Tag: pasta

Scordo Pasta Challenge: #72A Linguine Fine with Calamari in Tomato Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge: #72A Linguine Fine with Calamari in Tomato Sauce

(photo: linguine fine tossed with tomato sauce and grilled calamari) I bet you thought the Scordo Pasta Challenge lost a bit of steam during the late summer!  You shouldn’t, however, fear because we’re back with shape #72A, the extraordinary linguine fine (a variation of the standard linguine shape that’s quick cooking <4 minutes!> and wonderful with delicate sauces such as […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge: Shape #102 Penne Lisce with Tomato Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge: Shape #102 Penne Lisce with Tomato Sauce

This week’s Scordo Pasta Challenge was special to me, you see the Scordo family canned tomatoes this past weekend and the penne lisce we consumed included the first tomato sauce made from 2010 tomatoes! “Penne Lisce”, or smooth penne, is essentially the standard penne you can find in any supermarket and on most menus at restaurants.  The second, standard, penne […]

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Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Italian Spice Review: La Poderina Toscana, Rosselli del Turco Chianti Classico, and the Canonica Verde Umbrian Spice Blend

Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Italian Spice Review: La Poderina Toscana, Rosselli del Turco Chianti Classico, and the Canonica Verde Umbrian Spice Blend

(photo: The Canonica Verde Umbrian Spice Blend including rosemary, sea salt, garlic, and red pepper flakes) Click here for my other olive oil reviews! As you’ve probably noticed, Olive Oil and Pasta are at the heart of Italian cuisine (both above and below the mezzogiorno, the geopolitical dividing line of Italy).  Specifically, my love for both products started in Nonna Scordo’s […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge – #17 & #157 Zitoni Casarecci with a Chicken Ragu, Zucchini, Onion, and White Wine Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge – #17 & #157 Zitoni Casarecci with a Chicken Ragu, Zucchini, Onion, and White Wine Sauce

  (photo: prior to breaking the pasta into smaller pieces, notice the length!) I love impromptu meals; that is to say, one of the biggest thrills I experience in the kitchen is when one dish I have in mind turns into something completely different or helps inform a second dish.  For example, when starring at a few chicken legs in my refrigerator this evening […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge – #98 Pasta al Ceppo with Tomato Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge – #98 Pasta al Ceppo with Tomato Sauce

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!

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Scordo Pasta Challenge – #140 Strozzapreti with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

Scordo Pasta Challenge – #140 Strozzapreti with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella

Strozzapreti is translated as “priest choker.”  The legend has it that the priests of  Emilia-Romagna and surrounding regions enjoyed the long pasta so much that they choked while eating it.  I can certainly understand eating Strozzapreti quickly as it is, indeed, a delicous pasta. I prepared our 500 grams of Rustichella Strozzapreti with tomato sauce and then added some finely chopped mozzarella.  I […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge #92 Orecchiette with Mushrooms, Garlic, Broccoli, and Red Onion

Scordo Pasta Challenge #92 Orecchiette with Mushrooms, Garlic, Broccoli, and Red Onion

Orecchiette is the little pasta (or “little ear”, literally translated) that could; that is to say, at first glance the pasta shape from Apulia seems unremarkable, but when paired with vegetables it springs to life!  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 […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge #115 Ravioli with Mushroom Tomato Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge #115 Ravioli with Mushroom Tomato Sauce

Nothing says special occasion like ravioli!  You see, as a young lad, standard dry pasta shapes like penne, linguine, and rigatoni, made their way to my mother’s dinner table about 1x-2x per week.  However, whenever the regal ravioli made an appearance for lunch we knew it was a special day.   Ravioli were reserved for holidays or a special occasion such as a birthday […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge – #23 Cencioni with Tomato Sauce

Scordo Pasta Challenge – #23 Cencioni with Tomato Sauce

With some spectacular weather here on the East Coast my mind turned to the outdoors the last week or so, hence the long stretch without a post (my apologies).   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 […]

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Scordo Pasta Challenge – #72 Linguine with Escarole, Garlic, Onion, Potato and Provola

Scordo Pasta Challenge – #72 Linguine with Escarole, Garlic, Onion, Potato and Provola

(photo: final product with a bit of extra provola and olive oil) When it comes to living life, I’m a sucker for both luxurious and practical things.  I’m equally comfortable driving a Honda or a Mercedes-Benz or living amongst nose-in-the-air snobs or dyed in the wool blue collar types.  I lean towards the practical and modest side of living, but who […]

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