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PastaMania #4. "Spaghetti alla Puttanesca"

(June 19, 2014)

This celebrated Southern dish is comparatively young for Italian standards; its popularity spiked in the 1960s. It gets its name from the word "puttana", meaning (pardon our Italian) "whore." Nobody really knows where this name comes from, but some argue that it's a reference to the sauce's hot, spicy flavor. It's also a quick, cheap meal--not politically correct, but definitely tantalizing.

PastaMania #5. "Bucatini Cacio e Pepe" (Bucatini with Cheese and Pepper)

(June 19, 2014)

Traditionally a Roman dish, "Cacio e pepe" is also popular in other regions throughout central Italy. The name "cheese and pepper" refers to the two basic ingredients of this simple yet tasty dish. But, as you will soon discover, there is a third "miracle ingredient" not mentioned in the name.

PastaMania #6. "Fusilli alla Carbonara con Carciofi" (Fusilli with eggs, guanciale and artichokes)

(June 19, 2014)

"Fusilli alla Carbonara con Carciofi" is a variation on the better known "carbonara", a very popular traditional Roman pasta dish commonly made with eggs and bacon. Yet adding artichokes (carciofi) and replacing bacon with "guanciale" (or pork cheeks) makes this dish even more Roman. It has now become one of the most widespread national and international Italian dishes.

PastaMania #07: "Farfalle Funghi Asparagi" (Farfalle with Mushrooms and Asparagus)

(June 19, 2014)

Who said Italian cuisine has no vegetarian options? You can find this all-vegetable dish just about anywhere in the boot. However, it originally comes from central Italy -- especially the valley of the Tiber river, between Umbria and Lazio -- where you have so many woods to search for mushrooms and asparagus. Italians make this dish with both rice and pasta. Here, of course, we're going with pasta.