Giuseppina’s Pasta con Olio e Ricotta

At Luciano’s Ristorante in Chagrin Falls, OH, owner Luciano Scalera wows loyal regulars with his flavorful Old World cooking. Thirty six years after first opening the restaurant, Luciano still remembers worrying that first night, “What if nobody shows up tonight to eat?!”

Here, Luciano shares his mother Giuseppina’s simple, yet hearty, recipe for Pasta con Olio e Ricotta, which reminds him of her every time he makes it!

Giuseppina’s Pasta
con Olio e Ricotta

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons robust extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves fresh garlic
• 2 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
• 1 pound, freshly cooked pasta all’uovo (see below)
• 5 ounces ricotta cheese (smooth pastry style)
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• sprig fresh oregano for garnish

Instructions:

In medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium flame. Add garlic; sauté until garlic begins to turn color. Remove garlic from oil. Add freshly cooked pasta and ricotta cheese to oil. Gently toss until pasta is completely coated in olive oil and cheese. Dust with Pecorino Romano cheese, garnish with a sprig of fresh oregano, and serve!

Pasta all’Uovo

Ingredients

• 2 cups plus two tablespoons “00 grade” flour
• 4 large eggs
• pinch sea salt
• extra virgin olive oil (to coat resting dough)

Pasta Instructions

Place 2 cups of flour into medium bowl; make a well in the center. Add eggs and salt into well. Use fork to gradually mix everything together until dough pulls together into a ball. Add a little more flour. On floured surface, knead dough until smooth, about 10 minutes. Lightly coat ball with olive oil to prevent drying out; let rest 10 minutes.

Divide dough evenly into four smaller balls. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball until ¹⁄₁₆ inch thin; then fold dough sheet onto itself lengthwise. Lightly flour dough surface and repeat rolling/lengthwise folding process six more times until dough sheet feels silky smooth to the touch.

Lightly dust finished dough sheet with flour to keep it from sticking to itself. Roll dough into a log, starting from its narrowest end; slice log into ¹⁄₁₆ wide disks. Promptly unroll each spiraled disk to reveal a ¹⁄₁₆ wide noodle. Hang noodles over a clean broom handle to dry.

To cook noodles, add to boiling water and simmer four to five minutes until done throughout. Drain and set aside.

enjoy!