Exploring Obscure Italian Pasta Dishes in Untraveled Regions

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The chef's inspiration for creative pasta recipes came from obscure Italian pasta dishes that are not known in America, specifically from regions in Italy that are not often traveled by the US. One such dish is spaghetti alas asina, invented in the city of Bari in southeastern Italy. This dish involves cooking spaghetti in a spicy tomato sauce until the sauce thickens, then pan-frying it until the pasta becomes charred, crispy, golden brown, and chewy in different parts, creating a variety of delightful textures exclusive to this region.

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?

Preorder Dan’s cookbook today (including signed copies), and see if he’s visiting a city near you on his tour of book signings and live podcast tapings with special guests! Follow Dan on Instagram to see photos and videos from the Anything’s Pastable journey.

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