Pasta Problems

[ItalianinLondon]

AIBU to wonder...

Why people don't cook their pasta in its sauce for the last two minutes? (The starch of the pasta water gives the sauce a better texture and the pasta gets better flavoured by the sauce, if you do)

Why it is considered unacceptable (by my DH) to have multiple pastas open simultaneously? (You need different types for different dishes!)

And why anyone would object to the eating of pasta 5x per week? Especially when you can buy wholegrain, spelt, etc. etc. (Not that I do, if I'm honest.)

This is an important matter, worthy of considered debate, IMHO!

As far as pesto goes as well as wild garlic, garlic scapes make a good pesto (that's the stems of hardneck varieties).

And at this time of year I favour walnut and watercress pesto as there's always a few walnuts left over from Christmas. Lovely and peppery.

@WooMaWang same here I have multiple rice and multiple pastas open. I wouldn't use jasmine rice for a chili and I wouldn't use penne for carbonara.

I have a few types of potatoes too, wouldn't use new or baby for a roast dinner for example.

Currently have open:

Jasmine, long grain, basmati and camarge (sp?) rice
Tagliatelle, penne, spaghetti, orecchiette, fusilli and animal shape pasta for the kids

I love pasta! I used to live in Italy, and you eat it every day… Well… Most people I think…

I love pasta 😍

I am terrible for covering it in cheese, doesn’t matter what sauce I have a good cheese covering on top.so bd for my waste line

I have a few types of potatoes too, wouldn't use new or baby for a roast dinner for example.

We always had different varieties growing up. Golden Wonders for chips, Pentland Firths or Maris Pipers for mash, Ayrshires boiled and served with butter in the early season, though they don't taste the same since they banned putting seaweed on the fields.

Don't really go through enough to be worth having more than one these days, though I make an exception for Jersey Royals.

@ItalianinLondon may I ask how/when you mix in the breadcrumbs, is it just together with the grated parmesan?

Just checked for lunch and I have:

• fantasia di pasta
• spaghetti
• orecchiette
• sedanini
• fregola
• penne
• lumache
• napellini rigati
• ditali rigati
• sedani
• farfalline
• bucatini
• spaghetti alla chitarra
• lasagne
• fusilli
• calamari
• wholewheat spaghetti
• chickpea fusilli (been there for years but nobody ever fancies it)

We love our pasta!

@smemorata wow! That is proper commitment to the cause.

@GoodDogBellaBoo yeah, I mix in the pangrattato with the cheese - it kind of stops it from turning into a gooey mess at the bottom of the pan!

Why people don't cook their pasta in its sauce for the last two minutes?

because we like different amounts of sauce in this house + the plain leftover pasta can be put into dc lunchbox as pasta muffin (cooked in the oven in a muffin paper with egg&veg)

(discovered wholemeal rye pasta recently - unexpectedly tasty!

I love pasta but wouldn't have them 5x a week. Otherwise agree with you.

@ItalianinLondon Ah, that is exactly my problem 🙂 the gooey mess. I don’t know why I haven’t heard of this before. Thank you!

Really shouldn't have opened this thread as am currently doing 16:8 intermittent fasting and am starving!!

Love pasta. Even just a bit of butter and parsley. Yum.

Have at least 5 different packs currently open and yes, always mix into the sauce with a smidge of the cooking liquid.

@ItalianinLondon could I ask you to please consider starting a pasta recipes thread? I'm eating pasta again due to this thread

we are having chicken thighs in a tomato and chorizo sauce with orzo tonight. DH cooking - he likes cooking, I like eating! (BBC good food recipe)

I like pasta but 5 days or if 7 would be too much for me.

I'm just about to go and do the weekly food shop and now concerned what DS and DH will say when it's pasta every night this week

@theremustbeaomethinginthewater

Tell them they can do the shopping next week if they don't like it

I'm not a fan of pasta but got the supermarket economy stuff once. Only the once. I would not recommend it.

I cooked this for dinner tonight. Absolutely lush, highly recommend:

thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/paccheri-nduja-and-burrata

I feel guilty if I eat white pasta, usually have wholegrain or spelt or something unless buying fresh pasta then I don't care!

I have pesto with every kind of pasta, had a nice watercress one on a pizza at the wk end.

@BercowsFlamingoFlownSouth that's such a cool idea - do you think people would actually be interested in reading and sharing? My personal recipes are super unimaginative though, and hardly haute-cuisine (what is in fridge? cook with pasta). And where would be the appropriate place to post it?

yes please do a recipe thread - I have already decided to do one of your pestos tomorrow.

I've never ever had a bad meal in Italy. I'm sure they exist but thankfully it has never happened to me. Like someone's son upthread, I remember every meal and where I had it on multiple Italian trips.

Please do Italian I am running out of ideas myself...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/food_and_recipes/3794969-Passionate-about-Pasta?watched=1