[Victoria Sponge]

What are your favourite pasta dishes to eat and/or to cook?

I never was a fan of spaghetti bolognese until about four years ago. I make my own from scratch with carrots, onions, celery, bacon, mince, wine, garlic, black pepper, chopped tomatoes/passata and bay leaf. And then simmer for around 90 mins. I think my spag bol is delicious.

I also like making and eating my penne with ham, cream cheese (reduced fat), mushroom and leek sauce. Scrummy.

I very rarely order pasta when eating out, but Strada used to do a lovely mushroom ravioli with sage butter sauce (and then later on they changed the sauce )

I ordered an amazing spinach fettuccine al forno in New York. It didn't look anything special at all, but the taste was phenomenal.

Pizza Express do a delicious nice pasta al forno dish with chicken and pesto.

My neighbour last week cooked us a yummy chicken fettuccine alfredo and gave me a demo. The amount of cream and butter made me go but it tasted soooooo good! Definitely an every other month treat I think. Any more frequent and I will burst out of my jeans.

So, what are your favourite pasta dishes?

[tiacat]

In Sardinia they do a spaghetti with dried tuna roe. Sounds disgusting but is lovely. They also do little parcels of pasta filled with mashed potato, pecorino and mint. They serve that with a plain tomoato base with loads of cheese on top.

Also I love things very simple so just butter, sage and garlic, or butter and Parmesan. I love all the creamy sauces.

In Florence I had pasta with blue cheese and walnuts. When it arrived it looked awful, and smelt a bit like sick but it was one of the best things I had ever tasted.

Then some years later I found (cant remember which one) a supermarket which did walnut raviloli, so would buy that and have with butter and parmesan over the top.

I dont eat pasta any more and the above is like heaven to me.

[Victoria Sponge]

Tia that all sounds delicious (apart from that fishy one but I am not very keen on fish!).

[degsyhufc]

One of my favourite Italian dishes is melanzane alla parmigiana, which doesn't usually have pasta in it.
I've never made it with pasta either

but I suppose you could add pasta for more carbs and make a lasagna type dish.
or just add some small pasta shapes into the mix.



Apart from the usual I don't eat much pasta. The usual being bolognaise, lasagna, carbonara, puttanesca or simple tomato sauce.

[tiacat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Victoria Sponge

Tia that all sounds delicious (apart from that fishy one but I am not very keen on fish!).

Its not particularly a fishy taste, its a very savoury taste and its literally a teaspoon mixed through the pasta. Its a bit like when you're cooking a pasta base, you can put an anchovy in olive oil to start it off and it will disolve giving the whole sauce a savoury flavour but not fishy flavour, then you add the rest of the ingredients as you normally would.

[Victoria Sponge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by degsyhufc

One of my favourite Italian dishes is melanzane alla parmigiana, which doesn't usually have pasta in it.
I've never made it with pasta either

but I suppose you could add pasta for more carbs and make a lasagna type dish.
or just add some small pasta shapes into the mix.



Apart from the usual I don't eat much pasta. The usual being bolognaise, lasagna, carbonara, puttanesca or simple tomato sauce.

Oh yes of course, lasagne, how could I forget! I haven't made one yet, but the lasagne from Pizza Express is the best I have ever tasted. Divine. Oh, and the spinach cannelloni is almost as good.

[epicurian]

About eight or nine years ago I had orecchiette with spicy tomato and ricotta sauce at a restaurant in Puglia. Simple, but delicious.

Also, my mom makes penne with mushrooms, marsala and parmesan which I can never get enough of.

[Jambo_c]

I like pasta but will only order it in restaurants that I know make their own from scratch. Fresh is so much better and if they're using shop bought I may as well just have it at home.

I've recently started making my own pasta too, the first thing I made was chorizo, chilli and ricotta ravioli. It was fantastic. I'll still buy shapes like fusilli, penne etc but will always make my own ravioli, tortellini, lasagne sheets, spaghetti, tagliatelle etc.

There's a great Nigella Lawson recipe for spaghetti with pancetta, roasted peppers, fresh parsley, chilli flakes and lemon juice. It's so simple but really fresh and tasty.

I also like sweet pasta, had chocolate tortellini stuffed with mint and ricotta as part of a dessert at my favourite restaurant and it was great. That's the next thing I'm going to make at home.

[ericos]

Alphabetti Spaghetti

I love a nice homemade lasagne or a ham & mushroom tagliatelli.
I prefer a dish with a white sauce over a tomato one though I like both.

[Toby LaRhone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jambo_c

I like pasta but will only order it in restaurants that I know make their own from scratch. Fresh is so much better and if they're using shop bought I may as well just have it at home.

I've recently started making my own pasta too, the first thing I made was chorizo, chilli and ricotta ravioli. It was fantastic. I'll still buy shapes like fusilli, penne etc but will always make my own ravioli, tortellini, lasagne sheets, spaghetti, tagliatelle etc.

I bought a pasta making attachment for my food mixer - it's like a grown up Playdough factory
http://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenAid-K...pasta+machines
My mixer is a Grundig but the Kitchenaid attachment fits it.
You can make tagliatelle, linguini and, of course, flat sheets for lasagne, cannelloni and ravioli.
I suppose it falls in the "What's the point....." category but I just enjoy the achievement.
You do need a reasonably large surface though.

[Jambo_c]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby LaRhone

I bought a pasta making attachment for my food mixer - it's like a grown up Playdough factory
http://www.amazon.co.uk/KitchenAid-K...pasta+machines
My mixer is a Grundig but the Kitchenaid attachment fits it.
You can make tagliatelle, linguini and, of course, flat sheets for lasagne, cannelloni and ravioli.
I suppose it falls in the "What's the point....." category but I just enjoy the achievement.
You do need a reasonably large surface though.

I've just got a regular pasta roller. There's definitely a point to it, fresh pasta is far nicer than shop bought. Even the ravioli I made on my first attempt was nicer than anything I've ever bought.
It's worth using a clothes horse if you don't want every single surface covered!

[BlueEyedMrsP]

I love pasta. It didn't really happen until I was an adult though, my mom didn't cook pasta very often when we were growing up as she doesn't care for it that much.

A couple of years ago when we went out for an anniversary dinner, I ordered some cannelloni which was delicious, something I probably wouldn't make at home myself.

The nicest flavor combination I've personally made was prawns, tomato and cream sauce, crumbled feta, mushrooms, and spring onion all mixed into a casserole dish with penne (any shaped pasta would do) and then baked with shredded cheese on top.

Macaroni with minced beef, onion, garlic, and condensed tomato soup is also really good. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

[Toby LaRhone]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jambo_c

I've just got a regular pasta roller. There's definitely a point to it, fresh pasta is far nicer than shop bought. Even the ravioli I made on my first attempt was nicer than anything I've ever bought.
It's worth using a clothes horse if you don't want every single surface covered!

I have one too - back in its box. Must sell it!
My kitchen tops are curved edge and it simply wouldn't clamp to them.
The mixer attachment is more expensive but you have both hands free.
I use a "pasta tree" similar to this, although backs of chairs or stools or a broom handle will do
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrew-James...rds=Pasta+tree

[SeasideLady]

I use pasta every week to make all kinds of dishes with cream or tomato based sauces. I use spaghetti, penne, lasagne and orzo, the latter has become a firm favourite. On holiday in Brussels recently, I was served a lamb and orzo bake in a place called ExKi. It serves a cross between Greek and Middle Eastern food, and the dish resembled a lasagne but was flavoured with mint, cinnamon and thyme. It was so delicious I tried recreating at home afterwards, and the result looked and tasted just like it!

[orangebird]

Pasta bores me tbh, although I do like a nice ravioli. I may make carbonara from scratch (in the UK, no pork here ), otherwise, I sometimes make a lasagne. Husband likes it, and reheated after a hangover, it's champion food.

[darreldo]

Fresh pasta is lovely and I like making my own and letting it hang on a clothes horse that ive dusted with flour!!

My favourite pasta dish is Smoked salmon with double cream, a tiny bit of brandy in the sauce and have it with spaghetti, a handful of fresh spinach leaves that are drizzled in lemon juice. Dead quick to make too.

[Victoria Sponge]

I want to try nearly every dish mentioned, they sound delicious. Dunno if I have the patience to actually make my own pasta from scratch though. I certainly don't have the equipment anyway.

[Toby LaRhone]

No excuse!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lakeland-Mac...=pasta+machine

[Victoria Sponge]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toby LaRhone

No excuse!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lakeland-Mac...=pasta+machine

Might ask for that for Christmas