Presto Pasta Night: now from Italy!

Finally, Presto Pasta Night has crept across the Atlantic and nestled into the hills of Umbria where of course the spaghetti trees and penne vines actually live and thrive. It’s a good long drive of five hours to Parma from here, but once you get there the Parmigiano just grows everywhere and you can almost reach out and pick it yourself from the car window. But don’t do it, because only the Parmigiano farmers know exactly how long to leave it for perfect flavor and after all, we want no Parmigiano before its time.

Last week the farmers who surround me all brought the wine in. The walnuts and chestnuts and mushrooms are getting ready to become the annual autumn deluge. I just wish you could all be with me for that, but since my house is too small for all of us at once, here are some fabulous recipes from friends around the world. They may not have spaghetti trees, but they have some really good ideas.

I should probably say that the photo posting part of this blog is STILL broken, so that gives you a chance to see every picture exactly as it appears on the individual blog page. It means I didn’t have a chance to mess up anyone’s artistry.

First in came on Sunday from a place where it was already Monday. From Singapore comes Mrs. Ergul in the Kitchen, or Pei Lin to those lucky enough to get her recipe for Porto Rican Adobo Chicken Pasta. The ingredient list is not exotic, the preparation is straight forward and it looks to me like there is nothing standing between me and a perfectly luscious supper.

Within hours Australia weighed in with this combination of green olive tapenade and pancetta. Jin Hooi of Taste and Smell Are My Memory blogs from Melbourne and clearly takes advantage of the strong Italian presence in that part of Australia. This looks like a faultless approach to tagliatelle or fettuccine, and that pink plate would please a few eyes I know, too.

Abby Dyson, who can Eat the Right Stuff consistently, knows the big secret about bacon and tomatoes, I see. This week she hit a bullseye with Tomato and Pancetta Pasta. That is certainly the right stuff.

Ferdsy of Seasonal Ontario Food has a banner so evocative of Ontario that my my eyes stung when I saw it. I cheered up, though, when I read her recipe for Pasta with Fennel and Sausage. Winter is coming and winter means sausages in Italy, and I guess Ontario as well.
Not only that, but it is fast as can be, so it’s bound to be a hit with my crowd.

Just down the road a piece lives Michelle, Bleeding Espresso. No, really, so she claims and since she is Calabrian, I am not arguing. I especially cannot argue with someone who would make me a big dish of Baked Pasta with Eggplant. Even though it may take more time to cook, pasta in the oven, as all Italian cooks know, means no fussing at the last minute. You may not know this, but serving overcooked, cooled to gummy and leftover pasta is grounds for arrest here. Michelle has neatly sidestepped the danger.

I didn’t think anyone was going to convince me to try whole wheat pasta again until Ching sent me this recipe.
In a Little Corner of Mine, she seems to have worked to and with the qualities of that pasta and made something I can’t wait to try. Stir Fry Wholewheat Spaghetti is nutty, colorful, and the sauce sounds yummilicious, so I vote we give her a bigger corner.

Thank goodness Ruth did not forget me! Pasta with Lemongrass Ginger Chicken may have been a one-off dish on a busy day, but using what you have is true creativity and works even better when you have such good stuff! Next week Presto Pasta Night will be back in her trustworthy and originating hands, folks.

I am hoping that I am the first to host PPN and to feature a dog. My friend Dermott lives not too far from me and loves food. On his blog, I Am Dog, Hear Me Snore, which is understandably rarely updated, he has posted a pasta dish and sent me the recipe. Because of his very large paws, he asked me to post the recipe. He is still learning to cook, after all. The link is to Dermott’s first cookery lesson, how to boil water. The recipe for the Bucatini con le Verdure can be found here. Dermott’s human dad offers up how to use up a lot of zucchini on his gardening site, Our Tuscan Garden. It is a very nice garden, and I didn’t even know it had its own blog.

Dellena cooks and blogs at Cooking and the City. I will admit to looking for Jimmy Choo shoes when I visited, but I found the ultimate homey Italian pasta, Pasta with Tomato Sauce. Will it surprise you to know that in Italy, if your doctor wants you to diet, this is what he tells you to eat? It is. Do not ask how I know, just follow Dellena’s lead and see if it works for you.

Heart and Hearth is fishing for compliments with Sardine Pasta with Shrimps. It’s as pretty as a picture see what I mean? Anyone who lives in Italy knows that sardines are magic and cure all the bad health moves you make. It’s great to see them appreciated in other countries, but we like them so much we named a whole island after them. Sardinia has the highest percentage of people over 100 in Europe. And they smoke. Eat sardines.

Brooke meddles with victuals & libations, and this week was pondering sun dried tomatoes. Eccola! Pasta with Sun Dried Tomato Pesto and Spinach!

Gouda-Cream Pasta with Chicken-Apple Sausage? No, I didn’t make it up, Corinne did! It is fruit of her Gourmet Love Affair, and she wants you to notice the plates?
I would laugh, but she is going on a diet and with food like that it is no laughing matter.

I do not have a bento box, but jokergirl of Were Rabbits has that covered. Look how beautifully she has tied up that eggplant! Not only does she pack and present beautifully, she also does girl versions and boy versions. I am impressed. Bento 147: eggplant sugo.

How many hot buttons can one get into one recipe name? Ask Nilmandra, of soyandpepper. How about “Chicken and Bacon Pasta in Garlic Cream Sauce“? The only ones of mine she missed are shoes and ensuite baths. Just look at that! Forget South Beach!

If I were to say Lingine with Clams in Spicy Pernod Sauce, what would you think? I would think someone knew their way around a kitchen! And that someone is Marta, of Postcards from the Trail. Someone knows their way around a camera, too. All I asked was, “Make me look good!” and wow, did she ever.

Becke came in from Columbus Foodie with Mostaccioli made from things left in her refrigerator. I am trying to remember the last time I had such an array of treasures in my fridge…. a quart of whipping cream? Ahhh. well, she made pasta with it, so all’s well that ends well.

I don’t know why Pam has sidewalk shoes. I used to have walking shoes, taxi shoes and limousine shoes. Maybe they are her cooking shoes, as it appears she has some, the evidence being Poached Chicken Noodle Salad. It’s her unseasonal choice but then maybe Indian Summer has come?

Stop press: this just in from Calabria: Nduja and Tomato Penne! You have to know either Cherrye or Calabria to know what that is, and best of all you could go to Calabria and stay with Cherrye! I think it is probably included in My Bella Vita, the nduja lesson.

My own offering this week is pretty basic, Record Setting Pasta. Why is that? Because my sometimes friend Alex posted on his blog that real, slow food is for old people who have more time. Time is what we older people do not have, so I have been developing made from scratch recipes that are fast– faster– fastest and this one takes as much time as it takes to cook your pasta. This falls into my category of “Things that are much better than they look”.

I want to thank everyone who sent me a recipe for taking part. I was afraid I would have only three with one being my own, and look at this lovely list of good things to eat! It’s been fun, for sure, so anyone who has hung back from offering to host? Why you do that, eh? Host already, it’s a great thing.

Now, back to Ruth.