“Many Italians eat pasta every day—sometimes twice a day. It’s a birthright,” writes Frances Mayes in her new cookbook, Pasta Veloce, a colorful collection of recipes illuminated by photos of the Italian lifestyle the Southern writer fell in love with so many years ago. This recipe uses creamy mascarpone, which imparts a touch of sweetness, and a reliable zing of lemon. Mayes imagines this dish in your springtime lunch spread, accompanied by chicken or fish. Chopped parsley, scallion greens, or minced fresh tarragon work beautifully in place of chives. “This is best when asparagus comes into season and tastes like spring,” she writes, “but the brief roasting boosts flavor any time of year.”
Eat like an Italian with Mayes’s Arugula and Toasted Pine Nut Pesto and BLT Spaghetti. For more from the queen of wanderlust, read her love letter to the magnolia and G&G’s recent interview with her about her book A Place in the World, in which she invites you into her Southern and Italian estates. And of course, order her new cookbook, Pasta Veloce, here.
