Here's a book recommendation for young readers and people who just like good books: Granny Torrelli Makes Soup, by Sharon Creech. It's a charming story about friendship, love, family, and food. I read it aloud to my 6th grade classes, and they were enthralled the by story and the complicated emotions. Our family listened to it on tape over a long car ride this summer, and there were parts that were so beautiful they made me cry. Granted, I cry easily, and no, I wasn't driving.Most of the story takes place in the kitchen, and Creech lovingly describes Granny Torrelli making a chicken and pasta soup, homemade cavatelli, meatballs, and spareribs. I've never made homemade pasta, but this book got me as far as buying the semolina flour. It's still in my cupboard, but hey, that's the closest I've ever been to making homemade pasta. Pretty inspiring, hmmm? There's also a simple salad of oranges, olive oil, salt and pepper, and parsley. Doesn't that sound refreshing and easy?
2 comments:
Making pasta is not hard at all--you cook so many things that are so much more complicated. The key to good pasta is making sure that you make it as thin as your pasta maker will go. Don't stop until you reach that final setting. (When you are making any sort of stuffed pasta-ravioli, tortellini...that means that after they are cooked, they wrinkle a bit on the top. That's how you know it's extra good pasta.)
I wasn't going to use a pasta maker. I don't even have a pasta maker! Oh no. Do I need one? I was going to follow what Granny Torrelli did making cavatelli. She had the kids roll the dough into snakes, cut up the snakes, and then form little boats. Is that right? Oh Anonymous One....help.
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