal bias. The pieces will form long wilted strands similar to the spaghetti.

This Classic Spanish Fish Soup, known as Sopa de Pescado, is one of the most popular dishes you will find up and down the Spanish Mediterranean coast. Loaded with Authentic Spanish flavors, easy to make and done in about 30 minutes

Serves 4

spainonafork.com

INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion
4 cloves garlic
1 carrot
1 celery stick
1 tsp sweet smoked Spanish paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 cups fish broth
1/4 tsp saffron threads
1/2 cup fideos (small cut spaghetti)
2 cod fillets 7 oz each
12 raw jumbo shrimp peeled & deveined
2 bay leafs
1 lemon
pinch sea salt
dash black pepper
fresh parsley

INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a large fry pan or stock pot with a medium heat and add in the olive oil

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion, roughly chop the garlic, thinly slice the celery and roughly chop the carrot (peeled)

Add the cut vegetables into the hot pan, mix with the olive oil, after 4 minutes and the vegetables are lightly sauteed, add in the paprika, thyme and season with sea salt & black pepper, quickly mix together, then add in the broth, saffron and bay leaves, raise to a high heat

Once the broth comes to a boil add in the fideos, mix together and continue to cook on a high heat

Meanwhile, pat the cod fillets dry with paper towels, season with sea salt & black pepper and cut each fillet into small bite-sized pieces, pat the shrimp dry with paper towels as well and season with sea salt & black pepper

After cooking the fideos for 5 minutes, 2 minutes shy of being cooked al dente, add in the cod and shrimp, place a lid on the pan and lower to a low-medium heat, simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until the seafood is fully cooked through, then remove from the heat

Transfer into shallow bowls, squeeze in a kiss of fresh lemon juice over the soup and garnish with parsley