Pasta: More Than a Way to Get Unlimited Salad and Breadsticks

I thought about plenty of ways to kick off this special topic: Tony Soprano eating pasta, Jersey Shore chaos around the table, Ol*ve Gard*n’s “When You’re Here You’re Family”.

Pasta has always been more than just a single meal. Family celebrations for as long as I can remember. Eaten throughout the week and not just Sundays. Even a later-discovered form of a therapy with homemades.

Not that many people think about ways to describe pasta, but if I had to choose one word: versatile. (Also, I really hope you didn’t think I could ONLY choose one… some others: special, favorite, saucy, buttered, tubular, leftovers, ohhhh 🤌, makin-a-pasta.)

A 15-minute pantry pasta. A homemade ravioli with the family sauce. A simple seasonal mix. A dish for tradition and experimenting. Oh, the Pastabilities (shoutout Syracuse, NY’s top restaurant).

Fun fact: earlier this year, I made Marc Vetri’s Ramp Ravioli with Ricotta and Lemon Zest, and Philadelphia’s Pasta King reposted me on his Instagram story. While this may be cheesy, and you’re probably thinking, “why would this be a big deal?”

WELL IF YOU ASK… he rarely re-posts casual cooks, so that was cool to get his attention for even a second. But also this was just a fun dish to make because ramps are super seasonal. I got my paws on them one of the few weekends they’re sold. Without much of a plan, I figured I could rely on a potential pasta dish. So I opened Mastering Pasta and the challenge was on.

“Secret Sauce”

As I said before, I’ve been eating pasta for as long as my memories go back, probably even before that. While I never got to make my Mommom some homemade pasta, I know she would’ve told me “Connor, this is your best pasta yet” whether it was the first or twentieth time she had it. No matter what it was, if someone else made it, everything was the best yet.

Except for one thing: the Spadaro “Secret Sauce”. Mommom had the recipe in her head and the process down to muscle memory better than anyone. From frying the meatballs first to the eyeball measurements, her brain had the ingredient amounts and process steps down better than any written recipe, even when she was the one writing it down.

For those wondering the recipe…

You didn’t think I was actually going to share the family recipe, did you? Also, I really don’t think any of the measurements add up to the actual amounts any way. I’ve over-peppered, tried different meatball methods, but nothing compares to learning from family. Shoutout to Mommom and my mom, aunts and cousins keeping it going.

This sauce has made its way to many parts of my life, and acts as a way to open up to new people who come into my life – holidays as a required meal (arguments have been started over this), soccer pasta nights, coming home to sauce on the stove from elementary through high school, college nights with friends when I needed that home cooked meal.

For a very simple recipe just requiring patience, it really is always “the best one yet”. Every time is so good. Take a look here at the process.

Feed the Feed

By now I hope it’s no shock that I have my fair share of pasta cookbooks (can always use more), so that’s where I go for inspiration as mentioned before. But I love finding new recipes on social media.

One account I need to give a shoutout on pure aesthetics + great dishes is Pasta Social Club. With the slogan “make ravioli. make friends.”, how could you not want to join in?

Not only have the vodka sauce stuffed shells been mentioned in the past two newsletters, Meryl Feinstein crafts beautifully shaped pasta with incredible sounding dishes. If not to make the recipes, the pasta is worth following for its looks.

What about some more pasta from the fellow writer of all this pasta chatter?

• Corn and Stracciatella Tortellini

• Roasted Sesame Cacio e Pepe

One more for the visual crew right here, made by yours truly with the recipe by Pasta Social Club’s Meryl: Autumn Lasagna with Winter Squash, Roasted Onions & Sage.

Ending this on an important note: not all great pasta has to be homemade, and a homemade pasta ain’t worth the stress for a large group. (The lasagna doesn’t count because it was on my birthday menu along with the family sauce and meatballs, plus a few other dishes. We’re working on the over-planning).

Pasta la Vista 🤘