Sea urchin is often a polarizing ingredient. Yoo Eatz encourages us to muster some courage and embrace this culinary adventure in the form of pasta. What's so gross about sea urchin? Even some of the most adventurous eaters I know will make the most horrific faces when the topic comes up. I asked my husband about this — he generally recoils when I suggest that we share a pair of nigiri at the Read more

Winter's prime time for comfort foods, and what could be more reassuring on a bleak day than truffle mac and cheese? Cooking in Pajamas expounds. You could go to a restaurant and pay $15 for a bowl of this decadent pasta, or simply make it at home for a fraction of the price. That's right. You can make this at home for a surprisingly reasonable price. The secret is truffle oil. The use of Read more

Translated: spaghetti with garlic, oil, and chili pepper flakes. This is the kind of meal that makes you stop and think that the simplest foods are often the most wonderful. With only a few ingredients that are staples in most pantries, you can create a beautiful, flavorful, heartwarming meal from scratch. Spaghetti aglio, olio, e peperoncino is a traditional Italian pasta dish. It's well loved Read more

If November has you craving comfort foods, cook up a rich, nap-inducing bolognese sauce courtesy of OnSugar blogger Food Orleans. Rainy, gray November days beg for something warm and fortifying, and this is certainly both.  You might not be ready to run a marathon afterward, but you'll be ready for a marathon sleep.  Cheers to that! Sauce Bolognese is perfect on fettucine, penne, or ladled Read more

If you're looking for a more low-key way to ring in Halloween, then enjoy a festive, color-coordinated pasta dish at home. If you loved electric-pink rigatoni this time last year, then you'll find black-and-orange pasta just as fun. Squid ink provides the midnight color while roasted butternut squash lights the dish up with an incandescent glow. Make it even creamier by adding a generous pat of Read more

As much as I love chili and a simple meatloaf, they often become an all-too-regular part of my weeknight meal rotation. The best cure for a rut, I've discovered, is to stray for a moment from the usual suspects (chicken, beef, tofu) and opt for something less habitual. The last time I did this, I sat down to a light but piquant plate of briny scallops tossed together with angel hair pasta and a Read more

Amatriciana is a classic Italian pasta sauce that's made of guanciale, tomatoes, and pecorino cheese. The quick and delicious pasta recipe that's shown here takes inspiration from the traditional Roman dish. Bacon replaces the guanciale; fresh, in-season tomatoes make up the fragrant scrumptious sauce; and parmesan is used instead of pecorino. The sauce comes together in the same amount of time Read more

Over the weekend at SF Chefs, I watched Italian stallion Cesare Casella (who flew in from New York for the occasion) demonstrate how to make the perfect pasta pomodoro. A native of Tuscany, Casella started by sautéing red onions and guanciale in a large pot. It seemed like there was nothing too special about his technique for cooking the classic Italian sauce, until he dumped the uncooked Read more