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Gourmet:
A person who is expert in judging and choosing fine foods or
wines.
A connoisseur of food and drink.
 Where’s
the Pasta?
Call me a pasta
purist. I prefer it “solo con salsa.” Hold the kitchen sink per
favore. The idea of turning a pasta dish into a three course meal is
so distasteful to me, I’ve lost my appetite reading certain
restaurant menus. Here's a selection from a popular Long Island
eatery:
Penne with
grilled chicken, sautéed broccoli, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes,
garlic and parsley in a light parmesan cream sauce.
Burp!
First of all, I
find chicken with pasta repulsive. Grilled, no less! Combined with
various cruciferous vegetables, cheeses, leafy greens and herbs,
well, you get the idea. In other words, “where’s the pasta?"
What the hell
is this supposed to taste like anyway? Each bite is a different
texture and flavor, though usually muted. In most cases the dish is
named after the house, like Pasta a la Gino’s.
Tell Gino “no
thanks”.
Listen, if the
ingredients are a part of the sauce, as in “Linguine With Clam
Sauce,” or “Spaghetti alla Bolognese,” or “Spaghetti alla Carbonara,”
that’s fine. These are classic dishes. We really shouldn’t
attempt to create these American concoctions of “more is more”. I
order a pasta dish because I feel like eating “pasta” and I want
that pasta to have a certain flavor, hence the “sauce.” The best
sauces require no more than three or four ingredients.
Call it “Pasta,
Neat.”
Pasta Salad?
Don’t even get me started!
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