All posts filed under: Pasta

Old Fashioned Macaroni Salad

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  Did you know that May is National Salad Month?   I didn’t, but I did know that when we have sunny weather like we did this weekend, I crave salads.  On Sunday the temperature reached 86 degrees in Seattle and it seemed fitting to fire up the BBQ, grill a burger, and serve Macaroni Salad, along with a beer.    Growing up in the Bay Area we had family and friends over just about every weekend to enjoy the pool and sun – to make the macaroni salad a little fancier, my Mom would add Bay Shrimp on top (about 1/4 cup).  It definitely made it more special – here is my Mom’s recipe.

No red sauce for me

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I feel a bit like a traitor in saying “no red sauce for me” as spaghetti using the Garofalo red sauce is a wonderful version of marinara, and actually the first post I did for this blog.  But, when a girl just wants some plain spaghetti, I try to follow the classic version of Spaghetti Alla Carbonara, as I did last night.   Although I have had pasta Alla Carbonara many times before I never really knew what “carbonara” meant in Italian – some say it is a “hearty meal for the charcoal workers” and apparently it dates back to the middle ages.  That was a surprise!

Linguine and Clams (Linguine alle Vongole)

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  Linguine and Clams has a long tradition in Italian cooking, largely due to the fresh flavors of clams, garlic, and parsley.   Linguine is a form of pasta that is wider and flatter than spaghetti, but not as wide as noodles like fettucine.   Translating from the Italian it means “little tongues” and originated in Genoa, Italy. It is best combined with seafood, as compared to spaghetti which usually accompanies meat and tomatoes.