Elizabeth Di Prinzio
As a child, I was always inspired by my father. He was my biggest creative influence. We did it all—we played music, painted, and wrote poetry. In all honesty, I can’t think of any better use for my hands than to create. Pottery just came about as a natural extension of this. When I grew up, I was always looking for an activity to do after work. Something to slow my mind and balance my thoughts. Something to take me back to my days of creating for the sake of making something just for fun alongside my father.
Every time I sit down to create, it's the same open-ended opportunity. It’s just me and a ball of clay waiting to be birthed into something completely new, completely different, and completely distinct.
I didn't begin making pottery to pursue a career, it just started as a place to find some peace. But over the years, it became important to me to develop my style and a body of work that's a reflection of who I am.
I like to create something with feeling. Because when you make something you truly love, it’s an honest expression of the emotion you're trying to convey. One of the most important things for me is to love what I make. I take the same approach with my cooking. And that's what I like about Collezione pasta—it's authentic, artful, and nostalgic. It transports me back to my studio because every piece of pasta was crafted with the same attention to detail I apply when I’m creating something from scratch. If I closed my eyes, the shapes and textures of Collezione feel so similar to the kinds of pieces I create. It has this rough, handmade-like texture that perfectly holds sauce. It’s a huge reason why I’m drawn to Collezione and why I love to cook with it.
Bucatini Amatriciana with Pancetta and Romano Cheese
Cook time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 box Barilla® Collezione Bucatini
- 1 jar Barilla® Marinara Sauce
- 1 large (1/2 pound) onion, sliced thin
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces pancetta
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup Romano cheese, grated
- 6 leaves fresh basil, sliced thin
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Preparation
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt.
- Cook onions and chili flakes with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add pancetta and cook until crispy.
- Add sauce and ½ cup of water, bring to a simmer.
- Season with salt and black pepper.
- Cook Bucatini according to package directions, drain pasta.
- Add pasta to sauce and toss to coat.
- Remove skillet from heat, fold in Romano cheese and basil before serving.