Pasta e patate

Peel the potatoes (or wash well and keep the skin). Halve, cut into strips, then into small pieces about the size of the pasta or slightly bigger.

Break the celery into pieces; keep the skin on the carrot; add the onion and garlic for the soffritto.

Break the fusilli in half to match the ditalini; choose pastas that cook in the same time (here both 11 minutes al dente).

Cut the provolone into cubes.

Add about three tablespoons of olive oil and a splash of tap water to the soffritto vegetables and blend to a cream.

In a deep pot over medium-low heat, warm about four tablespoons of olive oil and fry the rosemary a minute or two to flavour the oil.

Add all the soffritto cream and a splash of water; cook over medium-low heat.

Add the potatoes and cook with the soffritto 7 to 10 minutes, stirring and adding splashes of water so it does not dry up. Hold the salt and pepper until the end because the stock is seasoned.

Add vegetable stock to cover the potatoes and boil, lid on, about 10 minutes; check with a fork and keep cooking until soft. Time depends on the size of the pieces.

Gently mash some of the potatoes with a masher, leaving some pieces whole for bite.

Add the pasta with very hot stock or boiling water so it starts cooking at once; cook lid off, stirring constantly so the liquid evaporates, as for risotto (risottatura), about 10 minutes.

Taste a piece of potato; add salt if needed and black pepper to taste. Optionally mash a little more, gently. Add more water if it gets too dry.

Turn off the heat, wait 10 seconds, then add a generous amount of pecorino, the provolone cubes and, if wanted, a little raw rosemary.

Stir and toss as for risotto until creamy; no pasta water is needed because the pasta cooked in the liquid.

Serve with more pecorino and rosemary on top, chopped small if liked.