If the name Barilla makes you think of a box of spaghetti, you are on the right track.

The Barilla family, which founded the multi-national pasta company, in 2003 converted one of its former pasta factories into the Academia Barilla, a food and cultural arts center in the heart of Parma, Italy. The center is dedicated to defending and promoting Italian food products and their role in traditional, regional Italian cuisine, and developing Italian gastronomy.

The academy has a cooking school, sells locally made Italian specialty products and produces cookbooks, such as "Fresh Italian Cooking," which was recently released in the U.S. by the Taunton Press ($19.95 softcover).

The book has recipes for more than 100 authentic Italian dishes, including pastas from scratch that are easy to make. Try out this recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi with Arugula Pesto and you'll be surprised at how homemade pasta can be on the dinner table in less than an hour.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI WITH ARUGULA PESTO

For the gnocchi:

14 ounces ricotta cheese

1 cup soft wheat flour (such as Bob's Red Mill Semolina pasta flour)

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 egg

Ground nutmeg, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the pesto:

6 cups arugula

2 small, very ripe tomatoes

8 to 9 almonds

1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 clove of garlic

Salt and pepper, to taste

Put the ricotta in a large bowl. Mix it with the flour, egg and Parmigiano. Season with salt, pepper and ground nutmeg. Transfer the dough to a work surface and roll it out to 1/2-inch thick. Cut it into small diamonds.

Wash the arugula and combine it with the almonds, cheese, oil and salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is homogenous and has reached a smooth consistency.

Wash the tomatoes and cut an X into the bottom of each one. Drop them into a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds and then submerge them in ice water to remove their skins. Peel them, remove the seeds and liquid, and dice them. Combine them with the pesto in a bowl.

Drop the gnocchi into a pot of boiling, salted water and skim them out as soon as they float to the surface. Combine them with the pesto and tomatoes. Mix well and serve.

Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from "Fresh Italian Cooking," Academia Barilla

• Read more articles by LISA ABRAHAM

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