My Favorite Things-Pasta
Pasta is a wonderful and splendored thing. There are very few people who don’t like pasta. Even the pickiest of children will chow down ravenously on the parental standby of macaroni and cheese. It is easy and inexpensive to prepare. The only downfall is the thought that you can’t do much with pasta beyond throwing some spaghetti sauce on it. That myth is dispelled with the myriad of pasta recipes. They can be as simple or complex as you desire, considering the wide variety of pasta noodles available. They can range from simple spaghetti or linguini noodles, to meat or cheese stuffed ravioli or tortellini, to full flavored gnocchi.
The key to having great pasta is to using your imagination. Think of what types of foods you love, and how you can combine them with your favorite pasta. Maybe you like asparagus and fettuccini? Then perhaps a simple dish of blanched asparagus with olive oil and truffles will entwine the flavors of spinach fettuccini to make a healthy and simple creation. Or perhaps you would prefer a hearty gnocchi with sausage and peppers to warm you up on a cold autumn night.
While the origins of pasta are unknown, the first certain record of pasta cooked by boiling is made in the Talmud, written in Aramaic in the 5th century AD and coems from Arabic references. Known as Itiyah, it refers to dried pasta which was portable and carried as a dry staple. Dried pasta became popular throughout the 14th and 15th centuries as it was easily stored for long periods and evidence shows that ships setting on their voyages of discovery to explore the New World had pasta in their stores. Various types of pasta are also mentioned in the records of many monasteries in the 15th century and by the 17th century, pasta had become part of the daily diet of many Italians. It was an affordable staple, readily available and very adaptable. In the 16th century, the Spanish brought back many culinary discoveries including the humble tomato. When pasta met tomato, the way pasta was eaten was changed forever. Before this coupling, pasta was eaten dry with the fingers. With the introduction of a liquid sauce, the traditional use of a fork to eat pasta was born.
