Pasta in Italy

Wow. This is the real highlight of Italy. Even when you consider that the wine is fabulous and affordable, and the slow cooked entrees are spectacular. The pasta still comes out way ahead in terms of impressive cuisine. The average pasta dish is so much better and more interesting than the vast majority of pasta you can eat in the United States. The pasta itself is very good, but what stands out is what is put inside the pasta and what the sauce is made with. It is true in top tier restaurants but it is also true in diners. Some highlights of my recent trip in the pasta arena included a red wine sauce that was slow cooked and reduced down to a more viscous sauce that benefited from the long cooking time, so it had a very rich flavor. Fantastic. i hope that i can reproduce something like this at home. Ravioli is a favorite of mine, and three ravioli stand out. The one that was the most surprising was a polenta ravioli-- this is a wonderful option for leftover polenta. The resultant ravioli has the earthiness of corn, and the silky texture of polenta. Much a nice marriage and when paired with a simple sauce, it is memorable. Another great ravioli I had was stuffed with mash potatoes. This is another great reuse of leftovers, and when paired with a long cooked meat ragu sauce it is a great meat and potatoes meal with a special feel. The third great ravioli is a classic--wild mushrooms and ricotta stuffed into the ravioli with a rich tasting porcini mushroom sauce. Delicious.

We had wonderful pappardelle and tagliatelle sauces--artichoke and asparagus are two that we haven't made at home and will try in the future. Even the tomato based sauces tasted better than they taste at home. My goal was to have pasta twice a day, and I managed to be successful at that. The thing that I didn't manage to accomplish was to get sick of pasta while I was in Florence. Something to aim for in the future.