Lemons, Onions, Garlic, and More

Curried Spaghetti, or Spaghetti al Curry: Curry sauce is not one of those things one associates with Italian cooking. However, it does appear, often in recipes designed to excite the passions of the diners, and is, according to Livio Cerini del Castagnate, not something to be undertaken lightly: One has to measure carefully and respect the cooking times.

I recently mentioned tagliatelle alle arance, and Dino Romano sent me this Sicilian recipe for pasta with oranges that looks quite tasty.

The one dish almost all Italian men know how to make. Add hot pepper, and it becomes Rome's classic Aglio Olio e Peperoncino.

Hot Pepper Pasta and a Zesty Sauce: Among the flavored pastas, hot pepper pasta is perhaps the most popular, and it works very well with this zesty caper and anchovy sauce.

A rich Neapolitan onion-and-meat based sauce for pasta that has nothing to do with Genova, but is very good -- the Feature recipe in my review of Naples at Table.

I have harped so much on hot weather of late that a little more now won't hurt; this will be quite refreshing on a hot day.

An intriguing, very refreshing pasta sauce made with lemon and ginger root.

Lemony sauces tend to be very easy to make, quick, and refreshing too. A win-win-win combination!

With a tasty black olive and tomato sauce.

Pasta with a Richly Aromatic Egg Sauce: Italian cooking is, well dynamic; new dishes are invented every day, and here's a fine example; were you to set these bucatini in front of my father-in-law, whose idea of the perfect pasta sauce is my mother-in-law's sugo alla Bolognese, he's probably go hungry. My mother-in-law, on the other hand, would probably enjoy it.

Simple and direct.

Penne with Onions, or Penne alla Cipolla: People generally associate tomatoes with pasta, but they're not absolutely necessary, as this recipe from Emilia Romagna shows.

Penne with Prosciutto, Onions and Sage: Chris kindly sent a recipe for Penne with Prosciutto, Onions, and Sage, which he says is always a big hit when he makes it, and it does sound rather good:

Pici with Garlic Sauce, or Pici all'Aglione: I recently got a request for pici all'aglione, pici with a garlicky pasta sauce (aglio means garlic, and gives an idea of just how garlicky this is) from the Montepulciano/Montalcino area south of Siena. Pici are hand-made, somewhat irregular strands of flour-and-water pasta (as opposed to egg pasta) that are about an eighth of an inch thick. If you can't find them, use either bucatini or other thick-stranded pasta.

Pasta with lemon sauce has recently become rather trendy, and it is nice, especially on a hot summer day. Oranges can be just as nice, though they're more of a winter thing.

Short penne with a tasty, lemony pea sauce: A perfect summer dish.

The word Puverielle means a poor person, and this is a decidedly frugal Neapolitan recipe that may caused a raised eyebrow if you serve it to people who associate pasta with red sauces. But spaghetti served with a sunny-side up egg is quite good, and is a very pleasant change of pace.

A delicate sauce made with zucchini flowers.

This might not be romantic in the traditional sense, but it is a rather lusty, zesty dish that will heighten the senses. Red onions are a little sweeter than white onions, and make for a slightly richer dish.

Vermicelli with Lemon Sauce, or Vermicelli al Limone: Lemon is delightfully refreshing when it's hot.