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Chef Giorgio Nava’s No.1 Italian Pasta

Barilla and Italian Chef Giorgio Nava bring the taste of Italy to your kitchen

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By Amy Saunders | July 26, 2018 | Recipes

For years the authentic Barilla pasta brand has been the preferred choice of past for the world’s top chefs.

‘In Italy every person of my generation grew up with Barilla pasta in the classic blue box. Its presence in every store is hard to miss but above all, it’s the good quality and value that has made Barilla Italy’s favourite choice of pasta,’ said master of pasta, Chef Giorgio Nava.

Owner of 95 Keerom, which has been a bastion of authentic Italian dining in Cape Town for the past 15 years, Chef Giorgio has collaborated with Barilla once again to bring you these gourmet pasta recipes.

‘Pasta should never be soft or over-cooked. A firmer pasta texture has a better mouth-feel and taste to enrich your favourite sauces, but there are also real health benefits to cooking your pasta al dente,’ explains Chef Giorgio.

In Italy the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1:10:100 which translates to 1-litre of water, 10g of salt and 100g of pasta.

‘Perfectly cooked pasta al dente is good for your health and good for the soul,’ adds Chef Giorgio.

Barilla remains inspired by the mantra of founder Pietro Barilla – ‘Give people food you would give to your own children.’ Take a look at these recipes below for you to try out with your special box of Barilla pasta at home.

 

 

Spaghetti al pesto

Ingredients:

(Serves 4 people)

 

350 g Barilla Spaghetti n. 5

180 g Barilla Pesto Genovese

40 g Pine nuts

Basil leaves

 

Method:

Bring a large pot of water to the boil; once boiling, add salt (7 grams per litre) and cook the Spaghetti al dente (firm to the bite) for the time indicated on the pack.

In the meantime, in a non-stick pan, gently toast the pine nuts; set aside.

Pour the Barilla Pesto Genovese in a large bowl; add a couple of tbs of the pasta cooking water and mix for a smooth consistency.

Carefully drain the Spaghetti; transfer the pasta into the bowl and mix with Pesto Genovese.

Serve in individual dishes, garnishing with toasted pine nuts and basil leaves to taste.

 

Lasagne alla Bolognese

Ingredients:

(Serves 12 people)

1 box Barilla Lasagne sheets

For the Bolognese sauce:

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium carrot, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

340 g ground beef

230 g ground pork

½ cup dry white wine

3 cups water

⅓ cup tomato paste

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the béchamel sauce:

4 tbs butter

4 tbs flour

4 cups milk

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

 

Method:

Bolognese sauce:

Process onions, celery and carrots in a food processor until finely minced.

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add minced vegetables and sauté over medium high heat for 20 minutes.

Add ground meat; cook until meat sticks to bottom of pan. Add wine; scrape browned bits of meat on bottom of pan into wine and sauté until wine is reduced.

Cover meat with water; stir in tomato paste; season with salt and pepper. Cook at least 1-1 ½ hours or until meat is tender and sauce is thick.

 

Béchamel sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan. In a separate saucepan, heat milk.

Add flour to melted butter. Cook 3 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon.

Add hot milk gradually to flour and butter, beating mixture with a whisk until thickened.

Assemble lasagne:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Assemble lasagne in a baking dish (approx. 33×23 cm).

Spread ½ cup béchamel sauce on the bottom of pan. Top with ¼ cup of the meat sauce.

Assemble 5 layers each with 3 sheets Barilla lasagne, béchamel sauce, meat sauce and grated cheese.

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until heated throughout. Let it stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

 

Featured Image: Tracey Che King

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