Recently in pasta Category

I always associate Pappardelle with meat sauces, specifically a ragu made out of rabbit (it was a favorite of mine growing up in NJ).  Pappardelle also pairs well with a sauce made out of wild boar.  Like many Italian food types, there is a festival in Italy honoring pappardelle (yes, food is honored in Italy!); Sagra delle Pappardelle al cinghiale (Pappardelle with wild boar festival) is held every August in the city of Gemmano in the Emilia-Romagna Region. 

(photo: completed pesto sauce in a bowl made from the famous ceramic factories in Bagnara Calabra)

Chitarra is similar to spaghetti, but with squared edges. It was once cut on guitar strings, hence its unique name.  Here's a great link to a "guitar pasta maker"
(photo: Chitarra with pesto and a glass of Pinot Noir from Chile <light years ahead of any under $20 Pinot from Oregon or California>)
 

(photo: pesto via machine.  proper pesto is made from via mortar and pestle but I have soar arm from my poor, tennis, serving technique ) 

(photo: close up of the pesto)

Pasta al Ceppo is literally translated as pasta on a stick and knitting needles were once used to shape the pasta.  The pasta has a nice texture and works well with hearty sauces.  

The Scordo Pasta Challenge continues!

Here's a quick and simple Scordo Pasta Challenge entry this morning as it's hot and sticky in the Northeast!  

Cannolicchi is a pasta from the Abruzzo region which is traditionally served with seafood sauces.  Cannolicchi has a distinctive shape including coiled ridges which separate after the cooking process!  I prepared the Rustichella Cannolicchi with broccoli and crumbled Creminelli sausage.  

I prepared our 500 grams of Rustichella Strozzapreti with tomato sauce and then added some finely chopped mozzarella.  I didn't bake the dish, but rather stirred the ingredients in our serving dish (this is a nice alternative to baked pasta).  

The pasta served as a primo, followed by some Niman Ranch sausage sautéed with lots of onions and parsley and a romaine salad with some locally made Greek Feta cheese.
  

In southern Italy, Orecchiette are made by way of wheat flour and the traditional method includes pressing down on dime sized pieces of dough to get the familiar dome shape.  

I prepared (well, my wife prepared) our Rustichella Orecchiette dish with brocolli, white mushrooms, and red onion.  The pasta was tossed with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (staple condiments for the Scordo Pasta Challenge).  

I recently cooked up a bath of cheese ravioli from a local pasta company (Vitamia) for the Scordo Pasta Challenge (hey, the Challenge is a special occasion!) and served the pasta with a mushroom (shitake) tomato sauce and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.  

Three cheers to the king of pasta - the mighty ravioli!

For the last installment of the Scordo Pasta Challenge I made a simple chickpea soup with onions, brocolli, fresh parsley, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  I also boiled a small amount of Ditalini (pasta shaped like a small tube) and added it to the soup.  My dish also included plenty of grated Grana Padano.

My latest pasta conquest centered on the Cencioni, a little known pasta from the Basilicata region of Italy.  Cencioni, or translated as "little rag", is perfect for loose sauces.   Cencioni has great texture and could work well as a substitute for baked ziti.  The pasta is a bit difficult to cook as the outer edges cook before the dense center, 

I consumed the Cencioni as a "primo" with tomato sauce, followed by some roasted chicken with sauteed escarole.  The meal was extra special because it was accompanied by some newly bottled homemade wine (courtesy of Tommaso Sr.).   

(photo: final product with a bit of extra provola and olive oil)
 

(photo: Cannelloni ready to eat!   Because the pasta is baked after boiling, the tomato sauce tends to thicken up a bit).

Cannelloni have a special place in my heart as I've always consumed them on special days (such as a holiday or a birthday).  My favorite Cannelloni are prepared in a simple manner, that is, with fresh ricotta, parsley, and tomato sauce.  Cannelloni are typically boiled and then stuffed with ricotta and thereafter they are baked in the oven with tomato sauce.  

(photo: Cannelloni up close in the tray)

(photo: Cannelloni in the baking tray)

However, I cooked up a batch of Paccheri and simply added very good extra virgin olive oil, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano, and lots of coursley ground black pepper for my Scordo Pasta Challenge this past Thursday. If I had fresh ricotta (recipe to come!) in the house then I would have included a bit of it as well.  

I enjoyed the dish with a glass of Aglianico from Campania or Basilicata.  Now go and enjoy the weather if you live on the East Coast!

(photo: Meatball close up)





 

(photo: braised meats: spare ribs, sausage, and meatballs) 

Think of Trenne pasta as the "quill" pasta; that is to say, Trenne are shaped like a writing instrument that is triangular in shape.  Trenne is a more modern and angular version of Penne (Trenne has the lines of a new Cadillac or Acura sedan).  Trenne is probably best consumed with an abundant and loose codiment or sauce (think of a cream based sauce or maybe summery marinara with chunks of tomatoe, basil, and garlic).

I decided to pair small peas with Trenne and the pasta didn't disappoint (the brand was Rustichella).  Here are the ingredients for the sauce:

- Half a package of frozen, organic, peas (if you have happen to have fresh peas then go for it!)

- 3-4 cloves of garlic diced on a diagnal 

- Half a red onion finely diced

- Freshly ground pepper and Kosher salt to taste

- 1 tablespoon of salted butter

- 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

- 1/2 cup of grated Grana Padano

- 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water

In a large sauté pan add your olive oil and butter (pan should be hot before adding fats).  Next, add your onion and garlic and begin to slowly sauté over medium heat.  Add some salt and pepper.  Next, add your peas and stir well.  Add a bit more salt and pepper and reduce your heat.  Drain your pasta and add the Trenne to your pan containing the sauce; mix the pasta with your condiment and add some of the starchy pasta water (your pan should have a medium flame going) .  Next, add a bit more olive oil and the grated cheese. 

Follow the pasta with a piece of salmon and a small arugula salad.  Pair the dish with a chilled Ciro Rosato!

    

Update: 3/15/10: Manicaretti, who imports Rustichella into the US, told me there are closer to 310 pasta shapes, as opposed to the 158 I had researched earlier.  Specifically, the good folks at Manicaretti pointed me to the seminal pasta book, Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini de Vita (here's the review from the NY Times).  And, in fact, when checking the preface of the book de Vita (no de Ziti!) mentions there are 310 standard pasta variations (not including the sub variations which are basically off-springs of 310 basic shapes).  In turn, my quest deepens and stretches to 2014 (adding another, roughly year and half, to eating every known dry pasta shape on the planet.  

I woke up this morning and had a revelation!  Well, it wasn't exactly a revelation of grand proportion like when Einstein told Newton he was all wrong about the physical world back in the early twentieth century rather my revelation was epicurean and it concerned my favorite food on the planet; namely, Pasta!  

Like Julie Powell's idea of cooking through all the recipes in Julie Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I wondered this morning if it was possible for one individual to prepare and consume every conceivable (and available) commercial pasta shape ever produced?    

A quick search reveals well over 150 (158 to be exact) pasta shapes - click here for a visual look at most of these shapes.  Attempting to cook and consume one's way through 150+ pasta shapes would be quite the challenge; after all, one couldn't make a different pasta shape each night because of issues with weight and general diet (and this is coming from an Italian-American with the metabolism of a humming bird).  But what if we took the Italian-American tradition (at least the one I grew up with in Northern New Jersey) of only consuming a starter (or primo) portion of pasta every Thursday and Sunday night?  If two unique pasta shapes were cooked twice a week then one could get through about 100 pasta shapes in one year and 158 shapes in about one and half years (this is assuming the pasta shape world ends at about 158 unique shapes).   Thus, one could complete the above project in about 547 days!  

Today is, indeed, Thursday and I'm eating pasta tonight!  The shape will be Trenne and the sauce will be comprised of peas, butter, olive oil, red onion, garlic, and grated Grana Padano.  

So, let the challenge begin!  I'll check off "Trenne" tomorrow from the list of 158 pastas (see below) and in turn reach my goal by, roughly, September 9, 2012.

I've set up some rules and guidelines for myself:

1. Any claims of consuming a specific shape will be accompanied by photos of me in my home kitchen, along with said pasta shape in at least one photo!  Ordering a pasta shape at a restaurant will not count.  

2. I hope to include a recipe with each pasta dish, but I don't expect to be able to come up with 158 unique sauces (don't push your luck).

3. There may be times when said pasta shape will be difficult to secure, in that case I may need to either, 1. get on a plane to Italy and conduct a search for the missing pasta shape 2. make the shape at home (if possible) or 3. do a pasta shape substitution.  I'm hoping to avoid #1 and #3!

That's it; if you can think of another guideline just let me know and I'll include it above.  I'll be updating the list below by simply adding the date of pasta consumption and a strikethrough on the given pasta shape (as well as a link).  I'll be posting individual entries with pasta photo and recipe (hopefully each Friday and Monday).  

Oh, if you'd like to contribute photos of you and your family cooking you favorite pasta shape then please send pics via email and I'll be sure to post them!

List of 158 Pasta Shapes (let me know if I've missed any):