Dan Pashman, creator of the Sporkful Food Podcast and inventor of cascatelli, explores the fascinating world of pasta in his culinary journey. He shares the inspiration behind his cookbook, including innovative pasta shapes and unique pairings. Dan embarks on a tour across Italy, uncovering lesser-known dishes and challenging common perceptions of pasta, like the evolution of carbonara. His interactions with renowned food writers and chefs highlight a dynamic culinary culture that embraces both tradition and modern innovation in Italian cuisine.
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Cascatelli's Predictability
Dan Pashman noticed most people used his pasta shape, cascatelli, in predictable ways.
This inspired his cookbook, "Anything's Pastable," to showcase pasta's versatility.
insights INSIGHT
Beyond Traditional Sauces
"Anything's Pastable" avoids traditional Italian sauces.
It explores new flavor combinations, pushing beyond Italian cuisine.
insights INSIGHT
Pasta's Rise
Italians didn't regularly eat pasta until the 20th century.
Pasta became a staple due to fascist government initiatives.
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In 'Anything's Pastable,' Dan Pashman, the James Beard Award–winning podcaster behind The Sporkful, sets out to revolutionize people’s conceptions of pasta sauces. Following his success with the invention of the cascatelli pasta shape, Pashman traveled across Italy and collaborated with an all-star team of recipe developers in the US to create a new kind of pasta sauce cookbook. The book includes 81 inventive recipes inspired by a range of ingredients and cuisines, such as Kimchi Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe e Chili Crisp, and Smoked Cheddar and Chicken Manicotti 'Enchiladas.' It also features lesser-known Italian pasta dishes with a twist and fun, modern concoctions like Spinach Artichoke Dip Lasagna Pinwheels and Pasta Pizza made from fettucine. The cookbook aims to encourage a spirit of adventure in pasta lovers and provides detailed but easy-to-follow recipes, often using store-bought shortcuts to enhance creativity and efficiency.
Food of the Italian Islands
Katie Parla
Food of the Italian Islands is a culinary journey through Sicily, Sardinia, and other Italian islands, featuring over 85 recipes that highlight the unique flavors and cultural influences of each region. The book includes dishes like *pane frattau*, *bigoli in salsa*, and *torta caprese*, along with stories of local ingredients and cooking traditions. Katie Parla shares her deep understanding of Italian cuisine, reflecting her years of living in Italy and her Sicilian-American heritage.
The Discovery of Pasta
A History in Ten Dishes
Luca Cesari
Johanna Bishop
In 'The Discovery of Pasta', Luca Cesari delves into the fascinating history of pasta, tracing its origins back to ancient Mediterranean times and exploring how it became a staple of global cuisine. The book is filled with mouthwatering recipes and anecdotes, offering insights into the evolution of Italian cuisine and its beloved dishes. Cesari also debunks myths and highlights the adaptability of Italian cooking, which has allowed it to thrive worldwide.
This week we're featuring an episode from The Sporkful's series on the creation of "Anything's Pastable," Dan Pashman's new pasta cookbook.
Dan talks with Roman about how this massive project came to be and all the design decisions required to put together a cookbook.
And then, in part two of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan embarks on an epic trip across Italy in search of lesser-known pasta dishes — and to learn about the evolution of pasta more broadly. He starts in Rome, where food writer Katie Parla reveals a shocking truth about pasta. Then an Italian food historian challenges Dan’s thinking about carbonara. Finally, he heads south to meet a chef who was there when a regional specialty called spaghetti all’assassina (“assassin’s spaghetti”) was invented. All of this leads Dan to wonder: What does evolution look like in a food culture that’s so often depicted in sepia tones? And what’s his place in that process?
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