Any Pasta toppings?

[karadekoolaid]

I'm not a big fan of pasta, thats why i need something great on top...


Things I like...
Well i cant think of it all
But....
any meat...
broccoli...


Thats just covering fruits, veggies, and meats.

Here ya go then...
I just love broccoli, whole garlic, a little hot peperoncini, a little salt, olive oil, a dash of water. Cover the lid, and cook the broccoli down until it falls apart, about 20-25 minutes. Squash it a little to break up the garlic cloves, put it on Penne , al dente, with parmesan and a little black pepper. Believe me on this - it's not "overcooked broccoli" - I'm the first to object to that - it's divine!
Then there's a really wierd one I picked up here in Caracas. It's called " Sausage and Mustard Sauce" . For 2 people, you need:
1 large bell pepper, grilled to remove skin, julienned
1 small onion, julienned
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsps Olive oil or corn oil
2 tsps dry English mustard
1 tbsp melted butter
2 good quality "wieners" - a German deli would be a good source! - sliced into rounds

Fry the sausage gently in the butter. Set aside.
Mix the pepper with the onion. Set aside.
Mix the mustard with the oil and vinegar.
Cook Linguini or fettucini al dente. Drain, add all the ingredients to the hot pasta pot, mix quickly with the pasta and serve.

(Courtesy of Victor Arroyo).

Goboenomo:
I am, at times, a little pedantic. That translates into "A stickler for detail", so if you don't feel happy with what I'm about to say, you can hurl a Cyber-snowball at my head!!!

A pasta "topping" would probably make many Italians cringe; sounds like a Fast-Food Ice-Cream!! What goes "on top" of the pasta ( and, in many cases, mixed in with the pasta) is an integral part of the dish. To call it a topping is rather comparing the sauce to "extra onions" on your hotdog !

OK, you can chuck the snowball.... WHIIIIIZZZZ! THUNK!!! direct hit!

 

[FryBoy]

Orecchiette con Broccoli e Salsicce

OK, good. Here's one of my all-time favorites, and it's much better than you might imagine:

Orecchiette con Broccoli e Salsicce
(Ear-Shaped Pasta with Broccoli & Sausage)

1 bunch broccoli (about 1 pound)
Salt
2 to 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 cup water
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pound orecchiette or other small, cup-shaped pasta
1/2 cup grated Romano (or Parmesan)

Trim and peel broccoli stalks, and cut broccoli into quarters lengthwise.

Bring large pot of water to boil, add about 1 tablespoon salt, and cook broccoli until tender but still crisp (about 5 minutes).

Remove broccoli from water, drain and chop it fine.

Heat olive oil in medium fry pan over low heat, add garlic and cook until it releases its aroma. Add sausage, breaking it up, and cook until it loses its raw color.

Add broccoli to sausage in pan and mix together.

Add 1/2 cup water, salt and pepper, and cook slowly until the broccoli breaks down into a coarse puree, smashing the larger pieces with a spoon if necessary. Add more water if necessary to maintain a puree consistency.

Cook pasta in salted water (use the same water that you used for the broccoli). Drain, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water.

Toss pasta with broccoli and 1/2 cup of grated cheese until cheese melts. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water if it seems too thick.

 

[karadekoolaid]

COOL!

I bet that's great - have to give it a try!!

 

[jkath]

I'm not a big fan of pasta, thats why i need something great on top...


Things I like...
pumpkins

GOBO! Have you ever had PUMPKIN Ravioli? It's amazing! The pumpkin in inside, with a bit of spices, and is usually topped with a butter-cream sauce.
Plate-licking good, I tell ya.

 

[XeniA]

I'm not a big fan of pasta, thats why i need something great on top...


Things I like...
Well i cant think of it all
But....
Any fruit
any meat
any seafood
broccoli
cauliflower
carrots
celery
brussel sprouts
spinach
pumpkins
cabbage
green beans
corn
peas
lettuce
garlic
potatoes

Thats just covering fruits, veggies, and meats.

Okay, I kinda doubt we can do much with the lettuce and potatos, but many of the others have possibilities.

But if you like seafood and garlic, you've just hit a great favorite of mine -- prawns (shrimp), and/or scallops, and/or crab, sauteed very briefly in a fair bit of olive oil (enough to coat the pasta later) in which you've already sauteed some thinly-sliced garlic and some ginger (optional since it's not on your list). Plenty of coarsely-ground black pepper and some hot red pepper flakes if you like that idea.

Pour over fresh, drained pasta (good with any number of types -- I like penne) and add in a generous amount of freshly-grated parmesan. Toss.

Since you don't like the pasta part, just play with your proportions so that you have more of the seafood, less of the pasta.

 

[kimbaby]

chili... or I also like garlic basil olive oil mixture with sauted mushrooms.

 

[XeniA]

GOBO! Have you ever had PUMPKIN Ravioli? It's amazing! The pumpkin in inside, with a bit of spices, and is usually topped with a butter-cream sauce.
Plate-licking good, I tell ya.

jkath you are SO right about this one!!

Do you happen to have a recipe?

 

[goboenomo]

GOBO! Have you ever had PUMPKIN Ravioli? It's amazing! The pumpkin in inside, with a bit of spices, and is usually topped with a butter-cream sauce.
Plate-licking good, I tell ya.

No I havn't.

But if you like seafood and garlic, you've just hit a great favorite of mine -- prawns (shrimp), and/or scallops, and/or crab, sauteed very briefly in a fair bit of olive oil (enough to coat the pasta later) in which you've already sauteed some thinly-sliced garlic and some ginger (optional since it's not on your list). Plenty of coarsely-ground black pepper and some hot red pepper flakes if you like that idea.

Yeah I love all that stuff. It would just be a chance that I would have those in the freezer. Usually when my mom makes pasta, she just pulls it out, out of nowhere. So it's pretty much, find something to put on it fast, or start mixing up some garlic butter.

 

[XeniA]

Could do worse than garlic butter!!

 

[goboenomo]

?¿?

What

 

[XeniA]

?¿?

What

Are those question marks meant for me and the garlic butter comment???

 

[goboenomo]

Yes they are.

 

[XeniA]

Sorry, then!!

All I meant was that good pasta with butter and garlic is delicious all on its own. Why ... even NOT so good pasta with butter and garlic is pretty good!

That's what I meant -- you could do worse (in terms of finding stuff to put on pasta) than just plain ol' butter and garlic.

Although ... having said that ... butter and garlic and fresh parmesan would be even better!

 

[FryBoy]

?¿?

What

It's an American idiomatic expression -- when someone says "you could do worse," it means that you've made a good choice, that there are lots and lots of other choices that would not be as good.

Thus to say that you could do worse than butter and garlic is to acknowledge that butter and garlic are very good on pasta.

 

[goboenomo]

Of course they are.
That's why I use them.

Yesterday I tried something interesting...
It wasn't pasta... well... is Gnocchi considered pasta? I feel like it might, and it might not.

Anyways
I had it once about 3 months ago with a tomato and meat sauce... I didn't like the sauce all that much, so I tried something of my own at home.

I put butter, parsley, parmesan, and mozzerella on it.
It was great!
But I had to share it, so it didn't last long.

 

[suzyQ3]

I can't help but notice by the way this thread has been going, how amazingly patient most people in DC are...

And, as evidenced by your most politely worded post here, just as diplomatic.

 

[XeniA]

It's an American idiomatic expression -- when someone says "you could do worse," it means that you've made a good choice, that there are lots and lots of other choices that would not be as good.

Thus to say that you could do worse than butter and garlic is to acknowledge that butter and garlic are very good on pasta.

Thank you, FryBoy. Couldn't have come up with such a clear explanation if I'd tried! Besides, guess I thought it was a common expression in much of the English-speaking world. Not so, huh?

 

[XeniA]

Of course they are.
That's why I use them.

Yesterday I tried something interesting...
It wasn't pasta... well... is Gnocchi considered pasta? I feel like it might, and it might not.

Anyways
I had it once about 3 months ago with a tomato and meat sauce... I didn't like the sauce all that much, so I tried something of my own at home.

I put butter, parsley, parmesan, and mozzerella on it.
It was great!
But I had to share it, so it didn't last long.

Morning, Gobo ...

You're a man who knows his own likes and dislikes, I see. That's a good thing!

Gnocchi isn't technicially considered pasta I don't think (the experts on this site can confirm one way or another), but it certainly can be eaten in a similar fashion. Glad you enjoyed it anyways!

Pure comfort food with butter & parmesan. Yum!

 

[lulu]

I thought gnocchi was considered pasta, but would not stand to defend the point! any dough creation in Italy is pasta....you want a crossaint you ask for a pasta! And Although gnocchi has aits own name its a dough...but as I say, I don't know and I don't mind!

Gnocchi don't particularly do it for me...I have them occasionally. But I am glad you found something you like Gobo. Like "pasta" (lol) they are very versatile, and if you find sauce you like with gnocchi the same ones will work pastas too.

When you first joined you asked a question about shapes of pasta. Perhaps that is part of the issue here. Some of the smaller, thicker pastas have a more resistant texture and are easier to keep al dente, it might be worth trying some expensive handmade pastas with different textures to experiment. Or indeed making your own pasta.

My feeling is that if you like gnocchi with sauce, and gnocchi are also fairly "bland" and led by their dressing/sauces then you should not write pasta off but rather experiment. Perhaps enhancing the visual aspect by using some squid ink pasta or tomato or spinich pasta so that the plate LOOKs more interesing would be a good option for you too.

 

[kitchenelf]

gobo - maybe you could choose some toppings you would like and your mom could buy them. I understand your predicament of "cook what we have" but at some point a grocery store run is inevitable - so pick some stuff you would like to cook and make up a grocery list for your mom. It doesn't have to be a long list - just a few things for a new pasta dish that you would like to try.