p46-53_Pasta_sp05.qxd
4/17/05
9:14 PM
Page 52
Other shapes
Hibachi
Sushi Bar
MIDDLETOWN 12905 Shelbyville Rd. 253-0036
SPRINGHURST 3576 Springhurst Blvd. 339-1978
Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30-2
STYLES FROM EAST AND WEST COASTS
Dinner Mon-Thur 5-10 Fri-Sat 4:30-11 Sun 4:30-9:30
Over 100 Different Special Rolls
52 Spring 2005 www.foodanddiningmagazine.com
All Fish Flown in Fresh Daily
Shor t pasta is created in a wide variety of shapes limited only by the pasta-maker’s imagination and the demands of the marketplace. Short pasta shapes include such offbeat modern forms as tiny tennis rackets, Christmas trees and, rumor has it, an intriguing selection of X-rated shapes. Some of the more familiar and traditional extruded-pasta shapes include conchiglie (“seashells”), ridged pasta bites that can range from tiny bite-size shells to teacup-size items, that are usually stuffed and baked like manicotti. Fusilli (“fuses”) bear thin threads like wood screws, while the pretty pinched-at-themiddle variety look just like their name: farfalle (“butterflies”). They’re sometimes nicknamed “bow-ties.” Orecchiette (“little ears”) are dimpled, rather thick little rounds of pasta that remain a bit chewy even when cooked al dente; they’re often tossed with rapini (broccoli rabe) or other bitter greens. Strozzapretti, tightly twisted pasta rolls, get their nickname “priest stranglers” from an irreverent legend about the greedy parish priest who came to dinner and gobbled so greedily that he, well, you know. Also in the short-pasta category are malfatti (literally “badly made”), scraps of wide pasta, usually fresh, cut by hand or intentionally broken into irregular shapes to provide a variety of texture in a dish. Some of the more off-the-wall short pasta shapes seem to be made more for showing off (“oh, they’re so cute!”) than for serious gustatory enjoyment. In this category we might place radiatori (“radiators”), ruote (“cart wheels”) and campanelli (elongated bell shapes). Non-Italian goodies like German spätzle (short egg noodles pushed through holes in a colander into simmering water where they cook into curly strands) and American dumplings— the ultimate comfort food—also qualify as short pastas.