Pasta
Pasta, in one shape or anothre, is a universal pantry item.
Pasta is a very popular food. There are recipes for every occasion, from elaborate celebrations to quick and easy meals. Either with spaghetti or noodles, not much skill is required to prepare a delicious dish that will have everyone asking for seconds.
Pasta with everything, everywhere
Pasta is the ultimate convenience food. It is ready in less than fifteen minutes, and dried pasta keeps for ever. Good for soups, cold or warm salads, side dishes or a mid week meal, quick and easy to cook, pasta goes well with fish, meat, eggs, dairy, or or vegetables. Add a few pantry items, such as soy or tomato sauce, for extra flavor and you have a filling meal. Pasta is all over the world. Look to one side to find which food is consumed every day and you will see noodles; look to the other side and you will find spaghetti, penne, ziti, tortellini, lasagna, or angel hair.
Pasta is made predominantly with durum wheat. Though there is pasta made with other types of specialty wheat or pasta made with rice, corn, quinoa, lentil, or soy flour, catering to special diets.Noodles have been made with wheat, rice, spelt, soy, or buckwheat, depending on the region where a particular ingredient is grown.
Pasta is available fresh or dried as a single ingredient. Pasta is found canned, packaged, or frozen already prepared.
About pasta
A brief history of pasta tells you how this ancient food became world superstar an it is still modern. Once one learns the basics of this great food, it is not surprising to find it in every culture. Every cuisine has pasta dishes, there is pasta around the whole world and you could travel all countries eating nothing else. There are more types of pasta than there are cell phone ring tones. This is not true, right, but there are many types. Pasta comes in many shapes and you can discover the long and the short of it.
Pasta, like many foods high in carbohydrates, often gets a bad reputation. But a little basic nutrition knowledge can dispel that right away, pasta has a place in a healthy diet.
You better learn pasta preparation, cooking and serving tips from the pros to avoid problems. Though pasta might look simple to cook, there are potential problems leading to a soggy food. Getting to a few pasta recipes, start with the most simple of all, spaghetti a la carbonara.
Pasta for all seasons
Spring - Pasta Primavera, the name says it all. In spring, serve pasta with vegetables.
Summer - Pasta salads, pasta with cold, cream based sauces.
Autumn - Try plain spaghetti with butter and parmesan cheese.
Winter - Chicken noodle soup is the definitive winter comforter, isn't it? And a baked lasagna is also a warming meal.
Learn how to cook pasta, including pasta salads.
Don't forget that, for pasta, the sauce makes the dish.
