Thursday, June 23, 2011

Let's Talk: Pasta!

I LOVE pasta!
Oh man, when it comes to pasta, there a zillion ways to eat it!
Here are a *few* of my favs:

Penne Arrabiata - I first tried this in Germany at one of my absolute favorite restaurants of all time - Ill Cappriccio in Germany. I know! Italian in Deutschland - odd. I used to go there so much that the owner (?) would kiss (on my cheeks) me all through the meal because he was so delighted that I was so delighted with my meal! This beautiful tomato sauce is spiked with red pepper for a spicy little kick! 

Pad Thai - this is typically a dish of rice noodles with fish sauce - I've never really had it the same way twice, though. It usually has a little heat and can be served with veggies like sprouts (I think mung bean???), cabbage, carrots, green onion and sometimes even with peanuts. Don't be afraid of fish sauce, people, it's not   super fishy! Pad Thai can be made with meats, too!

Pho - Vietnamese noodle soup - so, so, so delish! I adore Vietnamese food and could go on and on and on.....anyway, this is usually made with really thin strips of beef that are cooked by the heat of the broth.  Again, rice noodles are used and there are about 3 billion spices involved; coriander, cardamon, cloves, star anise, and fennel. Not a lot of kick from the spices but add some cilantro (I LOVE to say ceee-lahn-tro) and some ginger and garlic and it can leave a warm little tinge on your tongue! When served, there is typically a plate of lime, fresh cilantro, sprouts and mint that you add as you eat! Ohhhhh.emmmm.geeee! And don't even get me started on the BBQ pork sandwiches...yet!

Angel Hair (this is what I like, but you can use any pasta YOU like) with Vodka Sauce - my sister got me hooked on this - it's so creamy and delicious - you cannot go wrong with this one! The quality of the Vodka isn't a huge deal either because it cooks off and the sauce is very rich anyway - it's the flavor you're looking for! I will say that a little goes a long way; the sauce is made with heavy cream so it's a heavy dish! 

Mac and cheese - Homemade is the way to go - no boxes here, baby! I love the old-fashioned cheddar recipe, but am really enjoying the "grown-up" trends that have been out recently. They include a wider variety of cheeses like Swiss or Gruyere and have add-ins like bacon or mushrooms. Fabulous!

I also love just plain old egg noodles with butter and salt or a beef gravy with mushrooms! I prefer the extra wide ones because they seem to hold whatever topping you have on them better, but my kiddos love to slurp the skinny ones, too!

Please tell me about your favorite pasta dishes - I love big, bold flavors and simple ones, too! Oh, and if you are a foodie blogger, link with me - it would be fun to share recipes!!

Bon Apetite! ~K

4 comments:

  1. Nothing against our mother, but how did she raise us with such diverse palates? I love pad thai and pho also - and of course mac and cheese is one of my favorite things to cook. I need to teach you how to make my lemon chicken, nothing goes better with buttered noodles!

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  2. Lemon chicken, you say???? Write it up!! :)

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  3. In my over zelous-ness of getting my blog up and going, I have ignored yous. But it's up and I'm here baby! You know me, I LOVE pasta but it no longer loves me. I am working on switching things out with gf pasta but mac-n-chese is a die hard fav (I am going to try more exoctic kinds one day but I'm still switching gears with my living situation and job first)I also love with penne with vodka sauce, leeks and smoked salmon. A fav of mine that I got addicted to at the pasta bar inside the commo at Ramstein. I NEVER see arrabiata without thinking of you and our many trips to Il Capricio's. Let's add that to our long term bucket lists to go back and have a meal there again one day. What cha think?

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  4. Mmm!! You are making me hungry! I love Vodka Sauce. I also totally agree that macaroni & cheese needs to be homemade. My mom's is one of the best!

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