Pasta, Pancakes, Gnocchi, Dumplings and Fritters

Packets of spaghetti in their traditional deep blue paper with red and yellow labels are always an encouraging sight in the larder; as long as they are there, preferably lying alongside a large tin of tomatoes and a can of olive oil, you will never be short of a meal. But the truth is that these packets won’t keep for years and, especially in the case of noodles, it is better to eat them within a few months of purchasing or you may find yourself serving a bowl of nicely shredded cardboard. Always choose pasta made in Italy — they do know how to do it there — and always cook it with care, it is so boring once it has gone completely soft. The instructions for cooking pasta apply to every kind there is from fettucine, tagliatelli and linguine, which are all types of noodles, to macaroni and cannelloni, which are the larger kinds of pasta. Some of the shapes, such as conchiglie which are shells and ruote, which are wheels, are pretty to have about, but need lots of sauce to make a good dish. Pasta with a sauce, preferably with a heavy aroma of fresh herbs, is a perfect lunch followed by a green salad, cheese and fruit. And if you serve it in the summer on a terrace or under a tree, it can produce a state of euphoria.