Anything's Pastable: 81 Inventive Pasta Recipes for Saucy People

Dan Pashman takes his pasta so seriously that he invented a new shape to hold lots of sauce. (It’s called cascatelli.)

New shape? Why not new sauces? Pashman’s way ahead of you, with 81 detailed recipes. You’ll find that he’s one of those people for whom the details are crucial to his enjoyment, whether he’s explaining how the drying process affects the texture of commercial pastas or advocating for dynamic contrast in textures in a pasta dish.

Strict traditionalists should be prepared to be horrified, but adventurous types read on:

• Green fettuccine with chorizo verde, featuring tomatillos, jalapenos, lime, and Mexican crema

• Cacio e pepe e chili crisp

• Cavatellii with roasted artichokes and preserved lemon

• Linguine with miso clam sauce

• Crispy gnocchi salad with preserved-lemon tomato dressing.

While there are some very simple dishes here, Pashman’s interest in contrasts sometimes means that there’s a good deal of work to be done in the pursuit of those textures. But if you’ve read this far, you’re probably curious enough to spend the time.

Hardcover. Color photographs throughout.