Pasta
& Pin-Ups
No.1
Winter 2018
Made in Britain £5.49
A Food & Lifestyle Publication
Pasta
& Pin-Ups
Editor & CHief Stefani Koleva
Creative Drirector
Brand Ambassador
Social Media Corespondent
Beatriz Viera
Cindy Ubah
Diana Krumina
I have many lovers around the world and experienced many cultures. So this isn’t our first time. You want me, you checked me out, I saw you. Your body growls for me. You pick me up, massage me in a bath flavoured with oils and salt. Your breath quickens when that moment approaches. Learning new ways you can have me… You know I’m saucy but you love to switch it up sometimes. You really like that, playing with me, using those tools. You can’t deny that was fucking Pastalicious.
Pasta & Pin-Ups is a sexy and unique pasta magazine brought to life in the South of Luton. Our seasonal magazine expertly stretches that thin line between satisfying a hunger for food and pleasure. By telling stories through spectacular journalism, bold and attractive pictures that would make your mouth water and a little extra. Our readers are artistic foodies, seeking something unorthodox that would satisfy their cravings. We believe our articles, features, and pictures portray the erotic essence of pin-ups and captivating deliciousness of pasta. We are all about red sauce and red lips.
xoxo
Published by Pasta & Pin-Ups Ltd. Univeristy Square Luton LU1 3JE www.pastapinups.wordpress.com
Image: Clare Lewis
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Left: Pete Bellis Right: Michael Heinen
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Oh My
Frankaroni!
by Stefani Koleva
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t should be so wrong. But why does it taste so good? A fresh steak burger, smoky bacon, sun-dried tomatoes and creamy macaroni cheese - sandwiched between two slightly browned, sweet, thick waffles. That’s right folks. Waffles. The Frankaroni at Franks Hamburger House will have you traveling miles just for the scrumptiously sweet, seductive taste of THE perfect alternative to your boring cheeseburger. The enticing aroma alone is a siren call to your senses, salivating
appoint. The ingenious blend of sweet and savoury mixed with the rich flavours of the classic creamy macaroni cheese gives this dish the gourmet feel at practically a steal. A bottomless bowl of seasoned fries, delivered with a smile -accompanies any of Frank’s burgers, and who can complain about that? Not a fan of the sweet and savory combo? Not a problem becasue at Frank’s Hamburger House not only can you swap your waffle to burger buns but you also get a choice of four DIFFERENT types of buns! And scrumptious
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starters the size of an ogres head. What more could you want? The bubbly atmosphere, the friendly faces and the homey décor of the establishment perfectly accompanies the food making the overall sensation of Frank’s an excelent experience that’s worth your while. 5/5 Star Rating Average Price (pp) - Between £15.00 to £25.00 155-159 Wellingborough Rd, Northampton, NN1 4DX. 01604948904
Mugged Off
by Stefani Koleva
When you’re in a rush there’s nothing I hate more than a disappointing quick lunch. Sadly that’s exactly what I got. Mug Shot, a popular quick fix meal claims to be “tasty” when in fact I wouldn’t even feed it to my dog. Following the instructions to a T will not always guarantee success. The recommended “simmer” time on the reverse side of the packet states 5 minutes
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– however after waiting for a considerably longer time (8 minutes to be precise) the pasta was a crunchy, uncooked, sickening – mess that I felt like I could taste for the rest of the day. There was no creamy, cheese sauce just some floating pieces of macaroni and congealed pieces of powdered cheese.
Ingredients for 1 Person; ⅓ cup (28g/1oz) pasta ¾ cup (175ml/6fl oz) water, cold 4 tablespoons milk 4 tablespoons cheddar cheese*, grated salt and pepper *Individual can choose cheese for different flavours; add mozzarella to any pasta to give it that extra cheese twist!
If you are looking for a quick fix that tastes as if its come straight out Mama’s kitchen then the 5-minute mac and cheese does the trick.
Instructions; In a large microwavable mug or large bowl add in the macaroni and the water. You need a large mug as the water will boil up. Microwave for roughly 3 ½ minutes. You want the pasta to be fully cooked. (timing is based on my 1200W microwave so your timing might vary) Pour off the remaining cooking water. Stir in the milk and shredded cheese and microwave for a final 60 seconds to create your sauce. Stir well, season with salt and pepper and enjoy.
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Image:Daniel Apodaca
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‘Beauty is simply reality seen with eyes of love’
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Pas-da Vodka
by Stefani Koleva
A fun alcohol themed recipe to spice up January blues. So grab an extra glass - this could get messy.
Ingridients 3 tbsp olive oil. 1 large onion, finely sliced. 4 cloves garlic, minced. 100g parma ham. 400g tin of plum tomatoes. 2 tbsp tomato puree. 150ml vodka. 1/2 tsp chili flakes. 2 tsp dried oregano. 1 tsp caster sugar. 300ml of double cream. 100g rocket. 75g parmesan cheese, grated. 450g pasta.
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Instructions
lace a large pan on the hob at a medium heat, tear up the parma ham into bite sized pieces and fry for a few minutes until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the ham and place on a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil. Using the same pan heat up 1 tbsp of olive oil over a medium heat, add the garlic and onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add the chili, oregano, sugar and tomato puree to the pan along with the plum tomatoes. Fill the tomato tin with water, swirl it around and add this to the pan as well, use the back of a spoon to crush the plum tomatoes and stir everything until combined. Season generously with salt and pepper and leave this to simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to its packet instructions. Toss together the rocket with the remaining olive oil and parmesan, season with salt and pepper and leave to one side. Pour the vodka into the tomato sauce and turn up the heat so that it comes to the boil for five minutes – this will evaporate the alcohol from the sauce enrich the dish with a delicious and unique flavour. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the parma ham and double cream until everything has combined evenly. Season to taste and pour into a serving dish, sprinkle over the rocket salad and serve with extra parmesan and a drizzle of oilve oil.
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Yada yada yada love me some pastta Any time of the day, don't care if it makes me fatta Nothing else spins my noodle Could eat oodles and oodles Italy... Limmrik: Jack Ellison Image: Sylvia StrangarWd
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Pastaaaaah by Diana Krumina
“Why the F are pasta dishes so popular within pop culture?”
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ave you ever wondered – why the fuck are pasta dishes so popular within the pop culture? Not really? Well no worries, we did the extra work for you! I always thought that people from different age groups and countries would have different thinking towards everything. This is not the case. When it comes to pasta almost everyone agrees that it is so trendy because it is a cheap and delicious meal, which does not take long to cook. It’s the ultimate lazy people food, right? Pasta has always been a very popular dish, but somehow in the latest years with the power of the internet, it feels like this dish has peaked as it appears everywhere. Pop culture has got its sticky fingers on every strand of pasta. From silly videos of people eating
pasta to bad memes with captions “pasta is bae”. But what makes this shit so popular? Sanda Krūma, aged 21, from Riga, said: “In my opinion, these dishes are so popular because there so many variations for pasta, plus they are so stodgy and they make your tummy happy. “I mean who doesn’t love lasagna or stuffed spinach rolls? I sure do!” Mark Pollard, aged 53, from Bedford, said: “Pasta dishes are quick to make, quick and easy to eat. “There’s a lot of different varieties of dishes you can make using pasta as well as a variety of pasta itself.” Inta Kokaine, aged 65, from Latvia, said: “It is easy and convenient to cook. “It gives you that stodgy feeling in your tummy and after all if you season it the right way, it can remind
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you of the beautiful places in Italy.” Kristīne Krūmiņa, aged 15, from Latvia, said: “It is easy and convenient to cook. Pasta is super versatile and filling, which handsdown makes it one of the most necessary foods for people who are always on the go. Furthermore it is so cheap, and, if it is cooked and seasoned well, always delicious.” Fabiana Peixoto, aged 37, from Portugal, said: “I think the youth appreciates pasta so much because is a cheap and filling type of food. “Contemporary society is concerned with time and money. “The 21st Century mothers have professional careers that require most of their time so options like pasta are quick and easy dinner option.” Seems as if everyone agrees – pasta, the one and only, is one of the best foods not only because it is so easy to prepare, but also because it is so amazingly satisfying.
Love pasta dishes, they’re yummy in the tummy Must be part Italian, checked with my mummy She said “once was a guy” Holy mackinaw that’s why Finally the reason but that ain’t funny Image: Sarah Kellu Poem Jack Ellison
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Go Spiral
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here are vegetables and fruits that were born to be processed into spaghetti. With the help from the spiralizer, the new best friend in the kitchens and is undoubtedly healthier. The spaghetti gave way to courgette (never though I would ever write this words). Who has never delighted to eat a pasta dish full of tomato sauce, throws the first stone. With the chaotic life style most of us live these days, pasta is the easiest and cheapest alternatives for a meal. But also (unfortunately) one with most of calories, special if you are like me and always makes pasta for two and eats it as well. Between 100 grams of pasta and 100 grams of zucchini there is a difference of 300 calories (amazing I know). What started out, as an Asian cooking technique for beautifying food spoilage is now, in the West, a symbol of healthy eating!
The spiralizer, an object inspired by the Japanese mandolin, gives vegetables and fruits the form of spaghetti. The sensation of satiety induced by a pasta dish remains, and in fact, we increased the intake of vegetables which, in the amount recommended by the World Health Organization, should be five servings per day. “The eyes will see something that you feel like eating. It is also motivational for those who are limited to carbohydrate intake, “says Iara Rodrigues. The 31-year-old nutritionist who edited the book “Losing weight without starving”. “Just give the crank and we get numerous cuts and thicknesses. Just take a zucchini, “spiralize it” then sautéd it in a little oil and garlic, add a tomato sauce and some minced meat and we get a Bolognese,” she describes. “It is an alternative to eat vegetables without being only in the soups and salads”. Courgette and cucumber are the most obvious vegetables to spiralize, but excellent results are also obtained with beets, eggplants, turnips,potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, carrots, parsnips, fennel, carrots and pumpkins.
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In the fruits, the nutritionist usually spiralizes apple and pear, to add lemon drops to them to not oxidize, cinnamon and, instead of an ice cream ball, a spoon of thin yogurt. Sprinkling the mixtures of vegetables with spices, herbs or sauces, such as pesto or curry, are other possibilities for more tasty recipes. There are vegetables that were born to be spiraled, others not so much. It does not work with cabbage and leek, in soft textures such as bananas, tomatoes, citrus fruits and stone fruits It’s a way to break the monotony at mealtimes. Using a spiralizer it is easy, quick and renders the ingredients and everything looks perfect. What else can one want to begin (or maintain) healthy eating? Basically this way you can have your cake and eat it! Spaghetti, yes. But healthy spaghetti.
by Beatriz Viera
Dinner Party In-a-Rush by Beatriz Viera
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he perfect dish for a mid-week, impromptu CRAPPY dinner party or when you just can’t be really bothered to cook for you friends and loved ones. So grab a glass of wine and be prepared to feel fancy af with this Mushroom Spaghetti Soufflé. INGREDIENTS FOR 8 PEOPLE: (Make changes accordingly) 400g three-color spaghetti 4 eggs 90g of butter 1 clove garlic, minced 500g of fresh rolled mushrooms 1 small chopped onion 40g of unleavened wheat flour 600 ml of milk 200 ml of cream 250g sliced ham sliced into strips 200g grated mozzarella cheese Lemon juice Leaves of dried oregano Salt Nutmeg Pepper
PREPARATION: 1. Split the eggs and separate the yolks from the egg whites Beat the egg yolks with a fork and add a little milk. 2. In a pan with plenty of boiling water, season with salt. Add the spaghetti and stir with a fork. Let it cook for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, drain the spaghetti and drain it with cold water and do not overcook. 3. In a frying pan, bring 1/3 of the butter and garlic to the heat. Stir and let warm. Add the mushrooms. Season with salt. Stir and simmer. When the mushrooms lose water and are well sautéed, season it with oregano leaves. Stir and remove.
4. Meanwhile, in a large pan, bring the remaining butter and onion to heat. Stir and let sauté without dripping. Add the flour and mix well. Gradually stir the milk, cream, and egg yolks mixed with the milk. Season with salt, pepper, nutmeg and lemon juice. Stir and extinguish the heat. 5. In the sauce, combine the ham, mushrooms, spaghetti and 2/3 of the cheese. Mix it all together Season the egg whites with a little salt and whip them. Mix the egg whites with the spaghetti. 6. Place everything in a baking dish previously greased with butter. Finally, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Preheat oven to 180º and leave it for 15 to 20 minutes.
After the cheese is all melted in a beautiful mess your Soufflé is done so grab a fork and dig in you MOFO.
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Pasta Master by Stefani Koleva
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blanket of fog covered the early evening of the London food market, getting thicker and thicker by the minute. The twinkling lights, swaying slightly in the fog making the area appear as if it was a remote fairy tale winter village rather than the modern busy city market, which it is supposed to be. Laughter and soft chit chat could be heard in the distance, people having a merry time without a care in the world. Sitting on a wooden bench, wrapped up in my best winter clothes, nursing a warm cup of hot chocolate spiced with cinnamon - I sat patiently waiting for London’s highly acclaimed, very own, Pasta Master to appear. Not long had gone by when across form me sat a lanky boy with a mop of curly brown hair and a twinkle in his eyes. With a crooked smile he extended his had; and introduced himself as the Pasta Master. Clearly seeing the shock on my face he laughed and brought out three containers and lined them all up in front of me. With each lid that came off the containers a different sensational smell hit my nostrils – each one making me salivate at the mouth. Tom Ward, also known to many by his street name “The Pasta Master” is a 23 a year old cooking novice from Tunbridge Wells. Who found a passion and ingenious flare for creating weird and wonderful recipes involving pasta.
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“I was living as a student in my second year in Portsmouth, where a lot of the time the only thing that I could be bothered to make was pasta.” Which is the likelihood for most students at university. “I would eat the same old pasta day after day, never altering my recipe, until one day my roommate had had enough. “She hit me over the head with a recipe book and told me to learn how to cook something new,” he laughed with the twinkle I had noticed earlier dancing in his eyes. “But I am one who tends not to follow instructions so after flicking through the book a while I decided to just give it a go, I mean how hard could it be?” I nodded along, focusing on the containers of food once more. “I don’t know what happened that day but for a solid year after that I was inspired to try making my very own recipes with ingredients that I found around the house or were easy to gain access to.” “In my final year at university, I had realised that the subject I was studying [Business and Finance] wasn’t motivating me anymore. I wanted a change. “By this point I was already quite passionate about making pasta for myself and friends and had the crazy Idea one drunk night that I should leave my degree and open up a business dedicated to serving fresh and quirky pasta dishes. “The rest I think you can guess.” He slid over the first container with ‘cracker’ scribbled on the lid and nodded for me to try. What I tasted was simply too good to describe in words alone, a carnival of flavours with a firework of exploding spices took over my senses. It was divine. “This is one of the more recent recipes that I have been working on, it’s got a bit of a kick to it but the flavours are unreal.” He protruded a fold up fork out of his coat pocket and dug a forkful of it into his mouth. Each container was a different sensation, making it more obvious to me why people call him the Pasta Master. Catch The Pasta Master Sunday through Wednesday at Borough market stall 83 and Thursday to Saturday in Camden market
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Alfredo me please! by Diana Krumina
Address: 38 Park St, Luton LU1 3ET Price: £4.99
Pasta chicken Alfredo is a popular dish among various restaurants all around the world. It’s creamy texture is what makes this dish so special. Tagliatelle mixed with baby mushrooms, freshly cooked chicken and the creamy Alfredo sauce is all you need to get a little taste of Italy.
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‘La Dolce Vita’ is one of the best restaurants in Luton where you can enjoy some comforting Italian food- and you can never go wrong with that. Even a true cheapskate can afford these delicious and sexy meals.
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et’s start from the beggining. The restaurant is located in Park Street, so you can easily get there by taxi or bus. However, there is no specific parking for cars so you might want to check out the area before going there for a nice dinner or a quick lunch on your break. When you come into the restaurant, you can already feel the Italian influence. The interior is made with wood, which is quite typical for those off road restaurants in the center of Rome that people are all about.There was a very nice staff member welcoming us at the restaurant. At first we only saw the first bit of the restaurant, but as you go further in the outside bit you discover another world. A little stage where there is live music every single night, black wooden tables with a candle and flowers. Everything is decorated in a truly Italian way. The menu was plain and simple- just a sheet with every dish they have. As all of the pasta dishes looked deliciously great, I asked for a little help from the waiter. She recommended the pasta chicken alfredo and mentioned that it’s a true hit for a classic Italian food lover. The food came in around 20 minutes time which I found is quite quick as the food is freshly made. You could smell the hot steaming pasta from the other side of the room as the waitress came in. The dish was presented classily and simply with a little persley leaf, and I couldn’t not have some mozarella sprinkled on top. From the first moment I felt the tagliatelle and the dreamy sauce in my mouth – I knew I was in love. Texture of the dish was so creamy. The baby mushrooms acompanied the dish with a hint of bitterness, which complimented the cheesy garlic sauce that the pasta lovers call Alfredo. The penne itself wasn’t extremely cooked which gave the meal a bit of consistency. After all a perefectly cooked pasta is well done, but still with a hint of a little hardness on the inside. I would rate this dish with 5 starsWW out of 5. It was a spot on the nail. It made me feel the same way as my first time having this dish 7 years ago in a small restaurant in the center of Rome. Try it – you won’t be sorry.
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Bringing Chinese straigh
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ho doesn’t love to go round Chinatown and get themselves some freshly made chicken stir fry? You’ve got to admit that everyone enjoys to indulge in this easy-to-make and purely satisfying angel food that’s covered in some good-ass soy sauce. Follow these easy and simple steps and (maybe) you will be able to cook just like a chef from a Chinese restaurant.
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ht to the kitchen by Diana Krumina Ingredients for 1 person: • • • • • • • • • •
2 tbsp Soy sauce 2 tbsp Oyster sauce 2 tbsp Ketjap sauce 1 Bell pepper 1 Chicken breast 2 tsp Salt 2tsp Pepper half an onion 2 Carrots 1 Chinese leaf or gem lettuce • 3 Shitake mushrooms • 100gr Spaghetti • 2 tbsp Sesame oil
Method:
1. First, heat up some water in a pot and because you don’t want your pasta to be as bland as your ex, put some salt and pepper in it. • Spice it up, love.
2. While the water is slowly heating up, take your
softly moist chicken and pound it. • Or you can chop it into little pieces and put it to the side for later use, you choose (you can put some soy sauce and mix that into the chicken for a richer taste). • Then put it in the boiling water and let it sit there until it isn’t pink anymore. No food poisoning for you today.
3. Whilst the chicken is cooking, wash all of the
veggies and cut them, but don’t chop off a finger, please.
We know that you want to start preparing the food already, but doesn’t cooking sounds more fun with a glass of wine or a Mai Tai? We thought so, too
• You can cut the carrots and bell peppers in small pieces or batons. Rip off each individual lettuce leaf and cut off the hard bits. • Make sure to cut the onions into thin, long slices.
4. Heat up a wok pan or a regular pan and pour a
little bit of oil onto it. • Add all of the veggies, including the onions. Saute the vegetables, but don’t let them get burned.
5. In another pot, heat up some water and add the salt again. When the water is boiling hot, add the spaghetti, let it cook for the recommended time on the package. Overcooked pasta is a no-no, sweaty.
6. When the spaghetti is close to being done, add the
chicken to the veggie mix and saute them all together. • Next, dump all of the water for the pot and put the spaghetti into the veggie mix.
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Don’t Mess Me Up by Diana Krumina
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ho doesn’t love a good pasta? It is commonly known that every type of pasta requires its own unique cooking time. This time we’re going to get down with how to cook the perfect angel hair pasta.
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Grab some big ass sauce pot or just a regular pot, fill it 2/3 with water.
Bring the pan up to boil
Obviously you want the pasta to have a nice flavor so seasoning is very crucial. Pinch in some salt and a tablespoon of oil, that will prevent the pasta from sticking together.
When it is up to rolling boil put the pasta inside. Rolling boil will prevent the pasta from sticking together by rolling it around within the water.
As soon as you put the pasta in the pan it should already start making the pasta softer so you can start to roll it around.
Angel pasta is the thinest pasta you’ll get so it takes only 3-4 minutes to cook.
After 3-4 minutes take one of the pasta strings to see if it is cooked. The perfect pasta should be soft on the outside and fair on the inside, but not too hard.
When the pasta is done take it down from the cooker and place it in the sieve to dry.
For even richer flavor put a pinch of salt and pepper in the sieve with the pasta and a spoon of olive oil and mix it up.
Your perfect angel hair pasta is now all done to be served. Enjoy! 31
Image: Teddy Brooks Poem: Nevermind
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Pinup girls swinging from the trees Rosy cheeks and shiny knees Flickering lights behind my eyes Rolling clouds hanging in the sky Closing my lids to the sweet respite Beautiful euphoria sweeping through the night Twinkling stars burning up in light Lovers basking in the moon’s delight Cotton sticking in my throat Like the words I never spoke Dragonflies humming above the pond Fleeting notes of lovers song I feel the nerves beneath my skin Alive and buzzing from the warmth of winds Kissing collarbones with empty lips Like it did when we were kids Bees crawling up my neck With fragile wings and dainty legs I dreamed I was the queen of them Proctecting me in the face of death
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Is Pasta Sexy? by Cindy Ubah
Research analysing whether or not it is popular opinion that pasta is a sexy
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rom a ‘magical potion’ pasta recipe that when cooked could make your date lookup from their plate longingly, strip and dive into bed with you, as described in Cole Kazdin’s myth of the “come fuck me penne la vodka” to the sexy pasta covered nude photoshoots by the hottest celebrities. There must be a reason why people consider pasta as a sexy dish?
places that many other sexy things do. Caolan, a 33-year-old Luton resident disagreed although Lasagne has always been his favourite food. He said, “I eat food too quickly and don’t think about food at all.”
Maybe it is when those lips pucker as you suck on that string of spaghetti or when that warm pasta sauce runs gently down the side of your lip causing your date to focus on your lips.
However, many shoppers believed “pasta to be a sexy date food”, as described by Stephanie, a 25-year-old student that loves spaghetti. Hardcore pasta lovers like Andrei, a 19-year-old student, “think it is more than sexy. It’s fucking hot.”
We hit the shops to find out the views of shoppers buying the main ingredient needed to create that saucy mix of carbs and spices. All the shoppers were asked three questions: Do you like pasta? What is your favourite type and Why? And do you think pasta is or can be sexy? A few shoppers couldn’t imagine pasta could be sexy. It’s just something that enters your mouth and soon after goes out of your body through the same
Connor, a 20-year-old living in Dunstable also disagreed with the idea of pasta being described as a ‘sexy dish’, he said, “Yeah, I think pasta is very romantic but sexy... not much.”
Lee, a retired 69-year-old likes any pasta, the shells, tubes, and twirls as she referred to them. She boldly took playing with food to a different level by saying, “depends on where you put it.” Allanah, a 19-year-old Lutonian who loves penne answered the question more innocently, “Yeah, it can be, it depends on who you’re eating it with” because it’s common knowledge that
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you could lose your appetite in the presence of unappealing company. Some shoppers believed pasta could be sexy if it’s eaten like it was in the Disney cartoon the “Lady and the Tramp”, like Stella, a 22-year-old Lutonian who enjoys curling spaghetti around her fork. She said, “Wow! it totally can be. The way you suck it or something.” Two shoppers 27-year-old Millie, a church coordinator and Adrian, a 24-yearold Lutonian believed the way pasta is prepared and served makes it sexy. Millie said, “Yeah! Depends on what you put on it, especially if you eat it with wine.” While Adrian said, “Yeah. When it’s nicely prepared as a good-looking dish.” For those who eat quickly, slow down a bit and enjoy a visually appealing pasta dish with someone you are attracted to and maybe pop open a bottle of wine. Those simple tweaks could turn an ordinary pasta dinner into a sexy “come fuck me penne la vodka” moment.
Renato’s Cheesy Pumpkin Stuffed Panzerotti by Cindy Ubah Preparing cheesy roasted pumpkin stuffed panzerotti with Chef Renato at Villa Ada.
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ver tried Panzerotti, honey! you just hit the stuffed pasta jackpot. This sunflower shaped pasta is the perfect use of that fresh pasta dough you just made and refrigerated.
So how about you grab yourself a pumpkin, some Mozzarella and Parmesan and make yourself this amazing pasta dish. Guess what? It’s the perfect use of that leftover Halloween pumpkin or the perfect bonding experience for you and your loved ones. Who wouldn’t enjoy crafting cute and delicious food with someone they care about? INGREDIENTS FOR THE STUFFED PASTA Fresh pasta dough A Pumpkin Ricotta cheese Parmesan cheese 2 Egg yolks Salt and black pepper Water Salt and pepper
TOOLS FOR THE STUFFED PASTA Sizeable pot Ring cutters Fork Tablespoon INGREDIENTS FOR THE SAUCE Butter Fresh basil and Parsley Cream Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese TOOLS FOR THE SAUCE Frying pan Knife PREPARING THE FILLING Half a pumpkin and remove the innards with a spoon then wash it. Dry the pumpkin and place the pumpkin skin side down on a baking sheet. Brush with olive oil. Roast for 35 to 40 mins or until fork tender. Scoop out the pumpkin like you would an avocado and add in a mixing bowl. Add some spoons of ricotta and grated parmesan, as much as you like. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add to egg yolks for a richer flavour.
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PREPARING THE STUFFED PASTA Stretch out your refrigerated pasta dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine and lay on a lightly floured surface. Use a cookie cutter to cut out circles and set aside leaving spaces between each one so that they don’t stick. Scoop out a tablespoon of filling unto the centre of a pasta circle and cover with another circle. Use your finger to pin down the edges and use a fork to ensure the edges are sealed. Set aside on a floured surface and bring your pot of water to a boil. Add your stuffed pasta into a pot of salted boiling water. PREPARING FOR WHITE SAUCE Melt half a stick or two tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Add in some chopped fresh parsley and basil to the pan. Pour in some cream as much as you think you need. Let it simmer then check for seasoning. Toss your pasta in the sauce, plate and serve. There you have it… easy, cheesy Panzerotti.
Experiencing The Taste Of Blue Zenzer by Cindy Ubah
It was titled an Italian fusion restaurant - How could everything except pasta taste good?
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ating at restaurants is not always to satisfy pangs of hunger. Sometimes we eat out to enjoy an exciting new experience. Blue Zenzer, a restaurant situated in Harrow takes your mouth on an adventure.
sauce is just enough. I will try making my own spaghetti bolognese this way.”
I sat on the wooden chair spotting anomalies in their menu. Nachos, a Mexican dish, paneer, a middle eastern cottage cheese paired with Italian pesto. Focaccia, an Italian bread paired with hummus, a Middle-Eastern dipping sauce. The menu was quite bizarre and intriguing.
It tasted like they had drowned every other ingredient in heavy cream and cheese sauce, the only reason I kept eating was that I was the one paying. Then I noticed the simplistic decor of the restaurant, searching for anything to distract me from what I was consuming. Stay away from the vegetarian alfredo.
Blue Zenzer was the good kind of quiet, maybe because I didn’t arrive during peak time, but that allowed me to really read the menu. The nachos I ordered did not resemble a carefully constructed artwork but it was pretty and very delicious. Crisp tortilla chips with the perfect amount of salsa and cheese. Who would have thought Indian chefs in an Italian restaurant in London make phenomenal nachos? For my main course, I decided to eat a vegetarian ‘Fettuccine Alfredo Mushroom and Broccoli’ priced at £10.95. That was an awful decision and I stupidly threw away the chance to change my order when the server brought the wrong order. My friend, Blessing Olagbende who had accompanied me was enjoying her spaghetti bolognese by the time they served my fettuccine alfredo. Blessing said, “That’s odd, they mixed the sauce with the spaghetti. “I usually eat most of the sauce before finishing the spaghetti, this way the
After tasting her pasta and mine one thing was for certain the oddities on the menu were better executed than the traditional Italian pasta.
For dessert we had Tiramisu. I had previously eaten desserts labelled tiramisu at restaurants in America and at a buffet in the UK. The tiramisu I ate in America was no different from a diabetes-inducing pie and the ones I ate the UK buffet, I would just describe them as dessert. At that moment Blue Zenzer’s was the best tiramisu, I had ever had. Our full-course meal a totalled fortyfive pounds. Although there’s a false belief that expensive restaurants are better, to me the best ones are the ones that leave you with exciting memories. So next time I’m wielding a day London travel card I’ll definitely return to Blue Zenzer to try a fusion dish.
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About Those Tubes, Strands And F Description of the different categories of pasta and the perfect suace for each category.
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hree years ago, if someone had asked me how many types of pasta there were? I would proudly say two kinds the straight long ones were spaghetti and all the rest were macaroni.
Now, this delectable carb is eaten worldwide, we’ll help you recognise each category to cultivate your inner pasta connoisseur. By teaching you to speak pasta, so you won’t stay a late bloomer in the delicious world of pasta. Ribbon, shaped, soup, strand, stuffed and tubular are six main categories of pasta. That doesn’t make sense, right? What about spaghetti, linguine and fusilli? What are those… well, they fall under those categories. RIBBON PASTA Just like the name implies this pasta resemble ribbons. Ribbon pasta pairs well with sauce both thick, creamy and rich sauces like alfredo sauce and light, basic sauces like tomato sauce. Linguine is considered as a ribbon pasta although it is often mistaken for spaghetti a strand pasta. It is double the width of spaghetti, and double the width of linguine is fettuccine and tagliatelle, they are both a quarter of an inch wide. Did you know Lasagne is also a ribbon pasta?
Fettucine
So what is the difference between Fettucine and Tagliatelle? they are made in separate regions of Italy. But there is very little difference between them. Tagliatelle is a typically fresh flat-rolled pasta noodle made in Emigia-Romagna and Marche regions, while Fettucine is commonly a dried flat wide noodle cooked in Rome. SHAPED PASTA This cute, colourful pasta come in various shapes and sizes. Shaped pasta is easy to recognise if it is curled or twisted or resembles anything from alphabets to sea shells it considered as a shaped pasta. Some examples are
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Tagliatelle
Funky Shapes We CallPasta.
by Cindy Ubah
farfalle which you call ‘bowties’, ‘the twisted ones’ like fusilli and the ones that resemble ‘seashells’ like conchiglie and cavatelli. The twisted and curly shaped pasta is amazing at getting any type of sauce clinging on to them. The fun alphabet, animal and adult friendly pasta taste amazing in pasta soups. The shells taste best buried in cheese and marinara or when paired with seafood.
Fusilli
SOUP PASTA Sadly, these bead-shaped pasta is less popular than other pasta in countries were pasta soups or salads aren’t popular – but nevertheless, orzo is a must-try! that rice-shaped pasta in shellfish stew would spark up a craving for pasta soup like never before. Although this category of pasta is titled soup pasta, a majority of the pasta in this category are popularly eaten in pasta salads because of its tiny size. Other examples of soup pasta are fregula which resemble little a beadlike ball and acini di pepe which resembles tiny bead or peppercorns.
Orzo
STRAND PASTA These are long rods of pasta like spaghetti. I mean, Who hasn’t devoured a plate of mouth-watering plate of Spaghetti bolognese or Spaghetti carbonara? Well now you know spaghetti is a strand pasta and so is capellini, the actual name for ‘angel hair pasta’, and Vermicelli which oddly means ‘little worms’ in Italian. Did you know Vermicelli is also the name of a thin Asian rice noodle? Thinner strands work better with simple and traditional sauces. While thicker strands can handle heavier sauces like fusilli lunghi, a long twisted strand pasta that resembles stretched out fusilli pasta.
Spaghetti
STUFFED PASTA This category of pasta is often bought already stuffed at supermarkets because it’s too much of a hassle to make fresh pasta dough, a filling and then the sauce to go with it. The stuffing is hidden behind a thin skillfully wrapped sheet of pasta dough. What’s not to love about those yummy pasta delights, especially the cheesy ones. Some examples are ravioli, a small pillow shaped pasta traditionally stuffed with ricotta and spinach, tortellini, which resemble little pies and mezzelune half-moon shaped pasta, there’s definitely a stuffed pasta for everyone. Stuffed pasta is perfect with thick cheesy sauce.
Ravioli
TUBULAR PASTA Tubular pasta is Italy’s gift to Macaroni lovers. This cylindrical or tubeshaped pasta can be eaten cheesy, as a healthy salad or buried in sauce and meats. Treat your taste buds to a delicious pasta casserole or keep it traditional with some good old mac and cheese. Who can count carbs when food makes you feel so good? The hollow centres are the perfect vehicles for holding heavy sauces, larger tubular pasta like Cannelloni are sometimes stuffed with vegetables or chunks of meat. Of course, you’ve eaten that pointy diagonally cut pasta called Penne. Penne along with other tubular pasta also go well in salads and casseroles. Now you enlightened pasta whizz, are ready take on the pasta world like a boss. Pasta la vista, baby.
Cannelloni
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Spin, Squeeze And Bend Over That’s How You M Pasta chef, Renato Balletta shows us the fail-proof way of making fresh pasta at his restaurant.
Make Fresh Pasta, Baby.
C
by Cindy Ubah
raving some pasta on my way back from work in the evening, I stumbled unto ‘Villa Ada’, an Italian restaurant beside the Luton mall. My mouth watered while watching the server place a plate of pasta in front of a customer, so I went in. Unsure what to order I just told the server that I wanted fresh pasta and she brought a spinach and ricotta Tortelloni which made my insides feel all tingling, I decided to find out how I could recreate it. After my enjoying meal, I asked the chef and owner of the restaurant, Renato Balletta if he could teach me how to make pasta and he kindly agreed to show me how to make fresh pasta and cook a stuffed pasta dish called panzerotti. He was trained in Naples, Italy and attended catering school in Switzerland for 8 years. Renato established Villa Ada over 20 years ago, where he made various kinds of fresh pasta dishes from Lasagne to stuffed kinds of pasta like Ravioli. He said, “His favourite pasta is spaghetti because it is nice to eat, very tasty with tomato and fish it’s very nice. Cooking is not only his work but also his hobby, he said, “when I was a student, I worked at my friend’s restaurant in Naples, Italy… Then I enjoyed myself and then I start cooking.” Renato said he serves mostly fresh pasta dishes in his restaurant “because fresh pasta is better than dry pasta.” He said to make pasta, “you mix flour with eggs, every hundred gram flour you mix one egg, you mix with mix machine then you put in the fridge for half an hour, to make it very fine then you cut dough and put the fillings inside.” As a pasta lover, you’ve probably enjoyed digging into fresh pasta at a ristorante or bought it at a supermarket. Due to your busy lifestyle forgot it in your fridge and it had gone off before you could cook it. Screw that we’ll teach you how easy it is to make pasta. INGREDIENTS Serving(s): Two people • 100 grams of double zero (00) flour and extra for kneading. • One large egg. • One tablespoon of Water (just in case).
TOOLS • Mixer (optional). • Rolling pin (optional). • Whisk (optional). • Bowl (optional). • Plastic wrap. • Non-stick spray. • Knife, pizza cutter or pasta cutter. METHOD 1 (with a mixer and a pasta machine) 1. Add 100 grams of flour to the bowl of a standing mixer and crack in an egg. 2. Let it mix and form a stiff dough. If it forms a sticky dough, sprinkle in some more flour or if it looks too dry because you used a small or medium egg, then add a tablespoon of water. 3. Remove the dough from the bowl, form into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour. 4. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap, place onto a floured surface, knead it for a bit and divide it into halves. 5. Flatten it in your palm and comfortably feed it into your pasta machine at its widest setting. 6. Fold in the longer sides of the stretched dough into an envelope shape and spank to seal shut. 7. Feed again until the stretched dough looks smooth 8. Lastly, feed the smooth dough through your desired setting, dust with flour to prevent sticking. METHOD 2 (without a mixer and a pasta machine) 1. Add 100 grams of flour to a mixing bowl or clean and dry surface or bowl. 2. Create a well and add in a beaten egg. 3. Using your fingertips in a circular motion combined the flour and egg mixture into a dough or whisk until the dough is almost taking shape then use your fingers. 4. Mould into a ball and knead by squeezing for around 8 – 10 minutes. 5. When it looks smooth, poke it and if it springs back, it is ready to be wrapped in plastic wrap then placed in the fridge for thirty minutes. 6. Peel the plastic wrap off the refrigerated dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin. 7. Using clean, dried and floured pasta cutters, pizza cutters or a knife cut into your desired shape and dust with flour to prevent sticking. Don’t get greedy and make too much because fresh pasta only lasts for two days in the fridge.
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Pasta ABC’s by Diana Krumina
P
asta or macaroni, as a lot of people like to call it, is one of the most frequently made dishes in the world at times when all you want is a simple, quick, but mouth watering meal that will please any heart. Everyone knows that there are plenty of varieties when it comes to this delicious wheat based product, but there is a bit of controversy when it comes to the actual title, in some countries it is called macaroni, but some call it pasta, we’re here to finally untie this mystery. According to the dictionary pasta is a food made from flour, water and eggs, it comes in various shapes and names, where macaroni is only a type of pasta that comes in a shape of a small tube. The answer that we’re looking for is plain and simple – pasta is the actual name of the food, where macaroni is just a type of pasta. Sorry foreigners but you are handling this one wrong!
For the Italians macaroni is just a type of pasta that is kind of in the shape of a rainbow tube that we all just love to slide down our tummies with a big sprinkle of grated cheese or grounded beef sauce. If we tried to count all the types of pasta’s that there is we would be talking for hours so here are some basic ones that we feel like you need to remember to sound like a pro when it comes to pasta. Spaghetti, tagliatelle, linguine and fettuccine are the long, noodle alike type of pasta that we always see with a nice bolognese or carbonara. Penne is the one that looks like a tube with diagonal cuts on both sides, where fusilli are the spiral ones.
Remember the tone of the pasta dish comes from what you accompany it with and of course the right seasoning. If not seasoned well enough pasta will just taste plain and boring and no one wants that, am I right? Let’s stop the chit chat now and get to making some of these babies, we know you want them as much as we do!
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EIGHT Tips From a Pasta Master Okay lets face it Summer. Is. Over. And the big question arises once again: is it hibernating with pasta actually healthy? Or are we just setting ourselves for disappointment and further fading dreams of that summer bod? Is my constant craving for a pasta bake making it impossible for me to fit in my summer dresses a few months for now? Romina Delgado a food engineer from the Egas Moniz Institute in Portugal, told us 8 reasons why you and everyone else should be eating more pasta and feeling less guilty about it.
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by Beatriz Viera
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Well you just learn some essential intel to throw to in your flat mates face, after he tells you that eating pasta for the “fifth time this week is not okay”. Suck it Jerry. You are welcome.
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La Tagliatella: A taste of Italy in Lisbon by Beatriz Viera
It opened up this summer at the Parque das Naçþes in Lisbon, and now obliges us to use too many Italian words in the text that follows. But the reason is good - the products of the La Tagliatella are authentic and that makes the difference, or rather, the differenza
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A
s soon as you sit down in one of La Tagliatella’s 120 seats, someone will come to the table and let you know what doses are there to share. And good, because in todays day nobody likes to waste even if the food stays in the platter. After this , from there that couvert (or the so-called Tagliatella bread, € 2.95) that is to open the feats. The Italian ambience is felt in the atmosphere from the place. To preserve the authenticity they ensure that almost all the products come from Italy, such as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salami from Calabria or ham from Parma. The three focaccia that they bring to the table, while I look at the long menu, are varied and original. There is tomato and oregano, olive and onion - the latter is destintive for the traditional flavours”. The prosecco sangria arrives more or less at the same time and it completes de meal in a way that only sangria can. Tagliatella opened at the beginning of the summer (esplanade of 60 places blessed by the portuguese sun), which is the first of this Spanish chain restaurant to open in Portugal. If this one goes well it will also be spread throughout Portugal and I believe it wont take long .
Despite being an Italian, there are also Tartars and, more obviously, carpaccios, but some different from the usual. The cod, typical used in Portuguese culinary, (€ 14.9), for example, carries tomato, olive, pesto and pistachio crumble. And accompany him a piadina (something midway between a loaf and a pizza) to clean the palate. “There is no match for you to feel the crispness,” explains João Almeida,the restaurant manager while cutting a slice by hand.. After seeing the photograph of the focaccia di Recco on instagram (€ 9.7), a very thin thing, with provolone cheese, fried egg, truffle pearls and peach compote, it becomes difficult not to beg for it. And do not disappoint: the taste is at the level of the image, or maybe even better. If the meal had stopped here, no one would have complained. But then the reader would have not know that the pastas are chosen by type (rigatone, spagheti or farfalle, ect), which is then joined by one of the 18 sauces on the list, which fullies any pasta expert wildest dreams. At the table is now a large green tortellone caprese dish with calebrese sauce (€ 14.45), stuffed with tomatoes and mozzarella, and topped with dried tomatoes, basil, grana padano cheese, onion with balsamic and roasted pine nuts.
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There was a stomach for such an intense taste, and there was not even a bit of tortellone to tell the story. Being an Italian restaurant pizza is a must and there is 26 variatties which you can choose from. The pizza is not made in wood oven , but in a Morelloforni oven, based on a dough made of two diferent flours. Its then covered with mozzarella, of course, and with a cream of truffle and mushrooms, guanciale (a type of bacon), basil and egg (take note, its called tartufo and guanciale and it costs € 12,85). Nor should it be necessary to write that there was no space for dessert, although two truffles (of chocolate ...) and a small tiramisu with the coffee came to the table anyway. It was a perfect end for the most italian meal you can have in Lisbon.