All too often, we look askance at yet another pasta recipe.  Typically, because your average online pasta recipe is an attractive, visually appealing, tapestry of color but ultimately, a mildly disappointing, somewhat mediocre and insipid plate.  Well, this is a dish that may change your mind when it comes to the perception of pasta recipes.

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Last week V and I had dinner at Ethan Stowell’s famed Roman-inspired restaurant, Rione XIII in Seattle. It was an amazing meal paired with great wine and the star dish that evening was undoubtedly the boldly flavorful and intensely satisfying Gnocchi Alla Romana…the best I have ever eaten….

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For the past few weeks we have been dealing with a case of the flu (yes, we did get the flu shot) and pink eye (yes, pink eye) between the two kids. I’m convinced that sending our children to school is a recipe for 40 viral illnesses by 8 years of age. Really?… 40?… Friends tell us that that’s the magic dose; the magic number of colds, flus, other viral and bacterial contaminations, infections, epidemics… whatever we want to call it, to get our immune system revved up to deal with the next 8 decades.

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One morning in Tuscany, we took a day trip into the hills above Florence to a renowned private vineyard, where we met a member of the Contini Bonacossi Noble Family (owners of the art work in the eponymous private gallery at the Uffizi). After touring the vineyards, olive tree orchards, wine cellars and olive oil refinery of the Tenuta di Capezzana Estate, we had the the pleasure of joining their private chef to prepare a vegetarian version of a traditional Tuscan meal, and later enjoyed lunch with the family.

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If there is one thing our recent, late summer trip to Italy taught us, it’s that Italian cuisine is much more rich, varied and expansive than most of us here on the other side of the pond realize.  While there is some truth to the north-south Italian divide, with simple tomato-based, produce-driven peasant food in the south and the opulent, rich, creamy, seafood and meat dishes from the wealthier north, there is also a unique culinary point of view that emerges at the country’s edge, on the island of Sicily.

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This weekend was the last of our fall farmers market. As per our usual Sunday afternoon we walked out the front door and down the five blocks to the center of town… Autumn was in the air. Brightly colored leaves intermixed with evergreens, the smell of pine cones just washed down from the Pacific Northwest rains. The street was filled with people riding bikes, scooters, walking dogs and wearing North Face fleece jackets, all amongst the backdrop of beautiful Lake Washington. It was the quintessential fall day in Seattle…

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Ok, so I’ve seen this recipe on ohsheglows.com a few times and I finally had the chance to make it. I kid you not, it is delicious. If you like guacamole, and you like pesto…and you like pasta… you will LOVE this!

After you put the pasta on the stove to boil, it takes about 5 minutes to make the sauce…. I WILL definitely be making this again.

I think what I love about this pasta the most is that it is a great way to get kids to eat healthy fat. Avocados are also a great source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins C,K, folate, and B6. The fat in avocados are so good for kids brains… and not to mention how great they are for our skin.

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