What brought us to leave the comfort of our own four walls in search of new lands & tastes? Sun, fair sky and tasty food. Well, that and the outlook to learn the one or other thing about olives, olive oils and the wonderful region of Puglia. All part of Olivita, a conference presented by Oldways. Below, a visual appetizer, impressions from our trip last week discovering the Bari province including adjoining areas and on top meeting like-minded fellow food blogger (Josh, Heidi and Hillel). More about our trip soon.
Doesn’t the Spanish name sound so much nicer than the German “Quitte” or English “quince”? If I think hard enough I could come up with the one or other jam recipe I’ve come across in the past that featured quinces and I’ve also seen it as a accompaniment to venison (essentially as a cranberry/Preiselbeeren replacement). But have I ever worked with quinces myself? Nope, I never felt intrigued enough. And if it wasn’t for the box that had Membrillo in large letters written across it, I wouldn’t have stopped at the fruit stand to buy a couple to begin with. Now what?
I was looking for a classic recipe. An original, something compelling and simple at the same time and did find it: Membrillo, a Spanish delicacy, traditionally eaten with cheese such as Manchego. Other cheese accompaniment such as Fragolaceto have innately a tart taste to them, the recipes I found for Membrillo promised a milder product and that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing…unless…
Pasta shapes are always a temptation for food shoppers, they sure are to me. Whenever I spot a new package, a new type or shape, I feel intrigued to immediately see how I can make use them. But remember, most traditional pasta shapes are not (only) designed to be pure eye candy but are transporting (literally) the taste, supporting the sauce they work best with. Form follows function, if you will.
Who knows how many different pasta shapes are out there, it’s difficult to guess too, as there is no definitive list nor any sort of standardization – manufacturers can and do add further shapes from time to time. Hundreds? Probably, but not to worry, they can easily be broken down into basic types and moreover, oftentimes very similar shapes just have different names:
Solid, string pasta (e.g. spaghetti, vermicelli)
Ribbons (e.g. tagliatelle, linguine)
Spiral pasta (e.g. fusilli, gemelli)
Tubular pasta (e.g. penne, macaroni, rigatoni)
Small decorative shapes (e.g. farfalle, orecchiette)
Ready-stuffed pasta (le.g. ravioli, tortellini)
Don’t give me diamonds – give me stainless steel… and I will give you crisp somethings.
