Pasta has rapidly found its place in our kitchens as a true staple.  It is the perfect store cupboard food and lends itself to endless variations of tastes, flavors, textures and colors.  It can be used to make the simplest of satisfying dishes or to create more extravagent, complex recipes.  Its versatility makes it excellent for soups and salads, as well as with lots of different sauces to create delicious main courses.

In Italy, people are used to eating pasta every day, and it is produced in a great number of different types, shapes and flavors.

Dried pasta is used on a daily bais, although fresh pasta is very popular and available from most grocery stores and delicatessens, as well as being quite easy to make yourself.

Ready-made pasta dishes can be found in chiller cabinets and freezer compartments in most supermarkets, and there are lots of freeze-dried pasta varieties on the shelves.  In fact, pasta is everywhere--so is it any wonder tha tthe rest of us are beginning to take after the Italians and eat it several times a week?

Pasta is popular because of its widespread appeal--even a novice cook can use it to create a good, simple meal.  Many dishes are very quicly prepared.  It is a low fat food which is both healthy and satisfying when combiend with a tasty sauce.

A LITTLE HISTORY

Pasta has been around for centuries and existed in the country now known as Italy long before it was brought back by explorers from the East.

At times in Italian history, pasta has been a food of the poor-a peasant food made from flour and water, that was filling and sustaining.  At other times, however, some forms of pasta were found only on the tables of the rich--especially in dishes like ravioli and lasagne, where an egg-based pasta was combined with rich sauces, or stuffed with tasty fillings.

Spaghetti goes back a long way and was one of the first pastas to be made industrially in Italy, where it was hung over long poles to dry.  Large pasta plants have existed there since the end of the 19th century, and by the early years of the 20th century large high speed presses were producing the ridged, twisted and curved shapes we have become used to today.  Although people liked to make pasta at home, in many households buying factory-made spaghetti soon superseded the daily process of pasta making.

MAKING YOUR OWN PASTA

There is something uniquely satisfying about making your own pasta.  The flour used in making pasta is important and although it is possible to use any good quality all-purpose flour, the best pasta is made using original Italian flours, known as fine durum wheat or semolina flour, or flour described as "type 00" or "tipo 00".

RECIPE FOR PENNE BAKED WITH PORCINI CHEESE, AND PROSCIUTTO

You will need:  12 oz. penne; 1 oz dried porcini, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes; 1 quantity of mushroom and cheese sauce made with white flour; 6-8 slices of prosciutto; 2-3 tbsp. fresh breadcrumbs.

Heat oven to 375.  Cook the penne in plenty of boiling, salted water.  Drain the porcini and add to the cheese sauce.  Cut the prosciutto into thin strips 2 inch long and stir into the sauce.  Add the pasta to the sauce, mixing well.  Put into an oiled, shallow, overnproof dish, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until brown and bubbling.

Hopefully this information has given you an insight into the wonderful world of pasta.  With so many shapes and sizes to choose from, you may well be inspired to cook up a vast array of new and exciting pasta dishes, as well as the classic favorites.

Whether you're making your own pasta to create a spectacular and complex combination of flavors, or simply eating it with a drizzle of olive oil and shavings of Parmesan, pasta is there to be enjoyed.

Experiment with dishes and adapt them to suit your tastes.  Pasta is a wonderfully versatile food that benefits from a touch of flair and imagination.   With our "PASTA" Lifestyle Box Set as a starting point, there is no pasta challenge that you can't respond to!  Enjoy, and buon appetito!

The Pasta Lifestyle Box Set  includes a 128-page full-color book on everything you wanted to know about Pasta, Pasta recipes, a garlic press and Parmesan cheese grater. 

We also carry Box Sets on Coffee, Wine, Chocolate, Sushi, and many other Lifestyle Sets.  Visit our eBay Store.