Italian
Silvia’s Masterclass
From
Silvia’s Masterclass
season
3
episode
6
Curly fettuccine alla Partenope
With
Silvia Colloca
Curly fettuccine in a Neapolitan tomato sauce thickened with a parmigiano rind.
PREP
10
MINS
Cook
25
MINS
SERVES
4
About this recipe
Silvia Colloca's Neapolitan curly fettuccine in a tomato sauce sharpened with chilli and garlic, a piece of capsicum and a parmigiano rind dropped in to add depth as it simmers. The rind melts halfway, thickening the sauce naturally. Old-school sauce-making.
The parmigiano-rind trick is the Italian household technique that defines proper sauce-making across the country. Hard cheese rinds (the woody outer edges that most home cooks throw out) keep beautifully in the fridge or freezer and add depth, umami and a natural thickening to slow-simmered sauces. The rind softens and partially dissolves into the sauce over the cook; whatever's left at the end gets fished out and discarded.
The single piece of red capsicum is the second small Italian trick that distinguishes this Partenope (the ancient name for Naples) sauce from a generic tomato base. The capsicum, cut into one large piece and left to simmer in the sauce, releases a sweet, slightly smoky depth as the cell walls break down; remove the piece before serving. The sauce reads complex without anyone being able to point to a single ingredient.
Curly fettuccine (mafalda, the long ribbon pasta with frilled edges) catches the sauce in its ruffles in a way smooth shapes cannot. The ridges hold the tomato and the small pieces of garlic and chilli, giving every forkful a full mouthful of sauce rather than the slide-off-the-fork experience of poorly-matched pasta and sauce. A glass of cold Aglianico or a Vesuvio rose.
Ingredients
- 400 g San Remo Curly Fettuccine
- 3 tablespoons Monini Classico extra virgin Olive Oil
- 1-2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 2 tins of peeled tomatoes, slightly crushed
- 1/8 of a capsicum (any colour) in one piece
- one small left over parmigiano or Pecorino rind (optional)
- salt, to taste
- 200 g fresh Floridia Ricotta
- freshly ground black pepper
- fresh basil leaves (optional), to serve
- grated parmigiano reggiano (optional), to serve
Method
1. Bring a large pot of slated water to the boil.
2. In a wide pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli, and let them sizzle gently for a minute or two until fragrant—don’t let the garlic brown.
3. Pour in the peeled, crushed tomatoes, the piece of capsicum, the cheese rind (if using) and season with salt. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the raw taste has cooked out. Meanwhile, drop in the curly fettuccine and cook until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
4. Once the pasta is nearly ready, discard the cheese rind and capsicum from the sauce. Use tongs or a pasta fork to lift the fettuccine straight from the pot into the pan with the sauce, letting some of the starchy cooking water come along for the ride.
5. Toss the pasta in the sauce until well coated and glossy. Off the heat, dollop in the ricotta and stir gently to combine. Serve immediately, scattered with basil leaves and add some freshly ground pepper and parmigiano, if liked.
Silvia Colloca
Silvia Colloca is an Italian-born food writer, opera singer, TV producer and host. She has authored seven cookbooks, including Silvia’s Cucina, Made in Italy, La Dolce Vita, Love, Laugh, Bake!, Simple Italian (2024), and The Italian Homecook (2025), all published by Penguin.
Silvia’s most recent television work is Silvia’s Italian Masterclass (Channel 10), with its latest season airing in October 2025. The series is currently funding for Season 4. She has also appeared as a special guest on SBS’s Mastermind in 2025. Her earlier TV credits include the SBS Food series Cook Like an Italian, which has screened internationally across three seasons, as well as Made in Italy with Silvia Colloca (SBS), filmed on location in the Le Marche and Abruzzo regions and earning her a 2015 TV WEEK Logie Award nomination for Best New Talent. She also co-wrote, co-produced and hosted the ABC prime-time series Silvia’s Italian Table in 2016.
Outside of food and television, Silvia has enjoyed a career as a celebrated opera singer and actress. In 2022, she released her debut solo classical album with Universal Music, which topped the Classical Charts for over 20 weeks. That same year, she performed with Andrea Bocelli at his Sydney concert, a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Inspiration Starts Here
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