(recipe at bottom of post)
Still Loving it in New York City!
I’m half-way through my stay in New York City, exploring the wonderful world of food and dance! My last post featured Barzini’s, my local food market in the Upper West Side which inspired my recipe Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers. Thanks to one of my blogging friends, Mimi (of Chef Mimi Blog), I was also inspired to visit Eataly, a huge Italian market located in the Flatiron district. Eataly was founded in 2007 in Turin, Italy, but now has stores throughout Europe and the United States.
Eataly is a 50,000 square feet mega store!
When I first entered the store, my jaw dropped and I immediately knew the significance of the sign out the front: Italy is Eataly!
Just about every aspect of Italian food is represented in this massive food court. First, I headed straight to the pasta section, knowing I wanted to make a pasta dish for dinner that night.
Pasta is made fresh each day in the store, right before your eyes!
Leading to this wonderful array of fresh pasta!
But wait! There is also lots of dried pasta to choose from. I think I’ll buy a bag of this Pacherri pasta- I could cook something interesting with these large tubes of pasta.
Next, it’s over to the fresh produce section where they have a wide variety of mushrooms. I’ve been hunting for Chantarelle Mushrooms for years and finally found some at Eataly!
photo from Bouge and Rouge blog
Eataly also has large displays of charcuterie, cheese and fish to choose from:
But my favorite were these chocolate desserts from the Dulce department:
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Now it’s time for my recipe, using ingredients from Eataly NYC!
Pacherri al Forno (Baked Pacherri with Cherry Tomatoes and Mozarella)
This recipe comes from the Campania region of Southern Italy and features pacherri, large tubular pasta about two inches long. Pacherri pasta is shorter than canneloni, however it is wider. It is often stuffed with ricotta or mozarella cheese and topped with a ragu sauce.
Pacherri pasta with cherry tomatoes
To accompany my pacherri pasta, I’ve made a sauce using cherry tomatoes, passata, garlic, white wine and Italian herbs. You could also add meat to the sauce, however I’ve decided to make my dish vegetarian this time.
After stuffing the pacherri pasta with mozarella and ricotta cheese, I placed the pasta in a baking dish which has been lined with a little of the tomato sauce.
I then added the remaining tomato sauce on top, along with some of the ricotta cheese mixture and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
The dish is then baked in the oven for about 20 minutes. This recipe evokes all the delicious flavors of Southern Italy- pacherri pasta, creamy ricotta and mozarella cheese, cherry tomatoes, and a sauce infused with white wine and Italian herbs. And most important of all, you don’t need to travel all the way to Italy to enjoy this!
Pre-heat oven to 375 F (185 C). Heat the olive oil in a fry pan and cook the minced garlic for several minutes until softened. Add the Pasatta, white wine, thyme, chili flakes (if using), salt and stir. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and add to the pan. Cook for about 5-10 minutes until the tomatoes soften and all the flavors infuse. Set aside while preparing the pasta filling. In a large bowl, combine the mozzarella, ricotta cheese, chopped parsley and salt; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the pasta to the pot and cook for about 10-12 minutes until al dente. Stir occasionally to avoid the pasta sticking to the bottom of the pot. Remove from heat, drain and let cool slightly. Spoon a little of the tomato sauce onto the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Using a small spoon, stuff the pasta with half of the cheese filling, then place the pasta pieces into the baking dish. Spread the tomato sauce on top of the pasta, then top with the remainder of the cheese mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes until the cheese melts and turns golden. Remove from oven and add the grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Serve with a few pieces of fresh basil. If you do't have access to picharri pasta, you could also use canaloni shells instead.Pacherri al Forno
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Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
12 Comments
Mimi
October 8, 2019 at 8:33 amI’m so glad you got to go! Isn’t it incredible? I think it’s really done well, and the two restaurants we’ve been to at Eataly were outstanding as well. If you’re interested, there’s a French version called Le District in NYC. It’s really fun also.
Fran Flint
October 8, 2019 at 9:13 amThanks Mimi for recommending Eataly to me!
Marcellina
October 8, 2019 at 8:36 amFran, this looks delicious! Reminds me of cannelloni but smaller. I loved Eataly when I was there in Piacenza. It’s a smaller store but great to wander through!
Fran Flint
October 8, 2019 at 9:07 amThanks Marcelina. That’s quite a compliment coming from an ‘Italian expert’ like you!
John / Kitchen Riffs
October 8, 2019 at 9:04 amGreat looking dish! Love New York — glad you’re having such a fun time.
Fran Flint
October 8, 2019 at 12:02 pmWhoop whoop- go New York City!
Marcia Lohe
October 8, 2019 at 11:33 amVery interesting article, your dish looks lovely too.
Fran Flint
October 8, 2019 at 12:01 pmMarcia, thanks so much for stopping by my blog!
angiesrecipes
October 8, 2019 at 7:03 pmHow yummy! Glad that you are having a good time in NY, Fran. I want to taste those chocolate desserts…they look decadent and absolutely irresistible.
David Scott Allen
October 8, 2019 at 11:32 pmI love Eataly! One of my favorite places in New York! I have never seen paccheri suffer – lovely idea! As I said yesterday on FB, I could eat these right off the screen!
Juliana
October 9, 2019 at 10:05 amI love browsing at Eataly here in LA, and I love this pasta dish you made…although I have never heard of Pacherri pasta I love the idea that is wider than canneloni, therefore easier to fill. Looks super delicious Fran…thanks for sharing the recipe.
Have a wonderful week!
Judee
October 11, 2019 at 4:07 amOMG! How did I miss the Eataly in NYC when I am in NYC about 10 times a year! It’s now on my list because it looks amazing as does the recipe!