SERVES 2

Pasta comes in more flavors than Baskin-Robbins these days—from artichoke to chocolate. Most of these are gimmicks, lending more color than flavor. But cooks in Sardinia use saffron in a gnocchi-like pasta they call malloreddus ("little calves") that captures the very essence of the spice.

2 cups hard wheat flour
Salt
Pinch of saffron, toasted
Butter
Parmigiano

1. Mix flour with a little salt and crumbled saffron into 1 cup warm water. Knead until dough is firm, adding more water if necessary.

2. Divide dough into 10 pieces and roll into long ropes 1⁄2" wide. Cut ropes into inch-long pieces. Press each piece against a fork with your thumb. Flick pasta onto a floured surface.

3. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until pasta rises to the top. Drain; toss with butter and parmigiano to taste.