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Her name is Nadia Caterina Munno, but on social media everyone knows her as The Pasta Queen. And to all intents and purposes she is the queen: she has more than 5.6 million followers on all her channels and every recipe she publishes goes viral, whether on TikTok, Instagram or Youtube. She has even published her own book with more than 100 recipes. Of course, his main ingredient is pasta and he cooks it in all its forms. We have compiled six of the recipes that are to die for so you can make them at home. Starting with carbonara and ending with his pasta pie. Buon appetito!
Carbonara pasta
One of her signature recipes. The queen of pasta prepares this traditional and simple Roman dish like no one else.
Ingredients:
- 500 g spaghetti
- 5 egg yolks – (or 1 yolk per person)
- 160 g guanciale cut into pieces
- 120 g freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Salt for the water
Preparation:
- According to The Pasta Queen, carbonara only comes out well if you follow this exact sequence.
- Bring 6 litres of water to the boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water.
- At the same time, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Dice the guanciale and sauté for about 3 minutes, or until the meat is crisp and golden brown.
- Important! Now turn off the heat in the frying pan, so that it cools down and the eggs do not scramble later.
- Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, whisk the egg yolks, add the grated pecorino romano cheese and whisk until the ingredients are well blended. Add pepper to the egg yolk mixture.
- Using a slotted spoon, scoop out some of the guanciale and mix it into the egg yolk mixture so that the flavour spreads throughout the mixture.
- When the pasta is perfectly al dente, remove 1/2 cup of water from the pasta, set aside and drain.
- Put the pasta in the pan with the guanciale.
- Pour the egg mixture over the pasta, add a little pasta water and stir constantly until the eggs thicken. The residual heat from the pasta will cook the eggs a little and thicken them into a creamy sauce. If the sauce is too thick, use a little more pasta water to turn it into a sauce.
- Pack it up and top with a little more Pecorino Romano.
Lemon spaghetti
Another simple, classic Italian recipe that is the perfect balance of pasta, lemon, garlic and cream.
Ingredients:
- Thick cream
- One small lemon
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove of garlic
- 200 g spaghetti
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt flakes
- Parsley
Preparation:
- Chop a clove of garlic and sauté it in a pan with extra virgin olive oil.
- While the garlic is sizzling, boil the pasta.
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter and the zest of a small lemon.
- Mix with the juice of one small lemon and cook for a few seconds.
- Then mix with the heavy cream and add a pinch of salt.
- Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce until the pasta absorbs all the flavour.
The Honeycomb Pasta
His particular pasta honeycomb recipe looks good. He decided to replace the mozzarella sticks with a creamy spinach and ricotta filling – a real hit!
@the_pastaqueen I have seen this Honeycomb Pasta recipe go viral, so I decided to make it Just Gorgeous. The recipe is very simple but I feel the ricotta and spinach mixture is a lot more wholesome and delicious than the ‘cheese sticks’ that have been circulating in the original recipe. The rigatoni was cooked half way before going in the spring cake pan. #honeycombpasta #viralpasta #thepastaqueen #holidayrecipes ♬ original sound – The Pasta Queen
Ingredients:
- For the tomato sauce:
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
- 6 basil leaves, plucked
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- Sea salt
- For ricotta filling
- 200 g spinach
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- 500 g ricotta cheese
- To assemble:
- 500 g rigatoni, cooked very al dente (about half of the cooking time)
- 1 ball of fresh mozzarella, torn by hand
- 1 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200˚C and line the bottom of a 20 cm springform pan with parchment paper. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Cook the garlic until soft (5 minutes). Add the basil and sauté in the oil until fragrant (15 seconds). Then add the tomatoes, season with a pinch of salt and cook until the bubbling tomatoes have lost their raw flavour and the sauce has thickened (approx. 20 minutes).
- While the sauce is cooking, prepare the filling. In a medium frying pan, cook the spinach over medium heat with a splash of water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt for about 6-7 minutes or until green and tender. Once the spinach is cooked, cool slightly, wrap in a tea towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Chop the spinach with a knife, put the ricotta in a bowl, add the spinach and a pinch of salt. Then mix well and transfer the filling to a piping bag.
- To assemble the dish, place the rigatoni al dente in the prepared mould so that they stand upright. Fill each noodle with a generous amount of ricotta filling. Then cover with tomato sauce and top with mozzarella and Parmesan. Place the springform pan on a rimmed tray (to catch any drips) and bake for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
- Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before opening the tin and serving.
Italian Minestrone Soup
This vegetable soup is ideal for warming up in winter.
@the_pastaqueen Recipe, how to make the most amazing Italian minestrone #italiancooking #italianfood #minestrone #veganfood #vegetarian #easyrecipes #vegetables ♬ TiTiTiTiTi, TiTiTiTiTi, TiTiTiTiTi – Renato Carosone
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small sprig of rosemary
- 1 cup whole peeled tomatoes
- 2 medium potatoes, chopped
- ½ head of cauliflower florets
- ½ head of broccoli florets
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 2 cups broccoli rabe, coarsely chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 Parmigiano rinds, diced (optional)
- 1 cup cooked borlotti or cannellini beans
Preparation:
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, add the olive oil, onions, carrots and celery. Place over a medium heat and let them sizzle for 4-5 minutes (until they start to soften). Tie the bay leaves and rosemary with kitchen string and add them to the pot, followed by the tomatoes. Gently crush the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to break them into pieces. Allow to sizzle for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the potatoes along with a cup of boiling water. When the water comes to a simmer, add the cauliflower, broccoli and broccoli rabe.
- Add boiling water to the pot, filling it just until all the vegetables are submerged. Add the Parmigiano rinds (optional), a pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook for a further 20-30 minutes, then add the beans.
- Cook for another 10-15 minutes and it is ready.
Her favourite lasagne
Her favourite lasagne is inspired by her grandmother’s recipe.
@the_pastaqueen My favorite Lasagna recipe #thepastaqueen #pasta #lasagna ♬ original sound – The Pasta Queen
Ingredients:
- Butter for greasing
- 2 ½ cups of Lady Caterina’s Ragù
- 1 white onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 diced carrots
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- ¾ cup peas
- 1 fresh sweet Italian sausage link
- 900 g minced beef
- 1 cup diced mushrooms
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
- ½ cup finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 450 g fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into pieces
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 2 cups béchamel sauce
- 2 cups finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Fresh pasta all’Uovo, cut into 4 slices of the size of the baking dish
Preparation:
- To make Lady Caterina’s ragù:
- Heat the onions, celery and carrots in olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.
- Once the meat begins to release its juices, add the wine and simmer until the alcoholic aroma dissipates and the liquid is reduced by about ⅓ minute. Season the meat with a sprinkling of parsley, then add the tomatoes, pressing them into the meat with the back of a wooden spoon to incorporate them into the meat sauce. Lower the heat to low and simmer, covered, for an hour and a half.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Grease a baking dish with butter.
- Place a ½ cup layer of ragù in the bottom of the dish and a sheet of pasta on top. There is no need to cook the pasta in advance (it will cook in the ragù juices). Pour another ½ cup of ragù over the pasta. Spread ¼ of the mozzarella, ¼ of the chopped eggs, ½ cup of béchamel and ½ cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano evenly over the pan. Repeat this three more times. Place the remaining ragù, mozzarella, béchamel and Parmigiano-Reggiano on top of the last layer of pasta.
- Cover the dish with aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue baking until the edges of the pasta are curled and golden brown (about 30 minutes more).
- Let the lasagne rest for about 30 minutes before serving in portions.
Nonna Pasta Cake
And finally, something sweet. A southern Italian speciality made by combining cooked pasta with a sweetened custard.
Ingredients:
- 3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1/8 teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1/8 teaspoon rosewater essence
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder or extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 lemon, grated
- 220 g tagliolini pasta
- Kosher salt to taste
- 100 ml cold milk
- 1 tbsp. diced candied citrus fruit
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 190˚C and grease a cake tin with butter. Then sprinkle to coat with brown sugar.
- In a stand mixer, blend the butter, sugar, eggs, orange blossom water, rose water, vanilla powder or extract, cinnamon and lemon zest until smooth and silky. Set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with salt until it tastes like a well-seasoned soup. Cook the pasta al dente, drain, transfer to a large bowl and toss with the milk to cool.
- When the pasta is cool, add the custard mixture and candied citrus and stir to combine. Transfer the batter mixture to the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour or until set.
- Leave to cool, remove from the tin and sprinkle with icing sugar.
