Pasta Cookbook: The Glorious Pasta Of Italy By Chef Domenica Marchetti

A new book celebrates pasta in all its glory

Pasta has become the go-to last-minute pantry meal. In a pinch, a box of pasta with a simple sauce is a quick, filling dinner fix.

But local author and Italian cooking expert Domenica Marchetti has elevated the genre, assembling a book of pasta at its best, from noodles in soup to sweet pasta desserts.

The Glorious Pasta of Italy ($30) makes pasta the main event. Marchetti writes to a wide audience, sharing her showstoppers for dinner parties, lighter dishes that play up garden herbs and fresh vegetables, and classics like spaghetti with meatballs and cacio e pepe.

Marchetti devotes time to achieving the right textures of from-scratch pasta and offers recipes for doughs flavored with saffron, pumpkin, and parsley and black pepper as alternatives to the routine.

For those nights when you don't have the time or wherewithal to make fresh pasta, Marchetti has also written a chapter of quick meals using the dried variety. Her bucatini translates the BLT sandwich into a pancetta-studded dish coupled with slow-roasted tomatoes and a toss of sharp arugula (click here for the recipe).

It will bring joy back to your last-minute meals.