2009-12-08-Sfoglia4.jpgWe love the looks of just about every recipe in Pasta Sfoglia (see our review here). But we decided to reprint one of the simplest, most elemental recipes in the book: Fusilli al Telefono.

Pasta cooked with a simple homemade sauce of tomatoes and basil, with an entire pound of fresh whole milk mozzarella folded in until it melts and runs off the pasta like gooey strings. Yum yum. We would like a plate of this right now please!

Fusilli al Telefono
Serves 4-6. Reprinted from Pasta Sfoglia

Number one, I love fusilli. Number two, I love the tangy flavor of mozzarella di bufala. This dish perfectly matches the two ingredients to make a classic pasta dish. Al telefono refers to the string of cheese that drops down from the fusilli with every forkful that's lifted off the plate. I could eat this dish every day.

1 pound good-quality fusilli
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
Two 28-ounce cans peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
15 large fresh basil leaves, julienned
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound whole milk mozzarella di bufala, cut into ¼-inch pieces
Grated Parmesan cheese, optional garnish

1. Bring a large pot of salted water (see page 29) to a boil. Add the fusilli to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions.

2. Add the grape seed oil and garlic to a 10-inch skillet. Turn on the heat to high. When the edges of the garlic have turned golden, about 1 minute, use your hands to break up and squeeze the tomatoes directly into the skillet. Immediately add the basil, salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat to medium.

3. When the pasta is cooked, turn off the heat under the sauce. Evenly distribute the mozzarella into the sauce. Use a wire-mesh skimmer to remove the pasta from the pot and place it directly into the skillet. Fold the fusilli into the sauce. Continue to fold until the mozzarella has melted and attached itself to the fusilli.

4. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

• Read the book review: Pasta Sfoglia

• Buy the book: Pasta Sfoglia by Ron and Colleen Suhansky, $19.77 (Amazon)

(Image and recipe reprinted courtesy of Wiley)