Learn the secrets of authentic Italian home cooking, passed down through the generations with love, and embrace a passion for good food as you cook your way through 100 comforting recipes.

Distilling the episodic knowledge Eva Santaguida and Harper Alexander share on their popular Italian cooking YouTube channel, Pasta Grammar (@PastaGrammar), The Italian Family Kitchen shares how to make uncompromisingly authentic Italian recipes while also putting the food into the greater context of the Italian culinary landscape.

Learn how to make favourite classics, discover new and surprising dishes, acquire hands-on Italian kitchen skills, get actionable tips on how to source the right ingredients or find substitutes, and learn how to put it all together into memorable, lifestyle-fitting meals. ​In The Italian Family Kitchen you’ll find:

• 100 straightforward, delicious, and comforting recipes from all over Italy
• Recipes organized by course, including Fritti (fried appetizers and street food), Bread and Pizza, Ragù, Pasta, Riso (rice), Secondo (second courses), Contorno (side dishes), and Dolce (desserts) ​
• Basic recipes for making fresh egg and semolina pastas, potato gnocchi, simple tomato sauce, and besciamella
• How to stock your Italian kitchen​
• Stunning photography throughout​

Experience the real food of Italy, just as a lucky guest would witness in a family kitchen in Italy.

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Pasta Al Forno

Pasta al forno literally means “baked pasta.” There is no one way to make a pasta al forno; in fact, it’s a great fridge cleaner, in which you can use whatever cold cuts, cheese, or cooked meat you happen to have. Usually, baked pasta dishes are either red (with tomato sauce, page 32) or white (with besciamella, page 33). As long as you follow the basic principle of undercooking the pasta (rigatoni or other short tubes are recommended) and giving the dish enough sauce so it stays moist, you can get very creative. This Calabrian-style recipe includes some typical and classic ingredients: hard-boiled eggs, fried meatballs, and chopped mozzarella cheese. Feel free to substitute salami, ham, or cooked sausage for the meatballs. The mozzarella can be replaced by any type of cheese that melts well when baked.

DURATION: 2½ hours

YIELD: 4 to 6 servings

½ pound (225 g) ground beef, pork, or veal, or any combo of the three

3½ ounces (100 g) pecorino cheese, grated, divided

3½ ounces (100 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated, divided

1 large egg

2 tablespoons (7 g) chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

About ½ cup (45 g) fresh bread crumbs, or to taste

Extra-virgin olive oil (or other neutral oil), for frying

12 ounces (340 g) rigatoni

6 cups (1.4 L) Simple Tomato

Sauce (double the recipe on page 32)

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

3½ ounces (100 g) mozzarella cheese, chopped

1. Combine the ground meat with half of the pecorino and half of the Parmigiano, the egg, the parsley, several generous pinches of salt, and a generous sprinkle of pepper. Begin to mix the ingredients together by hand, while gradually adding enough bread crumbs until the mixture is slightly tacky but not wet or sticky. Roll the meat mixture into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls.
2. Fill a large, deep pan with 2 inches (5 cm) of oil and heat to frying temperature (see How to Fry at Home on page 34). Working in batches, fry the meatballs until they are browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meatballs to a paper towel–lined plate to drain. When the meatballs have cooled to the touch, cut them in half.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Boil the pasta as directed on the package, but only cook it for half of the recommended al dente cook time. Drain the pasta using a colander and return it to the pot.
4. Add the simple tomato sauce to the cooked pasta and mix thoroughly. Add the meatballs, chopped eggs, chopped mozzarella, and half of the remaining grated cheeses. Spread the pasta mix evenly into a 2-quart (2 L) baking dish and evenly top it with the remaining grated cheese.
5. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the top begins to crisp. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. The fully cooked pasta al forno (or any leftovers) can be frozen for later and reheated in a warm oven after thawing.

Recipe published with permission from The Quarto Group.