The Art of Pasta brings together Lucio Galletto's two great passions in life: food and art. In an inspiring collaboration, more than 160 authentic pasta recipes are complemented by original artwork from Luke Sciberras. Pasta is the most convivial of foods - the basis of Italian family cooking, and the soul of the Italian people. 'Ci facciamo un piatto di pasta' ('Let's make a plate of pasta') is probably the most-spoken phrase in Italy. To help you make your own plates of pasta, here are clear and detailed instructions for making and cutting pasta (including pasta flavoured with herbs, porcini, saffron and squid ink), and for making simple filled pastas and perfect gnocchi. To accompany your pasta, choose from an array of mouth-watering pestos - from the definitive Ligurian version made with basil and pine nuts to a vibrant-green pistachio pesto and a versatile orange and almond pesto that's equally good stirred through freshly cooked linguine, served with couscous or used as the basis of a salad dressing. Or there are simple dishes that mark the passage of the seasons, such as tagliatelle served with raw mushrooms in autumn, or with the first thin spears of asparagus in spring.
In the cooler days of winter, authentic recipes for slow-cooked ragus (including a classic Bolognese sauce that has stood the test of time) really come into their own, filling the house with warmth and wonderful aromas. For the more adventurous cook, Lucio's executive chef Logan Campbell has contributed some contemporary interpretations of classic pasta dishes, including rabbit cannelloni with Jerusalem artichoke sauce and beetroot gnocchi with pancetta and goat's cheese.