'Pasta Queen' Nadia Caterina Munno continues her reign with new cookbook and Chicago tour stop

Everything is “just gorgeous” in the world of Nadia Caterina Munno, aka The Pasta Queen. From her popular social media pages where she regularly gives 10 million followers tips on cooking and “all things all’Italiana” to her brand-new culinary travel series launched on Prime Video in October and her latest cookbook, “The Art Of Italian Cooking” out Nov. 12. Munno’s content is the very definition of a “chef’s kiss.”

But it's also all about teaching people around the world about the joy and culture the fuels Italian cooking. And how to do it right.

In her “10 Commandments of Pasta” shared in an episode of her TV series, produced by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company, No. 2 on the list is “thou shall not break the spaghetti.”

As Munno says, “Every time a spaghetti is broken, a nonna loses their willpower!”

Pasta is in the DNA of the best-selling author and host. Now based in Florida, Munno was born and raised in Rome and hails from a pasta-making family dynasty known around town as the “Macaronis,” who have operated a factory in southern Italy since the 1800s. In new book, “The Art of Italian Cooking,” Munno wanted to branch out to cover what an Italian feast really looks and tastes like.

“My first cookbook [2022’s ‘The Pasta Queen: A Just Gorgeous Cookbook’] was only about pasta, and over the years I’ve been asked thousands of times if pasta is the only thing that I eat,” Munno shares in a recent phone call ahead of a five-city book tour that stops at Chicago’s Park West on Nov. 15.

“I thought that everybody knew about the Mediterranean diet and that Italians are really huge into greens, vegetables, seafood, legumes and grains. So I thought, oh my goodness I really need to teach the full Italian menu.”

Munno does just that in “The Art of Italian Cooking,” an easy-to-follow guide with nearly 300 pages of hearty recipes, lush photos and lots of engaging history and family stories.

The book is divided into sections that detail all the proper Italian courses: "Aperitiv" (apertivo cocktails like a Negroni Sbagliato to whet the appetite); "Antipasti" (appetizers such as Proscuttio e Melone); "Primi" (the first course which typically offers soups, salads or pastas such as her Risotto Cacio e Pepe); "Secondi" (the meaty second course with options like Piccata di Pollo); "Contorni" (side dishes including Fried Peppers), and "Dolci" (sweets like her Tiramisú or Panna Cotta). There’s even a section on Italian street food. The book also traverses the many regional cooking styles of Italy.

The recipes are a combination of family heirlooms as well as Munno’s own research and unique spins. There’s her nonna Caterina’s stuffed peppers (aka Peperoni Ripieni della Nonna) as well as one of The Pasta Queen’s favorite dishes, a beef stew called Spezzatino di Manzo (see the recipe below).

“It’s a very ancient way of cooking meat … and a peasant recipe common in the farming areas where it was something you could eat over days. Whatever cuts of meat you had, you could stew it with other ingredients to cover the flavor if the meat wasn’t prime,” says Munno. Her take on the dish incorporates wine to replicate the taste and mouthfeel of a beef bourguignon.

Munno says she was bitten by the cooking bug at an early age.

“I was always very interested in being in the kitchen with my grandmothers. … My nonna was always trying to get help in the kitchen and I was definitely more interested in bubbling the tomato sauce then going outside on my bicycle."

When Munno became a mom of four, that passion for cooking reignited, and while the family was cooped-up inside during the pandemic, the idea for The Pasta Queen was born. With the help of her kids, Munno started posting videos to social media and soon an empire was born.

Her family (including her father) will be joining her on her book tour as will another Italian influencer QCP (Gianluca Conte) who will moderate a Q&A at the Park West. The night will also offer never-seen behind-the-scenes footage of the making of her new cookbook and Prime series, as well as games and cooking tips, of which she always has plenty.

“Salt your pasta water — bring it to a boil and then salt it. Do not toss the pasta in when the water is not boiling, that’s one of the biggest things I see. It ruins the cooking and the pasta becomes mushy,” she cautions. “Overcooking your pasta is also a huge mistake, it should be 'al dente.' … It makes it more digestible, so it takes longer for the digestive system to break it down and it doesn’t make you tired and bloated.”

Munno also believes in using high-quality ingredients, many of which can be found on her new Amazon storefront. Her recommendations: “A good extra-virgin olive oil; for pasta, I use Pastificio Di Martino or pasta Gentilini; also, crushed Calabrian chilis.”

Another store-bought ingredient she loves is Celtic Grey Salt. “I’m really passionate that good salt be used in cooking. No refined salt, or sugar for that matter.” And she says, “I also buy canned tomatoes because obviously they’re a summer fruit. Italian San Marzano tomatoes is an item I have in my pantry all the time. And of course, flour.” Munno prefers 00 flour for homemade egg-based pasta dishes.

Beyond the food, there’s also the vibe of an Italian feast that should be given attention, Munno says.

“Invite good people that want to have a good time. I love to entertain with the aesthetic as well so I use a lot of greeneries and a lot of elements that I have used in the cooking to decorate,” she shares. “And, of course, wear a really gorgeous outfit.

Spezzatino Di Manzo

(Italian beef stew)

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients for the stew:

• 2 ½ pounds stew meat (chunks should be about 2 inches each)
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 medium carrots, sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1 bay leaf

Ingredients for the mashed potatoes:

• 3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• Sea salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Make the stew: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Pat the meat dry with paper towels and season generously with salt and pepper on both sides. In a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, add the beef and sear on all sides, turning the meat often until it is well browned, about 6 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

3. To the same pot, add the onion and carrots and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook over low heat until the onion begins to soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and garlic and stir to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle the flour all over the vegetables, stirring to coat. Cook for about 1 minute, then deglaze the pan with the red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Cook until the alcohol aroma dissipates and the wine has been reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.

4. Add 2 cups water and return to a boil. Create an herb bundle by tying up the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf with some kitchen twine. Add the herbs and reserved beef to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer.

5. Cover the stew and transfer to the oven to braise until the beef is impossibly tender, about 2 hours.

6. Remove and discard the herbs and check the stew for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed. Turn the oven off, but return the Dutch oven to the warm oven while you prepare the potatoes.

7. In a large pot, combine the potatoes with water to cover by 1 inch. Add a generous pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the milk and butter. Set over very low heat and let warm gently while the potatoes cook. Do not let boil.

9. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Set over medium heat and cook for 1 minute to steam off any residual moisture. Remove from the heat and pass through a potato ricer (or gently mash by hand with a potato masher).

10. Add the milk and butter mixture to the potatoes, whisking until it has all been incorporated. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper to taste.

11. Serve the stew over a generous portion of mashed potatoes.

From "The Pasta Queen: The Art of Italian Cooking," by Nadia Caterina Munno with Anna Francese Gass. Copyright © 2024 Reprinted by permission of Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, LCC.