Le nonne della pasta: cucina di conforto

I’ve been flipping through it every night before bed, and the way the recipes are tied to real family gatherings and traditions makes it feel like a warm hug in book form. The pasta-making steps are broken down so clearly that even my first attempt at orecchiette came out surprisingly decent.

The photos alone made me want to start cooking — every recipe has a full-page shot of the finished dish, so I knew what I was aiming for before I even turned on the stove. I made the slow-cooked ragu on a rainy Sunday and my kitchen smelled incredible for hours.

I've cooked the tagliatelle al ragu twice now and my kitchen smelled like my grandmother's house all afternoon. The photos alone are worth it—each recipe has a step-by-step sequence of the grannies actually making the pasta by hand.