World Pasta Day

A day dedicated for the love of Pasta has to be one of the best days ever. Originating from Italy but globally a staple across all cultures. With just flour and eggs you make a home cooked meal in minutes.

The world of pasta has come a long way, so on World Pasta Day I would like to share a round of Pasta recipes that have shaped my eating from over the years of kitchen experimenting. Traditionally made with Tipo 00 flour and eggs the recipe has developed over years. Today you can make pasta with all purpose flour and eggs or all purpose flour, semolina flour and water or instead of whole eggs, egg yolks alone as well.

Yes, using a pasta machine does reduce the elbow grease that needs to be applied. However you can totally make this at home with a rolling pin and little to no equipment. But you can skip this process altogether and just buy dried pasta from the store. You can find it at any store today and it just needs to be plunged into boiling water for 8-10 minutes depending on the package instructions.

But pasta isn’t just about pasta alone. It is also about the sauce that goes with it. I think before the French Mother Sauces came into existence by Escoffier the Italians knew how to make a proper Pomodorro sauce that was seasoned and flavored to perfection. Now they believe in using the best tomatoes in season and only locally sourced, keeping the product as fresh and sustainable as possible. Having said this, when the tomatoes are fresh they can them or turn them into sauce as a preservation method. This makes the best sauce ever. So if you can’t get your hands on proper tomatoes from Italy (for obvious reasons like you live in India) then you can buy tomato cans that technically use fresh tomatoes that are in season and preserve them for a better flavor through out the year.

In saying this, you could leave tomato sauce out altogether. There are a number of sauces you can choose from while making pasta. Pesto sauce, White sauce, Quattro Frommage, Bolognese, Aglio Olio, Browned butter sage sauce, etc. these are some of the traditional sauces. But today there are so many options, from a spinach sauce to a beetroot pasta and much more. I must add that fresh pasta is also made with veggies today. Instead of using egg yolks or water to make the dough, veg puree is used instead. I have seen people make chocolate pasta too. I haven’t gone that far but these are some of my favourite pasta recipes that you can make in a jiffy.

1. Pink Pasta

2. Cauliflower Sauce Pasta

3. Shrimp Pesto Pasta

4. Fettuccini Pesto Pasta

5. Spaghetti Meatballs

6. Mac & Cheese

Making bakes are a great way to use up leftovers from the fridge that can turn into something really delicious. From meat to veggies and cheese, a pasta bake is a good cure to most gloomy meals. It is uplifting and definitely delicious to say the least. Like this leftover Christmas lunch bake, filled with stuffing, Brussels sprouts, roasted veg and the kitchen sink! All baked into a comforting meal.

Whatever the pasta you decide to make ninjas, you must know that extra sauce is good. The last thing we need it a clumpy, thick and lumpy pasta. We want luscious, smooth and velvet. Hope this inspires you to make some pasta this week for your friends and family. Happy World Pasta Day Ninjas!