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Spring has Sprung!
Date: Apr. 19th 2008
Category: Flavour of the Month, Gnocchi, Pasta, Pizza and Rice
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And just like that, the full force of spring hits us.
We went from chilly, rainy weather to “where did I put my flip flops” weather in the blink of an eye.
This morning I woke to the sound of birds singing and my Italian neighbours, two doors down, discussing the layout of this year’s garden (they’re very loud talkers …).
Wanting to take advantage of the beautiful weather, I decided to take an early-morning walk through the neighbourhood. Almost every house I passed had bags of old leaves and garden waste lined up at the curb, beside neatly stacked piles of trimmed twigs and branches.
A few people I passed were getting an early start on some home improvement projects.
One man was methodically sweeping his driveway clean.
The bocce court at one of our local parks has been cleaned and is ready to go.
I smiled.
Spring has sprung!
Ciao!
Note: On Saturdays, we usually don’t have a big breakfast. Instead we like to have a nice lunch, usually right at noon, that will tide us over until the evening when we most often go out. While it may seem that baked pasta is a dish for the fall or winter, this is a quick one that I made for a recent Saturday lunch. It’s simple with some very classic flavours. The original recipe calls for ziti but I used tortiglioni instead.
Baked Tortiglioni with Cream and Pancetta
Adapted from On Top of Spaghetti … by Johanne Killeen and George Germon.1 tbsp. olive oil
1 to 2 slices pancetta (about half an inch thick), chopped up into tiny pieces
1-1/4 cups heavy cream (35% cream)
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggianio, grated
1/2 cup Pecorinio Romano, grated
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 pound dried pasta (I used tortiglioni)
2 tbsp. unsalted butterBring a large pot of water to boil, add salt.
In a skillet, heat the olive oil and add the pancetta. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until the pancetta is golden. Be careful not burn. Remove the pancetta to a plate and reserve the oil and fat in the skillet.
When the water is boiling and you’ve salted it, add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Meanwile, heat the oven to 500 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine the cream, salt and pepper. Stir in the pancetta and a tablespoon or two of the oil/fat left in the skillet (flavour flavour flavour!)
Once the pasta has cooked for 6 minutes, drain and immediately add to the cream mixture. Stir well to ensure that the pasta is coated in the cream and cheese.
Pour the mixture into a deep baking dish and bake in the oven for 12 minutes. The pasta should be golden on top and the cream should be bubbling. If it’s not, bake for another 5 minutes and check again.
Remove the pasta from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
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04/19/08 at 11:35 am
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe! I will definitely try it. Perfect for an alfresco lunch. Thank you for sharing so much with us!
04/19/08 at 12:17 pm
I would wait a few hours upon waking for this treat! That way I would enjoy it all the more so.
04/19/08 at 12:32 pm
Ha that pasta will fit in any season and any place!
If you’ve got spring, I fear we’ve dashed into summer as we’ve heat 80 and looks higher into next week. Lovely while it lasts, I always want too much.
04/19/08 at 12:54 pm
Oooh, your pasta is a delicious celebration!
04/19/08 at 6:36 pm
MMM oh Yeah!!!
I’d love this dish whatever the season.
04/19/08 at 9:03 pm
I made this tonight for dinner and it was very good. However, I don’t see what step I’m supposed to use the better? I mixed it in with the pasta & cream mixture. I will definately make this again.
04/19/08 at 9:38 pm
Rich but wonderfull pasta dish…and an ode to spring, too. Happy Spring Cream Puff!
04/20/08 at 3:01 am
That looks mouth-watering good. I’ve missed cheese so much.
I might have to wait a bit until I can try sometime as rich and lush looking as that, though. I ate a small slice of feta cheese yesterday and experienced horrible stomach pains. ‘Twas worth it, though.
04/20/08 at 4:59 am
Yummeh! Happy Spring. :o) It’s already summer here. To celebrate, I had really creamy coconut ice cream. Mmmmmm…
04/20/08 at 6:04 am
Oh! I am so all over anything with Pancetta as an ingredient. I’m off to the Italian market today and this will be dinner tonight. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Did you know there’s an online quiz to identify pasta shapes? I managed 23 out of 24 right. I guess that just means I eat way too much pasta!
- Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife
04/20/08 at 6:59 am
Well, I WAS experiencing delightful, warm spring weather; but now it’s chilly, dreary, and raining :0( Enjoy the wonderful weather for me please, Ivonne!!
Your baked pasta looks like a wonderful, comforting mid-day meal - yum!
04/20/08 at 8:58 am
Yes the pasta looks delicious, but the casserole dish is so cool looking. You could serve me anything out of that.
04/20/08 at 11:47 am
Delicious-looking!
Paz
04/20/08 at 1:33 pm
Oh my goodness, what a decadent lunch indeed!
Watch out… spring sprang here a few weeks ago but our weather can’t quite decide what it wants to do. Go to the pool and switch on the air conditioning one day, and gather up blankets and make soup the next! I’m ready for summer
04/20/08 at 2:24 pm
It’s amazing isn’t it? I was afraid to bring in my snow shovel, in case winter came back….
j
04/20/08 at 10:35 pm
It snowed on me today. Spring has not sprung here. But the Flames sure are heating things up.
04/21/08 at 3:18 am
what a delicious way to welcome Spring!
04/21/08 at 4:56 am
Spring seems to be arriving then going again here. I might make the pasta tonight, warming but not too heavy. Yum
04/21/08 at 11:57 am
I am completely jealous! Spring came to vancouver one day and then left and winter came back! We are lucky if we hit a daytime high of 11 degrees C! So your baked pasta dish would be perfect for us!
04/21/08 at 12:02 pm
oh my gosh, this looks so simple and good — just what i needed after i was so inspired by the weather this weekend that i went on four mile walk! nobody loves spring as much as those of us who tolerate miserable winters.
04/22/08 at 1:24 am
your pasta looks great!
04/22/08 at 5:08 am
Its like Italian mac and cheese! I could go for some today!
04/22/08 at 11:36 am
Looks absolutely delicious
04/22/08 at 1:21 pm
Ivonne, I am so jealous. Here in Edmonton we have had SO MUCH SNOW over this past weekend, and it looks like it’s here to stay for at least another week.
04/22/08 at 5:47 pm
We went from winter to instant summer too! I don’t want the summer to go away….our winter was so, so, SNOWY and cold.
Your pasta dish looks delicious, love the recipe and will have to try it!
04/22/08 at 8:33 pm
[…] putting up my last post, I realized that the recipe was somewhat incongruous with the theme of the post. Baked pasta is […]
04/23/08 at 3:21 am
S would love this this Ivonne! His staple weekend lunch (when I’m still full with breakfast) is plain cooked pasta with a big knob of butter.
04/23/08 at 7:26 am
I am so making this and sneak eating it, especially since I am on a Southern only eating for a year. I wonder if I say y’all in between bites if it could count as Southern food.
04/26/08 at 7:49 am
4 words that make me weak in the knees: pasta, cream pancetta, cheese….I am so easy!
That will be dinner tonight!
05/9/08 at 4:37 am
[…] Baked Tortiglioni with Cream and Pancetta from Cream Puffs in Venice […]