Thirty Minute Pasta by Giuliano Hazan
You are probably thinking why is there a melon in this pasta recipe- I say try this recipe especially when you have a dinner party! Try to have your guests figure out what’s the prominent flavor in the sauce. I bet your guests won’t be able to guess! According to Giuliano this recipe is a traditional Italian recipe from one of the worlds most magical & mystical city called, Venezia! I loved how the sweetness of the Cantaloupe blended in perfectly with heavy cream, tomato paste & lemon juice to form a fabulous pasta sauce. Here’s a video clip of Giuliano actually making this recipe.
Giuliano & Lael Hazan are one of my favorite people in the culinary world. I adore them. Giuliano was recently featured in Cookstr as The Chef of the Day. Giuliano spent most of his childhood in Italy, where his lovely mother, Marcella Hazan ran a cooking school in Bologna, Italy.In 2000, Giuliano and Lael along with partner, Marilisa Allegrini of the Allegrini Winery in Valpolicella, inaugurated a cooking school of their own called Cooking with Giuliano Hazan in Italy at Villa Giona, a restored Renaissance villa outside Verona. The team offer classes every fall and spring. My dream is to attend the Hazan’s cooking school in Italy one day — *sigh*
I absolutely love Giuliano’s wonderful book, Thirty Minute Pasta. 100 of the most scrumptious yet easy pasta recipes help you prepare a healthy & nutritious homemade meal for your family in thirty minutes.
Giuliano remembers having this Pasta al Melone as a child in Venice with his parents. It’s flavor is rich and almost tangy and not as sweet as one might think. Once its cooked, the melon is mostly unrecognizable, and it’s fun seeing people guess the sauce’s secret ingredient!
Recipe for Spaghetti with Melon
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 3 pound Cantaloupe ~ I used Dulcinea Extra Sweet Tuscan Style Cantaloupes
- 3 tablespoon butter ~ I used President Brand French Butter
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound spaghetti ~ I used Rustichella d’Abruzzo
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste ~ I used Amore Sundried Tomato Paste
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 organic cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano ~ I used Grana Padano
METHOD:
- Fill a pot with 6 quarts water, add salt, bring to boil and add the pasta. Cook until al dente.
- Cut the melon into 1/2 in pieces.
- Melt the butter over medium heat into a 12-inch skillet.
- Add the melon and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Cook, stirring often, until the melon begins to break down and most of the liquid it releases has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and lemon juice to the melon and stir well.
- Add the cream and cook until the sauce thickens and reduces by about a third, for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Once the pasta is done, drain well, toss the sauce and the Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Serve at once and Enjoy!
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Wow, I really do want to give this a try. I have never heard of putting some Cantaloupe in a pasta sauce, but it sounds delicious, I’m in.
Ohhh this spaghetti looks AMAZING hun!!!
I am coming w/ you for the cooking class in Italy!
I would have not heard of this recipe ever if it wasn’t for you. Sounds interesting, looks fabulous. And Sara you seem to have changed your website layout? Not sure if you did but its looks great
Thanks Paul & please try it!
thanks Kimba!
But ofcourse, EG!
Thanks Kulsum! Its a new look, I wanted a minimalistic look!
WOW – this pasta looks and sounds incredible. I have seen the book at the bookstore recently and thought about buying it. Now that you gave it a thumbs up, I will put it on my wishlist.
..i think it’s not a ‘traditional’ recipe ( i live in Italy since 23 years, never heard about it ) BUT i think this is really fantastic recipe! I’ll try it !
Extremely unique recipe Sara. Of all things cantaloupe probably would be the last thing I would think to combine with pasta!! I am very curious to know if the fruit adds a sweet tinge to the dish. Amazing! If I had the book, i would probably try this the very first one i tried:-)
This recipe goes back a long way. It was clever of Giuliano to bring it back to life. Marcella Hazan
Love this recipe and love your blog. Great Hazan recipe. As always you always pair the most unexpected flavors when you pick your recipes. First lamb w/Asian, was it Thai?!, flavors, I would never think of as I am so used to lamb Middle Eastern style, and now canataloupe?! The pasta dish looks awesome! Can’t wait to see what you come up with next? Always!! Shulie
Bella Sara…your blog looks great! Love the photos of these spaghetti! Sweet and savory. So clever! I adore all the Hazan’s ( I even bought the story Marcella wrote about her life;)
Sei fantastica! Xx
Thank you so Marcella! I feel honored that you visited my blog!
Thank you guys for your sweet comments! Eliana, Soma, Shulie, & Lora ~ A Big Hig!
Our entire family enjoys this recipe. Sara, your photo of it is beautiful, and your blog post is, as always, well done. We would love to have you join us at our school! It would be a lot of fun!
This is a fun recipe with which to surprise your dinner guests. Very few ever figure out what is in it before the great “telling”. The taste is delicate, almost all go back for more.
What a unique, lovely pasta! I can imagine the lovely sweet flavor that the melon lends would be a wonderful flavor addition!
Your blog re-do is looking AMAZING! I cannot believe that gorgeous pasta has cantaloupe in it. I trust that it is very tasty & your stunning photos show that off
I would love to try this recipe; especially because I was a fan of Marcella Hazan years ago and practically made every single recipe in her encyclopedic book; now I need to check out Giuliano.
I ♥ the new look of your blog sarah…it’s looking so GOOD! The pasta recipe is so unsual and amazing. WOW!! That does seem to be a great book … lucky you!
Thank you so much Lael! I appreciate your kind words and encouragement! I enjoyed making Giuliano’s recipe from his wonderful book!
Thanks dear friends! Faith, Marla, Deeba & Joumana! luv ya! xoxo
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Our daughter loves this, it’s one her favorite pastas! Great pictures, too.
wow what a fun recipe love it
The melon is interesting. It acts like a natural sweetener! Great idea.
I have to try this out soon, I really want to see how the melon would taste here. It looks wonderful and gorg photos!
Thank you Giuliano! It means a lot to me coming from you! I loved recreating your wonderful recipe!
I always love traditional recipes, especially with a twist as unexpected as melon. I am a big fan of Marcella Hazan but now I think I will add Giuliano to that list.
This looks heavenly! I need a big plateful with a glass of wine!
Thanks Sarah & Jessica!