The Cleopatra of Sicily: Gemelli Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Pesto

They say that well-behaved women rarely make history, and this could not be more true than of the legendary Cleopatra of Sicily. She started a revolution in the south of Italy to avenge her family and ended up overthrowing the oppressive Sicilian royals. This pasta dish filled with herbaceous pistachio pesto, creamy and decadent whipped ricotta, and sweet like candy roasted tomatoes is what started it all. I like to think that a good dish can repair and restore any relationship — or even a kingdom. A true pasta queen serves up an epic pasta feast, polishes her crown, then takes over the world.