There is an amazing variety of fresh and dried pasta shapes and sizes in Italy, referred to as formati (shapes and sizes). Their names have to do with their surface (smooth, rough, grooved), their size, expressed with a suffix, such as -one, -etto, -ino, etc, and/or what they resemble. Marika makes some sense of the vast assortment of pasta found in Italian supermarkets.

There are different kinds of flour used to make pasta. "Flour" is a generic term but it's not always accurate. Marika explains it all.

Marika divides the types of pasta into different categories and explains their characteristics, ranging from ingredients to shelf life, to cooking time, and consistency.

Who doesn't love pasta? Marika talks about this extremely popular Italian food: the history, where it's produced, and how to cook it.

Don't forget the baking soda, but be careful. Basta pochissimo (a little goes a long way). The same goes for the lemon juice. As you will see, this recipe is very simple, so have fun!

It's a shame to throw away perfectly good fruit, just because some of it is bruised. Andromeda shows us her anti-waste recipe for fruit preserves.

Marika and Anna cook their pasta, but this recipe is actually designed for leftover pasta. They explain more about this, and show us, step by step, how to make this very special frittata. Buon appetito!

Anna and Marika describe the ingredients we need to make this spaghetti frittata. They go on to show us the necessary pots, pans, and cooking utensils.

Anna and Marika work in harmony to prepare the chicory timbale and put it in the oven to bake.

Italians love leafy-green vegetables, and especially in the south, there's the predilection for bitter greens, such as chicory. Chicory lends a special taste to this casserole dish, with scamorza [cheese] and cured ham that offset the mildly bitter taste of the chicory. Anna and Marika show us the ingredients and tools we need.

Adriano convinces his mother to share her secret recipe for arancello with us. Arancello is an Italian liqueur made with the rinds of oranges.

Anna and Marika show us the ingredients and utensils necessary for making the classic risotto alla milanese (Milanese style rice). The star of the show is the precious zafferano (saffron), whose history Anna tells us about.

Here we go with the actual preparation of this very simple, but very delicious dish. Tomatoes, olive oil, and bread are rarely missing from a Tuscan household and pappa al pomodoro is just one way these ingredients go together. Anna gives us some interesting nutritional information about tomatoes and there's also a little musical performance by our chefs. Message from Marika: If you use a bouillon cube in the recipe, watch the salt!

Tuscans love their bread — crusty and thick, and totally unsalted. It goes well with salty cheese, and salt-cured meats. When it gets stale, it doesn't get wasted; it gets used in cooking. Tuscans also love tomatoes, so this dish is quite the Tuscan comfort food, suitable for all age groups, and very cheap to make.

Hurry up and get your ingredients together, because after this video, you will surely want to jump in and try out this simple, but absolutely delicious recipe.