The secret to perfect tortiglioni with peppers and eggplant from a 1929 Italian cookbook

By ADI BONI

Every type of pasta has a purpose, and often a sauce to match. This recipe, which comes from the cookbook “The Talisman of Happiness,” matches tortiglioni with peppers and eggplant.

Of course, many pasta types are interchangeable. To cook and prepare dried pasta, there are a series of steps that have to be done carefully and need your undivided attention.

The water must be carefully measured. The calculation is easy: 10 cups of water for every 1 pound of pasta. Add the salt as soon as the water starts to boil. It is important to ensure that the pasta does not overcook, and to remove it from the heat as soon as it reaches the point that cooks call “al dente,” which is when the pasta has lost its stiffness but still offers a certain resistance as you bite into it.

It is a good idea to prepare everything you will need to add to the pasta in advance. It is also particularly useful to have a warm serving dish on hand, as well as sauce and grated cheese.

As soon as you have drained the pasta, turn it into the serving dish and immediately toss with the prepared sauce or seasoning.

Tortiglioni with Peppers and Eggplant (TORTIGLIONI CON PEPERONI E MELANZAN)

Ingredients

2 yellow bell peppers

1 small eggplant

1 celery heart

1 carrot

Parsley

Olive oil

1 lb tomatoes

1 lb 5 oz tortiglioni

1 cup grated Parmesan

Salt

Directions

Roast the peppers, turning frequently so the outer skin blackens without cooking the flesh too much, When the peppers are charred cool and gently rub off the skin, rinse, and remove the stem and seeds. Cut into strips. Slice the eggplant in half and cut into strips as you have done with the peppers. Trim the celery heart (the white part) and cut into fine batons. Peel the carrot, removing any woody parts, and finely chop together with parsley.

Lightly heat the oil in a pan and add all the prepared vegetables. Sauté slowly until they take on a beautiful golden color. Pour the tomatoes — peeled, seeded, and chopped — into the pan. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Keep a careful watch and add a little boiling water if necessary, and a touch of salt.

Cook the pasta in plenty of lightly salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, turn into a bowl, and toss with the sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Ada Boni (1891-1973) was one of Italy’s first food writers. In 1915, she and her husband (a close friend of chef Augustus Escoffier) founded Preziosa, a food magazine, and a few years later, Boni opened a cooking school for aristocratic Roman women. She published “The Talisman of Happiness” in 1929 and it has never been out of print. It has sold more than 1 million copies.

Excerpted from “The Talisman of Happiness,” by Ada Boni. Copyright (copyright) 2025 by Elwin Street. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.