Mafalda is a type of Sicilian sandwich bread that is not only delicious, but beautiful! The final product looks complicated, but it’s actually a very simple bread to make at home. Feel free to use it with any sandwich stuffing you like, but we highly recommend pairing it with panelle, a fried chickpea polenta and a classic sandwich stuffer in Sicily. Watch the Pasta Grammar video: MAFALDA RECIPE Makes: 8 to 10 sandwich rolls Cook Time: 5 hours, largely unattended For this recipe, you will need: 5 cups (600 g) semolina flour, plus extra for dusting 1 teaspoon (3 g) active dry yeast ..read more

This unconventional “sandwich” is a classic street food in Naples. Rather than consisting of separate bread and fillings, both are cooked together in a large roll that is then cut into individual panini. It’s a flexible recipe that you can stuff with just about anything you like, so it’s a great way to use up leftovers and turn them into a sinfully delicious treat! How to Stuff a Panino Napoletano There are no hard and fast rules here, but definitely some guidelines. Typically a panino Napoletano will be filled with a mix of (at a minimum) cold cuts and cheeses. The Neapolitan philosophy i ..read more

These Sicilian-style shish kabobs are made with rolls—or “involtini”—of meat stuffed with a deliciously seasoned bread crumb filling and roasted to perfection. Veal is a common traditional choice, but beef cutlets work well. If you can’t find a very thin cutlet, you can tenderize thin steaks with a mallet—you want them thin enough that you can easily roll the stuffing inside. Watch the Pasta Grammar video: SPIEDINI SICILIANI RECIPE Makes: Serves 4 Cook Time: 45-60 minutes For this recipe, you will need: ¼ cup (40 g) raisins 2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra ..read more

Every now and then we try a rare pasta dish that not only blows us away, but makes us wonder why it hasn’t replaced carbonara as the de facto beloved pasta of the world. This is one of those recipes. In Sicilian dialect, the dish’s name means “Bad Weather Pasta.” When you try it you’ll understand why: there’s no way to feel like you’re having a bad day when this pasta is on the menu. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, but don’t be turned off by the use of anchovies in this recipe, even if you think you don’t like them. Once combined and balanced with the other flavors, all you’ll ..read more

This dish is a variation on “Sarde a Beccafico,” a delicious Sicilian recipe made with fresh sardines. Not all of us are lucky enough to have fresh sardines available, but thankfully Sicilians also invented this version which uses eggplants instead. It’s an easy and incredibly delicious vegetable side that’s sure to impress! Watch the Pasta Grammar video: MELANZANE A BECCAFICO RECIPE Makes: Serves 4 to 6 Cook Time: 1 hour For this recipe, you will need: ⅓ cup (50 g) raisins 1 large eggplant, sliced into thin rounds Extra-virgin olive oil Salt Fresh black pepper 2 cups (260 ..read more

What Italian-Americans came to call “manicotti” comes from a similar Italian dish called cannelloni. This baked pasta dish is made with rolled tubes of fresh, homemade pasta stuffed with a delicious filling, covered with a mouth-watering sauce and baked to perfection. In this case we’ve chosen one of the most popular cannelloni variations which uses ragù alla Bolognese and besciamella sauce for both filling and topping. If you like manicotti but want to see what a world of difference fresh egg pasta makes over pre-packaged dried tubes, you need to try this recipe! Advance Prep In order to mak ..read more

These Italian zeppole are a treat served every year in honor of San Giuseppe: Saint Joseph. As the patron saint of fathers, La Festa di San Giuseppe falls on Father’s Day. While these zeppole are once-a-year treats in Italy, you can enjoy them any time you like by making them at home! A Zeppola di San Giuseppe is made with a light, airy choux pastry topped with a thick custard and Amarena cherries. The flavor balance between the dairy-based custard and sour cherries is what makes this a mouth-watering and popular treat in Italy. Fried vs. Baked Zeppole While Zeppole di San Giuseppe are tradit ..read more

Pellegrino Artusi, the “godfather of Italian food,” included this recipe for a sweet pasta in his compendium of Italian cooking. He notes himself that the uninitiated are usually skeptical, but are instantly won over when they try the pasta. Believe it or not, this pasta is actually meant to be served as a first course, not as a dessert. The walnut pesto is only lightly sweetened and, when paired with olive oil and black pepper, develops a sweet and savory flavor. That being said, the pesto can easily be sweetened more just by adding a little extra sugar and the pasta can be served for desser ..read more

These sweet gnocchi, hailing from the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, are stuffed with prunes and served in a buttery sauce. They have a sweet, tart flavor and make an unforgettable dessert with minimal refined sugar. It’s really an incredible dish, we highly recommend adding this into your repertoire! A Note on Making Potato Gnocchi Making excellent potato gnocchi is an art, not a science. Every potato is different so there’s no “right amount” of flour to add into the dough. The less flour you add, the lighter and fluffier your gnocchi will be but the more you risk having the dough ..read more

Sicilians are masters of sugar, including when they cook pasta. This sweet pasta is made with a toasted almond pesto and glazed in honey. Diners with a sweet tooth will enjoy it served like a normal pasta dish, but it can also be cooled to room temperature in small cake molds and served as a dessert. Watch the Pasta Grammar video: https://youtu.be/45wZNbn9aT4 PASTA CÒ MELI RECIPE Makes: Serves 2 Cook Time: 20 to 30 minutes For this recipe, you will need: ½ cup (50 g) almonds ¼ cup (30 g) dry bread crumbs Salt 5.5 ounces (160 g) spaghetti ⅓ cup (100 g) honey ½ teaspoon (1.5 g) ground cinnamon ..read more