Pasta!
Definition: A dish originally from Italy consisting of dough made from durum
wheat and water, extruded or stamped into various shapes and typically cooked
in boiling water.
Home Made Pasta how hard can it be or how
easy is it to get it wrong?
How do you define Pasta when there is such
a plethora of types, shapes, varieties, colours, sauces and tastes? I find the sucking, biting, swallowing and
even the dribbling quite sensual!
Pasta is one very sexy dish and I enjoy it
best, served hot and saucy!
Over the past week I’ve had multiple gastronomic
experiences; some of which were satisfying at the very least but there have been
a couple I can only describe as quasi erotic!
One of my encounters was with The Wee Guy
who was kind enough to let me observe while demonstrated how to pound, thrash and
wallop flour, eggs and olive oil into a piece of art which I am calling;
The
Mona Geeza - which basically translates into “give
me some more!”
Click here for a review on The Wee Guy’s by Tam Cowan! (No relation)
Guy made ravioli and tagliatelle from
scratch using Italian eggs doppio zero farina, semolina flour and olive oil as
the basis of both dishes. He also used
Italian eggs which were in fact, as he said, more orange than yellow and this
was reflected in the colour and taste of the final dish.
I was fascinated by the way in which such
simple ingredients form, infuse and come together in such and almost miraculous
way. I know it’s scientific but I
believe in miracles and am and old romantic at heart. Pasta to me is and always will be the food of
love and family!
It’s Magic!
My Mother in Love, La Rita, taught me to
make Oricchiette and I stayed up all night once for my Fiancé, her son, coming
on leave from the army. I insisting that
I should make them. I took me over eight
hours. She was amazing and confessed to
me years later that I had actually only made enough for two people and she did
the rest after I’d gone to sleep but gave me full credit.
I would advise, if you want to try your own
pasta, to borrow a pasta maker from someone as you may only use it once then,
if you continue, you could get one of these beauties from Amazon.
I don’t know if it’s the process and seeing
the pasta being made that makes the difference as you experience the mixing,
kneading, pummelling and spreading of the dough but there is no other taste
like it.
When I was handed the very
beautiful and colourful pocket of meat covered with vibrant, sauce I felt quite
nostalgic. This dish represented all
that is Italian in one small plate of colour; Green, white and red!
It was such a plethora of flavours. I could taste the herbs, pasta filling and
the tomato of the sauce all as separate entities. The pasta tasted almost
nutty, the filling was deliciously meaty, and the sauce seemed to explode in my
mouth stimulating a sense of reminiscence and well-being.
On Wednesday I was out with The Mary and when
I picked her up she was buzzin’ as she had not ben out on Monday. I started to tell her about my near, erotic,
pasta experience and she said,
“That’s nice, start the car, I’m starving.”
I then asked her what her favourite pasta
was and she said,
“The one that I’ve no cooked. Oh and the other one I like is the one that
gets put down in front of me. I just
want my dinner, you talk a lot of shite.
Where are we going?”
She has a lovely way with words does The
Mary. I might get her to do this next
week!
We went to one of our favourites, La Lanterna and as usual; Luca was charming, the staff were polite, professional
and courteous and the ambience again gave me a sense of belonging and exhilaration.
I think that no matter where you go or what
you eat sometimes it’s the experience and not the food that you remember but
this week I’ve had a taste of both in abundance!
Friends, food and family, what more do we
need really?
Life is good!
Mx
