Gemelli Pasta Ingredients

Asked by swsan. Answered on 28th August 2019

Full question

I love pasta and would like to try Nigella's Gemelli With Anchovies. What could you substitute the mascapone for? I don't eat a lot of mascapone and don't want to buy a big tub for just a couple of tablespoonfuls.

Image of Nigella's Gemelli — Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Gemelli with Anchovies, Tomatoes and Mascarpone

By Nigella

Our answer

Nigella's Gemelli With Anchovies, Tomatoes And Mascarpone (from AT MY TABLE) is a fast pasta dish where the sauce can be made in the time that the pasta is cooking. The sauce uses mascarpone as it has a fairly high fat content, so a little makes a rich and creamy sauce. However as mascarpone is made by curdling milk with a natural acid, it doesn't make the sauce too cloying.

If you don't usually use mascarpone then double cream would be the next best alternative (or heavy or whipping cream if double cream is not available). Once the sauce has been made (at the end of step 3), add a few drops of lemon juice if you need to cut the richness slightly. Another alternative is to use a full fat (crème entière) crème fraîche. This is slightly more acidic than mascarpone but would be a good alternative for the sauce.