pasta thoughts

Growing up with Italian grandparents instilled an appreciation, knowledge, and familiarity with many different pasta and their uses. That love of such a simple food is reflected in my dishes.

At Roy and Sid’s American Kitchen, I use Orecchiette pasta. Orecchiette means “little ear” in Italian. It is small, round, and cupped, perfect for holding a medium body sauce. A broth would roll off, and a thick tomato sauce would smother the pasta. We use it on our shrimp scampi pasta, which consists of wild American shrimp, garlic, white wine, lemon juice, fresh herbs, and a little butter whisked in at the end. He dish is one of our most popular.

Divine Prime features two pastas on the menu. The first is imported fresh pasta called Trofie. Trofie is Ligurian pasta made with flour and water, no eggs. It is rolled by hand into little squiggly shapes, and we use it for our lobster macaroni and cheese. The fresh pasta absorbs the flavors of the smoked cheddar cheese sauce better than dried pasta would.

I also use Fregola Sarda, pasta created by rubbing wet semolina wheat into little balls, then drying and toasting. Each little ball is bigger than a grain of Moroccan couscous. This specialty from Sardinia has a toasty, rustic flavor. I use this on our Hawaiian Blue Snapper with English peas, roasted tomato butter, and pistachio mint emulsion, a dish new to our menu this spring.

Pasta is a wonderful addition to the menu. With so many shapes and varieties to choose from, you are sure to never get bored.