Tomie dePaola, who passed away earlier this year, was one of my favorite author-illustrators. I loved how his sweet, seemingly simple stories were steeped in cleverness and culture. As a Catholic, I especially appreciated how he infused his Catholic upbringing into his work. I was naturally saddened to hear of his death, but it made me all the more determined that my children should be familiar with his stories. In the past few months, they’ve enjoyed a surplus of dePaola books from the library: The Art Lesson, Pancakes for Breakfast, and Quiet . . . but most especially Strega Nona.

One of dePaola’s most popular books, Strega Nonna is the story of a “grandmother witch” with a magical pasta pot. She hires an assistant, Big Anthony, to help out around the house. He sees Strega Nona perform part of a spell to make her pasta pot cook endless pasta, but he runs into trouble showing it off to the villagers (despite her warnings) because he never saw her perform the part of the spell that makes it STOP.

As with many of dePaola’s stories, the magic is in the details: the historically accurate clothing, the peacock perched on Strega Nona’s roof that soundlessly flies off (possibly to warn her) when the trouble starts, and the priest and nuns praying for deliverance from the deluge of endless pasta threatening to overtake their village. Quiet depth pervades the story, rewarding us for stopping to look and listen rather than just grab what we need from the plot and move on.

In honor of Mr. dePaola, today we’re serving up a heaping helping of pasta the best way I know how: a pasta buffet. I did this once while babysitting my brothers when there was a TON of leftover spaghetti noodles but only enough sauce for one person. I gathered up a bunch of Italian-y odds and ends and made us a quick make-your-own pasta bar. I roasted some vegetables (tomatoes, red peppers, broccoli, etc.), made a quick butter sauce, fried up some chopped bacon, zapped some leftover chicken and frozen peas, and threw some seasonings and cheese on the table. My youngest brother LOVED it. He still talks about it sometimes, though I think this might be because I set out his favorite hot sauce and let him add as much as he wanted. 😉

The meal below is a little more nuanced than my first pasta buffet. To start, there are LOTS more toppings, and I’ve included some ideas for how to combine them below. Buon Appetito! 

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Strega Nona’s Pasta Buffet

“Bubble, bubble, pasta pot,
Boil me some pasta, nice and hot,
I’m hungry and it’s time to sup.
Boil enough pasta to fill me up.”

— Strega Nonna

 

INGREDIENTS:

• The Pasta
  • 1 lb spaghetti noodles
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp olive oil
• The Seasoning
  • Fresh basil
  • Lemon wedges and zest
  • Italian seasoning
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Hot sauce
• The Sauce
  • Marinara sauce (you can mix in a protein when it’s done to make this a meat sauce)
    • Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Dice 1/2 onion and add to the pot, cooking until mostly translucent, stirring regularly. Add 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes, 1 6-oz can tomato paste, 1 cup water, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp basil, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Stir until well-combined. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low and simmer for 1 hour until thickened, stirring occasionally, covering partially with a lid to reduce splatter if necessary.
  • Alfredo
    • I don’t have a recipe for Alfredo since I tend to prefer tomato or butter sauce, but if I were to make my own, I’d probably use this version (Taste of Home has never steered me wrong).
  • Lemon garlic butter sauce
    • After making pasta, reserve 1/2 cup water from the pot. Return reserved water to pot and place over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup butter, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and the zest and juice of 1 lemon. Whisk until smooth. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes until slightly thickened, whisking occasionally. Transfer to serving bowl.
• The Cheese
  • Shredded Parmesan
  • Shredded Asiago
  • Ricotta
• The Protein
  • Crumbled sausage or ground beef, browned and drained
  • Shredded cooked chicken
  • Bacon bits
  • Chopped cooked salmon
  • Cooked shrimp, de-veined and de-tailed
• The “Veg”
  • Roasted grape tomatoes, sliced red peppers, and/or fresh broccoli florets
    • Toss in olive and coat evenly with salt and a little pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast in a 375° oven for 20 minutes.
  • Toasted pine nuts
    • Spread on a baking sheet and toast in a 325° oven for 3-5 minutes.
  • Sautéed onions, spinach, and/or sliced mushrooms
    • Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add onions, spinach, or mushrooms and cook until very soft, stirring regularly. Sprinkle with a few pinches of salt halfway through.

Makes enough for 4 adults and 2 children

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. To make the pasta, add salt to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Boil pasta according to package instructions and drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water if making the lemon sauce. Toss with olive oil to keep noddles from sticking.
   2. Serve to the citizens of a little village in Calabria! Here are some ideas for how to serve it:
      • THE TRADITIONALIST: Spoon marinara over pasta. Top with fresh basil and Parmesan.
      • THE CARNIVOROUS TRADITIONALIST: Same as above but with sausage. Or beef. Or bacon. Or everything.
      • GARLIC BUTTERED NOODLES: We all know a kid who LOVES buttered noodles. Some of us are still that kid! 😉 Just stir some lemon garlic butter sauce into your pasta, top with Parm, and you’re good to go!
      • TUSCAN BLISS: Squeeze a lemon wedge over the pasta and stir. Top with roasted red peppers, bacon, toasted pine nuts, red pepper flakes, and basil.
      • SURFIN’ ALFREDO: Spoon Alfredo sauce over pasta and stir. Top with salmon and/or shrimp, lemon zest, and basil.
      • VEGGIE INDULGENCE: Top pasta with Alfredo. Add broccoli, onions, mushrooms, spinach, red pepper flakes, and Asiago.
      • MY FAVORITE: Stir lemon butter garlic sauce into pasta. Top with roasted grape tomatoes, ricotta, and basil.
        

 

Check out my other pasta recipes! 🙂

Ponyo’s Ramen

Straw into Gold: Rumpelstiltskin’s Brown Butter Parmesan Pasta

Pasta Puttanesca

Pasta alla Fiorella