Pasta is an ancient food, and Italians have elevated it into an art. The ultimate Italian comfort food, pasta is expected on tables all over Italy every day. Once you taste proper pasta, you'll understand why.

As a chef growing up in an Italian family, I thought I knew pasta inside and out ... until I traveled to Italy. There, pasta dishes are treated with such love and skill that they come alive with texture, and are dressed in sauces so flavorful they sing to your taste buds like a symphony!

I'm sorry, but pasta dishes in the U.S. are nothing like those in Italy (except in rare cases). What's the Italian's secret? Attitude. Italian cooks won't settle for average ingredients, and they don't cut corners. A fine meal, shared leisurely with family, is the highlight of every day in Italy - and it's heaven on earth!

We can learn a lot about quality of life from the Italians!



Chef Michaelangelo (Mick) Rosacci, Tony's Meats & Specialty Foods, www.TonysMarket.com



Baked Chicken and Porcini Pasta



1 boneless chicken breast - bite sized pieces

Bechamela Sauce

1 pound pasta (rigatoni, penne, or similar)

.5 oz dry Porcini, hydrated and rinsed

fresh herbs and parsley

1 cup grated Asiago Fresco or Fontina

3-4 thin slices of Prosciutto di San Danielle, julienned

3 TBS butter, diced



Béchamela sauce:

5 tbsp butter

1 sweet onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, bruised

2 bay leaves

sprigs of fresh thyme (or your choice of fresh herb)

4-5 tbsp all-purpose flour

5 cups milk

1 cup heavy cream (or half and half)

pinches of nutmeg

fine sea salt and finely ground pepper



Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.



Béchamela sauce:

Heat a heavy 3-4 quart pot over medium flame, add 5 to 6 tbsp. butter, and when melted, add onion. When onion starts to soften, add garlic and herbs - stirring and cooking over medium heat until aromatic. Blend in the flour, stirring constantly until frothy.

Remove from heat and begin to slowly temper in milk, whisking-in one splash at a time until smooth. Bring back to a low simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. While it thickens, add gratings of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into bowl and whisk in remaining butter and cream.

Boil pasta according to package directions, removing a few minutes early, it should be just a little firm. Drain and place back in pot. Add chicken, hydrated and rinsed porcini, fresh herbs, Prosciutto di San Danielle, half of the grated cheese, and warm Béchamela to taste (you don't have to use it all); stirring gently to coat evenly in sauce (a little pasta boiling water can also be added). Transfer to a buttered ceramic casserole pan, dot with butter and bake in the top of a 375 degree oven until bubbling and lightly browned (20-30 minutes). Remove and rest 10 minutes before serving.

- Chef Michaelangelo (Mick) Rosacci, Tony's Meats & Specialty Foods, www.TonysMarket.com



Gnocchi with 2 sauces



Frozen Gnocchi

Boil salted water and add frozen gnocchi, when they float, simmer one minute more, then serve with either the brown butter sage sauce, or the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.



Brown Butter Sage Sauce

3 oz. butter

4 leaves sage, fresh

pinch salt



Chop sage finely, set aside. Have gnocchi almost ready, simmering. Melt butter and salt and cook over medium flame until it starts to brown. When it's about as brown as a walnut, pour over gnocchi on plate. (If gnocchi isn't quite ready, just pour butter into cool pan to stop cooking.) Sprinkle sage on top, serve.



Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

1/3 cup toasted walnuts

2 tbsp butter

1/2 cup cream

3 oz. Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

fresh mint (garnish)



Finely chop the walnuts, either by hand or in the food processor.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the walnuts and stir for about one minute, add the cream and cheese, stirring until smooth, simmer a few minutes until it thickens slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss with gnocchi and serve garnished with mint.



Lemon Caper Capellini

8 oz capellini

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp butter

1 garlic clove, sliced

juice and zest of one lemon

3 tbsp minced Italian parsley

2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped

white or black pepper

pinch crushed red pepper

1-2 heirloom tomatoes; peeled, seeded and chopped (tomato concassée)



Boil pasta in 4 quarts of salted water until almost done - do not overcook! Meanwhile, add oil and garlic in a heavy skillet, sauté just to a light blonde. Add butter, cooked pasta directly from the pot, lemon juice, zest, parsley, capers, and peppers. Toss, adding pasta cooking water if needed. Serve garnished with tomato concassée, and lemon zest/wedges.

- Chef Michaelangelo (Mick) Rosacci, Tony's Meats & Specialty Foods, www.TonysMarket.com



Aglio e Olio

rustic bread slices & olive oil

1 pound spaghetti, or linguini

approx 6 tbps extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup pressed garlic

3/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

1-2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

sea salt and pepper

coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano



Brush a few slices of rustic bread with olive oil and then cube. Place on a cookie sheet and toast in a 350-degree oven until dried and lightly browned. Reserve.

Boil pasta in 4 quarts of salted water and cook to al dente. Drain, reserving at least 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, combine 3 tbsp oil, 3 tbsp garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large, heavy, non-stick pot; cook over very low heat, stirring regularly, until garlic is a dirty blonde color. Remove from heat. Add remaining fresh garlic, red pepper, parsley, lemon juice and 2-3 tbsp pasta cooking water to skillet and stir well.

Toss pasta in cooked garlic medley, drizzling with a great olive oil and splashing with more pasta water as needed. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and bread cubes. Can also be garnished with zest from lemon.

- Chef Michaelangelo (Mick) Rosacci), Tony's Meats & Specialty Foods, www.TonysMarket.com