Friday Five: Pass the Pasta

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese; Seafood Linguine; Macaroni Cheese: It took me a long time to realise that these were composite meals and that Bolognese sauce could exist without spaghetti or that linguine could accompany things other than seafood. In fact, as a student, when not living exclusively on potatoes, I would make variants of a dish that incorporated spiral pasta (fusilli), onions, tuna, white sauce and turmeric; yes, it was a bit odd, and yes, it did leave yellow stains all over the kitchen.

I have since learned that there are over 600 pasta shapes, each with an individual history and gastronomical function. Some can be stuffed or used in soups; some are better suited for holding sauces in their ridges; others work well with baked dishes. They have evocative names which may refer to the region form which they originate (Linguine is from Italy's Liguria region - and, I was pleased to see, was created to be paired with seafood or pesto).

Strozzapreti pasta

The names may be due to more exotic etymology, such as Strozzapreti, for example, which means 'priest-choker' or 'priest-strangler' in Italian. Apparently, this is not because the hand-rolled pasta typical of the Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Marche and Umbria regions resembles a rolled towel fit for the purpose, or even that the shape could be construed as a clerical collar, but because the pasta was so delicious that gluttonous priests ate it too fast and ended up choking themselves. 

I have heard that by the time one becomes a responsible adult, there will be at least one type of pasta that you don't like. This is yet further evidence that I have not reached that stage of development yet, because I haven't got any particular dislikes. I do, however, have favourites.

Ricotta, spinach and chicken cannelloni

5 Favourite Pastas:

1. Bucatini - It resembles spaghetti but with a hollow centre. Ideal for holding sauces like cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper in other words), it produces a weird but pleasant sensation when sucking up the strands.
2. Cannelloni - This cylindrical pasta is a filled noodle, baked and covered in sauce, that literally means 'large reed'. Basically, a tubular lasagne, it is popularly stuffed with spinach and ricotta or minced beef, and drenched in tomato sauce and Béchamel. I once made a recipe for 'cannelloni for a crowd', without reading through to the end of the recipe before I began. It was delicious but I ran out of pans in which to bake it, as it turned out to serve 12. Of course, the clue should have been in the name, but it was a good lesson to always read the complete recipe first before beginning the procedure (not necessarily something I have entirely learned so the words 'marinate overnight' can still strike dread into my heart).
3. Conchiglie - I like the name; I like the shape; the shells come in a range of sizes and are wonderfully versatile allowing for thin and chunky sauces.
4. Penne - A tubular pasta cut at an angle to resemble quills sounds incredibly artistic. It is excellent when cooked al dente and can be used in all manner of dishes from salads to casseroles. 
5. Tortellini - These circles of pasta are folded in half to form a semi-circle after the filling is added, and then twisted to form the shape of a little hat (much like wontons in Chinese cooking). A larger version of tortellini is called tortelloni and is the size of a walnut. Originally from the Emilia region of Italy, they are typically stuffed with a mix of meat or cheese and topped with light sauces or served in broth. They are similar to ravioli, but somehow seem more exotic, especially when called by their alternative name, ombelico, which means belly-button.

Meatball and tortellini soup

Friday Five: The Ham-over

Omelette for breakfast

For Christmas, Him Outdoors gets a ham from work. It's a really nice gesture, and I like ham a lot, but it's a little big for two of us. I tend to slice it into portions and freeze them. We buy a load of mustard, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and pickle, and have variations on the traditional ham sandwich for our lunches. We take ham salads to every meal to which we get invited. We also try to get creative with breakfasts and dinners, and slowly we get through the ham, by about July.

Salad for lunch

5 Meals with Left-Over Ham:

1. Ham, cheese, tomato and red pepper omelette
2. Snowpea and ham risotto
3. Ham, leek and egg pie
4. Mediterranean lemon, ham and feta pasta salad
5. German-style potato and ham salad

Pie for dinner

What to buy in Tuscany/Rimini

In Rimini my sister finds a pair of leather boots lined with sheepskin for 39 euros, marked down from 120 euros. She is pleased with her bargain and puts them on at once hoping to be more seasonably dressed – Italians don’t sell things out of season, which is why there are no sandals on display.
A saleswoman breaths down her neck in another shop where she tries on hats and leather jackets – the goods turn to tat the further we walk from our hotel. She reckons we must be at the posh end.

Buying food is an experience – there are shelves of pasta twists and twirls and packets of alluring biscotti. Jars of marinated things glisten in anti-pasti paradise although I don’t want to look too closely as one of the delicatessens reminds me of an eighteenth century medical laboratory – I’ve seen too many pictures of pickled specimens.

You have to weigh your own fruit and veg in the supermarket, while punching into the machine the details of what you’ve got in your basket. Fortunately there are pictures as well which help you select the appropriate sticker. It’s a great game – my nephew would love it!

Later, in Florence, we spend many hours strolling through the markets of San Lorenzo, eyeing up the leather goods, pashminas and silk ties. We buy a stylish leather jacket for Him Outdoors, a bright green handbag for me (‘But will it go with anything?’ Men!)

We buy presents for mums and brothers, but keep our hands firmly in our pockets after we’ve had a drink. Never buy anything unless you’re completely sober; that’s my motto. Actually, I’ve only just made it up, but I quite like it and I think I’ll keep it!

There are shops selling extremely expensive paper embossed with the Florentine lily. It looks a lot like the French fleur de lis but is different and they get very upset if you make the blundering mistake of calling it such. The Florentia paper is of the highest quality, and the highest price, and is I'm sure, well worth it, but beyond our budget so I make do with a leather bookmark.

I love the toy shops which, although full of an alarming array of rubbish, have some classic shiny wooden toys that gleam from the shelves. Like something Gepetto's workshop, they wait for you to turn your back so that they can come to life. I try to catch them at it, by just pretending I'm not looking, but they have me sussed and stay fimly put.

At the Mercato Centrale I am impressed by the fish counters with their bright red tuna, tentacled squid and octopus, and other creatures of the sea. There are bins of porcini and sun-dried tomatoes which are ridiculously cheap by non-Mediterranean standards.

We drift through aisles of fresh produce, buying cheese; ham; bread; wine; pesto and olives – staples of a meal negotiated in our stumbling and stunted Italian. We find a park bench to sit on and eat our simple meal, pushing in the cork (they seem reluctant to switch to screwcaps) and swigging from the bottle like cheerful vagabonds.