Celebrating national pasta month with Barilla

October is national pasta month and our friends over at Barilla are turning up the celebrations! Explore everything you need to know about pasta below by taking a look at some of Italy’s most historic regions for this dish.

CALABRIA:

When it comes to pasta, knowing the different regions of Italy is a good way to get familiar with the varieties and distinguishing factors.  Explore the “toe” of the Italian boot, Calabria. Despite the rugged coastal and mountainous terrain of this Southern Italian region, the Calabrian’s show great resourcefulness with their flavorful cuisine.   [Read More]

Barilla Explores the Italian Region of Calabria from Sam Sullivan on Vimeo.

Recipe Inspiration

Casarecce with Capocollo, Red Onion and Calabrian Chilies 

Strong flavors of Southern Italy come together in this pasta featuring Capocollo, sweet red onions and fiery Calabrian chilies.

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds Barilla Collezione Casarecce
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• divided 3 medium red onions
• thinly sliced 6 Calabrian chilies
• julienned 12 ounces Capocollo
• julienned 3 quarts cherry tomatoes
• halved 3 cups tomato passata
• 1-1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
• 6 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Orecchiette with Calabrian Chili Sauce, Parmesan, Mint, and Basil

Calabrian chiles are the mature version of pepperoncini, with a spicy fruity flavor. You can buy them marinated or as paste or powder. Adding them to tomatoes makes for a zesty sauce.

Ingredients:

• 6 lb. Barilla Collezione Orecchiette
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 cloves garlic minced
• 6 tablespoons Calabrian chili paste
• 10 1/2 lbs. canned San Marzano tomatoes
• 6 pints yellow cherry tomatoes, halved Salt and pepper
• 3 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 6 tablespoons chiffonade fresh mint
• 6 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil

TRENTINO:

Tour the Italian region of Trentino Alto Adige located in Northern Italy. Learn how this region’s cuisine is greatly influenced by its Austrian neighbors and the ingredients Trentino is famous for worldwide. [Read More]

Tour Trentino from Sam Sullivan on Vimeo.

Recipe inspiration

Whole Grain Penne With Creamy Ragout Of Mushrooms, Sausage, And Peas

A chunky sauce of mixed mushrooms and sausage gets a bright addition from fresh peas. This pasta was served at The Flavor Experience.

Ingredients:

• 3.3 lb. Barilla Whole Grain Penne
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 2 lb. sausage
• 2 cups white wine
• 4 oz. reconstituted dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 lb. sliced fresh oyster mushrooms
• 2 oz. reconstituted dried morel mushrooms
• 1 qt. heavy cream
• 2 cups chicken stock as needed
• salt and black pepper as needed
• 4 cups fresh peas
• 2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

Did you know…

• Pasta is one of the best carbohydrates you can eat. It has a low Glycemic Index, which means it doesn’t cause a spike in blood sugar and provides the body and brain with longer-lasting energy.
• Long and thin, yet not too fine, Spaghetti is one of the more versatile shapes of pasta and pairs well with just about any kind of sauce.

• To cook 1 billion lbs. of pasta, you would need 2,021,452,000 gallons of H2O – enough to fill 75,000 Olympic-size pools.
• The average Italian eats more than 51 pounds of pasta a year, while Americans eat about 15 and half pounds of pasta a year.
• 1 billion lbs. of pasta is about 212,595 mi of 16-oz packages of spaghetti stacked. Enough to circle the equator 8 times.
• Did you know Meatballs are American? Italians started making Meatballs after coming to America in the 18th century.

Interested in learning more about our partnership with Barilla? Learn more here