Be sure to use best-quality pasta in your dessert recipes, such as this fusilli from Pastificio Marella, a NIBBLE Top Pick.

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March 2005
Updated February 2009

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Desserts

Dessert Pasta

Page 9: Romanian Sweet Pasta And Sweet Ricotta & Fusilli

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On The Menu

Romanian Sweet Pasta

This classic recipe is a baked noodle pudding with raisins, ground walnuts, cinnamon, cloves and maple syrup. It comes from The Lowfat Jewish Vegetarian Cookbook: Healthy Traditions From Around the World, by Debra Wasserman (The Vegetarian Resource Group, copyright 1994).

Ingredients

• 1 pound eggless pasta
• 12 cups water
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup ground walnuts, or 1/3 cup ground poppy seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon rind, minced
• 1-½ cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation

1. Cook pasta in boiling water until done. Drain.
2. Heat maple syrup and walnuts or poppy seeds in a large pot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add lemon rind, raisins, clove powder and cinnamon. Continue cooking for 3 more minutes.
3. Add cooked pasta. Mix well and serve warm.
4. You can also pour the mixture into a baking dish and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes before serving.

Sweet Ricotta & Fusilli

The Italian version of Grandma's noodle kugel, with curly fusilli instead of flat noodles; from The New Pasta Cookbook, by Joanne Glynn.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound fusilli pasta
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon rind, grated
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• Milk, heated
• Lemon rind for garnish

Preparation

1. Cook fusilli until al dente.
2. In a bowl, blend ricotta, pinch of salt, sugar, vanilla, lemon rind and cinnamon.
3. Add just enough hot milk to make a smooth sauce. Taste for seasoning. Drain fusilli and toss through ricotta sauce.
4. Serve immediately, decorated with lemon rind and sprinkled with cinnamon.

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