Saffron

Pasta with Ricotta and Saffron

by:
June  3, 2014

Every Tuesday, Italian expat Emiko Davies is taking us on a grand tour of Italy, showing us how to make classic, fiercely regional dishes at home. 

Today: Rethink your mac and cheese with this sunny ricotta and saffron pasta from Abruzzo.

Simple, fresh, and tasty, this is a pasta dressing that barely even requires cooking -- just a little sizzle of the guanciale and the tea-like infusion of saffron threads, some fresh ricotta cheese, and before you know it, dinner is being tossed together and served.

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Saffron is the special ingredient here, adding a fragrant and spiced note to this dish, not to mention color. It's a little extravagant for something so simple, but perhaps that's what makes this dish so appealing -- a little like a grating of fresh truffles over a fried egg. Humble paired with exquisite: it means little effort, big results.

More: Here's how to stretch your saffron. 

Abruzzo's Aquila is famous for its saffron, which has been grown in the area since it was brought over from Spain in the Middle Ages. It now has DOP (protected designation of origin) status, and it's featured in many of the area's dishes, particularly in pasta or with potatoes (such as in their wonderful potato and saffron soup).

This light and refreshing pasta dish is traditionally made with a short, ribbed tube pasta known as cannarozzetti (penne, ditalini, or mezze maniche are similar and could make good substitutes). The hot pasta is tossed quickly with some fresh ricotta, saffron (the threads are steeped in a little hot water to make a golden, fragrant infusion), and guanciale, cut into small cubes and cooked until golden. Vegetarians could leave this out, but those who love it will see it adds a wonderfully salty touch to an otherwise very delicate dish. Serve it with plenty of grated Pecorino cheese and perhaps a twist of black pepper.

Pasta with Ricotta and Saffron

Serves 4

11 ounces (320 grams) short, ribbed tube pasta such as penne, ditalini, or mezze maniche
A pinch of saffron threads, infused in a few tablespoons of hot water
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) guanciale (or pancetta or fresh bacon if unavailable)
11 ounces (320 grams) firm, fresh ricotta (sheep's milk is preferable)
Salt and pepper to taste
A handful of Pecorino cheese (or Parmesan or Grana padano)

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

Photos by Emiko Davies

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • placidplaid
    placidplaid
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  • Jo Switten
    Jo Switten
The Australian-Japanese cookbook author has lived in Florence (where a visit to a cheese farm once inspired her to start a food blog) for over 10 years with her Tuscan sommelier husband and two kids. Her third cookbook, Tortellini at Midnight, is out now.

3 Comments

placidplaid June 4, 2014
A truly great recipe. Thanks
 
dmedesha June 4, 2014
Made this with miso baked cod (with Pernod and dry Vermouth instead of mirin) last night. Used some Trader Joe's pork belly since I could not find guanciale. Left over pasta with garlic and Gruyere sausage for lunch today. Looks like this will be a regular standby.
 
Jo S. June 4, 2014
It's so fantastic the crew of Food 52 now also mentions de metric values in all the recipies! I truly enjoy this site more and more! And tonite it will be this pasta dish on the table :) Yay for Italian regional kitchen :)