May 15 2007
Pasta: The Basics of A Great Food
There’s a good reason pasta is high on nearly everyone’s list of favorites. Pasta is versatile, healthy, tasty and easy to work with. It provides the base for hundreds of delicious recipes, whether drowned in sauce or chopped up plain in a salad, or even as an ingredient in a stir-fry.
You can even easily make your own pasta from a simple recipe, aided by a pasta maker. Simple mixtures with a bit of kneading, followed by stretching, slicing and coloring (or not) provide for a dozen different types.
All pasta is made from a simple flour and egg mixture, blended together and sliced in different ways. Thin and long or short and tubed, it offers structural variety and a taste that is delightful even plain with just a sprinkle of olive oil.
Since it’s made from flour and egg, pasta makes for the perfect ingredient for many healthy recipes. Whether combined with a slab of fish that’s chock full of omega-3 fatty acids, or just served plain with a fine glass of red wine, this simple food can be great for your heart.
Because of the gluten and starch that threads throughout pasta, along with its geometry and combination of stiffness and flexibility, this versatile food makes for a great base. Sauces cling to the starch, the geometry allows for creative stuffing and the flexibility makes possible a wide variety of attractive serving options.
Pasta has an ancient and honorable history. While stories of being introduced to the West by Marco Polo are mythical, it nevertheless has graced kitchens for centuries. Ancient Chinese certainly had a hundred uses for this flexible food. The Etruscans, progenitors to the modern Italians, were no stranger to the delights of pasta.
Pasta can serve as a great comfort food, without being high in fat. It can be used in the most sophisticated dishes that justify high prices at elegant 4-star restaurants. Pasta is found in a hundred forms from all around the world.
Everything from simple alphabet soup or chop suey to a more complex Tortelli di Zucca can be found along one’s travels. The latter is common in Mantova at the base of the Apennines and a trip to Italy would not be complete without trying some. But even a simple macaroni and cheese at home can be plenty satisfying on a cold evening.
For such a simple to make food, pasta has an amazing variety of uses in cooking. At the same time, it tastes great and satisfies. How many foods can say that?
Holiday Menus
(NC)—Try making this delicious Homegrown Ontario Pulled Pork simple slow cooker recipe this holiday season and see the difference a little planning makes. Great as an appetizer served on a crostini, this savoury morsel will save you time in the kitchen while impressing your guests. More delicious appetizer recipes can be found online at [...]
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(NC)—Mulligatawny soup originally became popular with the British stationed in India (employees of the East India Company) during Colonial Times. When they returned home, they brought the recipe back with them to England, and to other members of the Commonwealth. In fact Mulligatawny is the Anglicized name of two words for “pepper water,” molegoo (pepper) [...]
(NC)—Here are two easy ways to bring some excitement to your next children’s party – Wacky Waikiki or Purple Razzle Dazzle Shakes. For dozens more delicious treats to thrill your child, visit www.homebasics.ca.
Wacky Waikiki Shake
2 large ripe bananas, peeled and quartered
1 can frozen pineapple or pineapple-orange juice concentrate, thawed (6 oz)
1/2 cup milk
4 scoops Breyers [...]
Savor the Flavor Every Day, Every Way
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Luxury items like prepackaged or single serve meals [...]
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