Category: Pasta

This easy and delicious pasta dish will be your “go-to” for any season.   The star of this dish is the fresh garganelli pasta.  Fresh is best as it cooks in minutes.  A delicious sauce of white wine and butter coats the pasta and vegetables, with a generous scattering of fresh grated Parmesan cheese.  The recipe uses asparagus, young carrots, and fresh peas.  But sweet corn, green beans, and broccoli would be a delicious too!  Make it your own with the vegetables you prefer and fresh for the season.

• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 6 young carrots, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 8 ounces fresh or frozen green peas
• 12-16 ounces fresh garganelli pasta
• 6 tablespoons dry white wine
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4-5 sprigs of fresh basil or parsley, leaves removed from stems
• 3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Fill a large pan with water and bring to a boil.  Add the asparagus, carrots, and peas cooking for 4-5 minutes.  Use a strainer to remove the vegetables, transferring them to a bowl and setting aside.  

In the same pan with the boiling water, cook the pasta according to the package directions in well salted water (adding 2 tablespoons salt to the water), until al dente (about 1 minute less than stated).  Drain and set aside.

Using the same large pan, now empty, over medium-high heat add the wine, butter, and teaspoon salt, cooking together for about 4-5 minutes until the wine is slightly reduced and the butter is melted.  Add in the cooked vegetables, reheating in the wine/butter for 1-2 minutes.  Add in the cooked pasta, tossing all together to coat with the sauce.  Transfer to a large serving platter, generously sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and scatter the basil and/or parsley leaves.  Serve hot or warm.

Couscous is often thought to be a grain, but it is actually pasta, a little pellet of rolled semolina flour.  The small pasta shape is “cooked” by pouring hot broth over the couscous then covering it to allow the broth to be absorbed, hydrating the tiny pasta ball.  It is quick to come together as a base for sauces and vegetables, allowing flexibility in what spices and seasoning can be added to fit the occasion. 

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup boiling chicken broth
• 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup whole almonds, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• Flakey sea salt for garnish
• Fresh oregano or basil leaves for garnish

Add the couscous to a large bowl.  Pour the boiling hot chicken broth over the couscous, adding 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine, covering and sealing the bowl with plastic wrap.  Allow the couscous to stand for 15 minutes to fully hydrate.  

Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet, adding the sliced onions and 1 teaspoon salt.  Stir to combine, cooking the onions over medium-high heat until the onion are wilted and slightly golden in color, about 10-12 minutes.  Add in the minced garlic and paprika, stirring to combine, cooking for 1-2 minutes.  Turn off the heat.  

Remove the plastic wrap from the bowl with the couscous.  Using a fork, fluff the couscous.  Add the chopped olives and chopped almonds, lightly combining them with the couscous.  In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice (about 1 tablespoon) the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and the remaining teaspoon salt.  Pour this over the couscous, using the fork again to fluff and combine.  Add the onion mixture to the couscous, gently mixing together.  

Transfer the couscous to a large platter, garnishing with flaked sea salt and herb leaves.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Featured Market Ingredients

• Carfagna’s Olive Oil
• Couscous
• Castelvetrano Olives
• Lemon, Onion, Garlic
• Fresh Basil or Oregano Leaves

The world of pasta shapes is vast with so many shapes and sizes, each with their own purpose and intended use. Thin strands go best with lighter sauces, while long flat strands go well with a more robust sauce. Shapes with ridges will help the sauce cling to the pasta, while shells will cup the sauce. And somehow, they each taste a bit different because of the shape and the sauce each are paired with. Gemelli pasta works well with this dish. The double strand coiled together holds the sauce well, with a toothsome texture.

This recipe comes together quickly and is enjoyed by all ages. The pasta carries just a blush of color from the tomato pasta with a hint of spice from the red pepper flakes. Much of the flavor comes from the sausage so buy one that you particularly enjoy. There being so many Carfagna house made sausages to consider!

• 8 ounces gemelli pasta or similar shape
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 8 ounces mild Italian sausage, casing removed
• 6 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add in the pasta, seasoning the pasta water with salt.  Cook the pasta for the time specified on the package.  Before draining the pasta, save 1 cup of the salted pasta water.  Drain the pasta, set aside the cup of pasta water and the cooked pasta.  

Meanwhile, set a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove the casing from the Italian sausage.  Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the hot pan.  Break up the sausage into small pieces, adding them to the hot pan.  Cook the sausage pieces without stirring for about 4 minutes.  Stir the sausage pieces, then add the sliced mushrooms, stirring and tossing with the sausage cooking about 3-4 minutes.  Add the 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, stirring and cooking for 1 minute.  Add in the minced garlic and the pinch of red pepper flakes, cooking for only 30 seconds.  Carefully pour the white wine or chicken broth into the hot pan, stirring to combine.  

Working quickly, add the drained pasta to the sausage mushroom mixture.  Evenly sprinkle the teaspoon of kosher salt over the pasta, stirring to combine.  Pour in 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and the tablespoon of butter, stirring to combine, coating the sausage and mushrooms.  Cook for 1-2 minutes to allow the sauce to slightly thicken.  Turn off the heat.  Stir in the 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan.  If the sauce is too thick, add in a tablespoon or more of the pasta water.  Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the pasta.  Garnish with additional grated cheese and chopped fresh herbs.  Serve hot.  

Featured Market Ingredients

• Carfagna’s Olive Oil
• Carfagna’s Fresh Italian Sausage Links
• Gemelli Pasta
• Tomato Paste
• Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
• Fresh Basil Leaves

Making handmade pasta dough is satisfying and easier than you might think, and oh so delicious! It takes just a few ingredients and quality time in the kitchen.  Consider making thisrecipe with a few friends and family members for a fun dinner party.  Still not sure you can do this on your own.  We can teach you!  

Sign up for a pasta making class in our Cooking School with one of our talented Chef Instructors.  They will show you hands-on basic skills to give you the confidence to make it on your own.

• 2 cups all-purpose flour or Tipo 00 flour, divided  
• 2 large eggs
• 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons water

Measure 1 1/2 cups of flour placing the flour into a wide mixing bowl with shallow sides, leaving the remaining flour for later use. Make a well in the center of the flour.  

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, crack the eggs into the vessel, adding 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water, mixing lightly to combine.  Pour this mixture into the wellwith the flour.  Using a fork working from the center of the bowl, begin pulling the flour into the liquid until the flour starts to clump together into a shaggy mass.   Using your hands, form the flour mixture into a ball, pushing and turning the dough cleaning the sides of the bowl.  If the dough seems dry and is not picking up the remaining bits, add 1/2 tablespoon each of oil and water to the dough, continue gathering the contents in the bowl.  Transfer the dough to the counter.  Begin kneading by folding the shaggy dough, pushing and turning, then folding again.  Continue the kneading process for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft.  Flatten the ball of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.  

Prepare your pasta rolling equipment, adjusting the rollers to the widest setting.  Unwrap the pasta, dividing it into 4 equal portions.  Begin with 1 portion, rewrapping the remaining in plastic wrap.  Lightly flour the surface with flour.  Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten the first piece thin enough to fit through the rollers on the widest setting.  Feed this through the rollers, 2-3 times.  Then fold the dough into thirds like a letter, flattening again to fit through the rollers.  Repeat this folding and rolling process 2 more times, adding additional flour to the counter as needed to prevent the pasta from sticking as it passes through the rollers.  

Move to the next setting on the rollers, feeding the dough through each setting until you have a long sheet of thin pasta dough.  Place each sheet of pasta onto parchment paper, sprinkling with a small amount of semolina flour to prevent sticking.  Continue with each portion of remaining dough.  

Add the cutting attachment to the pasta equipment or hand cut each pasta sheet into strips of fettucine or pappardelle.  Lightly sprinkle the cut pasta with semolina.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes.  Serve with your favorite sauce.

Featured Market Ingredients

• Carfagna’s Olive Oil
• Farm Fresh Eggs
• Semolina Flour
• Tipo 00 Flour or All-purpose Flour
• Pasta Roller and Cutter Equipment