Posted on 10/17/2024 7:22:16 AM PDT by Red Badger
NATIONAL PASTA DAY
October 17 celebrates all things pasta on National Pasta Day. Plus, October is National Pasta Month, giving pasta lovers a chance to celebrate all things pasta!
#NationalPastaDay
While we find noodles all over the world, pasta is a type of noodle of traditional Italian cuisine. The first reference dates to 1154 in Sicily and was first attested to in English in 1874. Typically, it is made from an unleavened dough of durum wheat flour. The flour is mixed with water or eggs and formed into sheets or various shapes. It can then be served fresh or dried to be stored for later use.
Types of Pasta
Look for pasta in pasta in both savory and dessert dishes. Since it's so versatile, pasta lends itself to sweet and every other dish on the table. Cooks feature pasta as a main dish, but they also serve up delicious hot and cold side dishes as well. And then, of course, those special desserts we can't resist making our mouths water.
Cooks originally made fresh pasta by hand. However, today, many varieties of fresh pasta are made commercially. Large-scale machines bring choices to our grocers daily. Smaller pasta machines on the market make having the freshest pasta at home even easier.
Dried and fresh pasta come in several shapes and varieties.
There are so many kinds of pasta! According to the Encyclopedia of Pasta by Oretta Zanini De Vita, 310 specific kinds of pasta identified by over 1300 names have been documented.
In Italy, names of specific pasta shapes or types vary with locale.
Example: Cavatelli is known by 28 different names depending on the region and town.
The size and shape of pasta may determine the best sauce to pair with it, too. For example, serve linguine with lighter, thinner sauces to avoid breaking the noodles. A similarly shaped noodle, fettuccine, is less delicate. That's why it carries heavier sauces like alfredo.
Learn more about pasta from the National Pasta Association.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL PASTA DAY
Explore the world of pasta. Whether you're cooking up a salad, main dish, or dessert, recipes abound. We offer several on our recipe page, too! If you don't feel like cooking, take the family out to an Italian restaurant. No matter what you are planning, invite friends to join you. It's the best way to Celebrate Every Day®! #NationalPastaDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL PASTA DAY HISTORY
National Day Calendar® continues researching the origins of this delicious food holiday.
Pasta FAQ
Q. How do I prevent sticky pasta?
A. Sticky noodles ruin a dish. Use these tips to make perfect pasta every time:
Season the water with salt before adding the pasta. While it won't keep the pasta from sticking, it is the best time to add flavor to your pasta.
Always bring the water to a boil before adding the pasta. Also, make sure you have plenty of water in the pot - too little and you'll need to add more.
Stir the pasta a few times while it's cooking.
Reserve some of the liquid before draining the pasta. Then run water over the pasta to help prevent sticking. You can even do this if you're eating it right away, especially if you're adding a sauce. If your sauce seems a little thick, add the reserved pasta liquid to thin the sauce and add more flavor.
Q. Can I freeze cooked pasta?
A. Yes. But don't overcook it. Al dente pasta will become mushy so you want to cook it until it is not quite al dente. You can also mix in most sauces before freezing. Avoid freezing cream sauces, like Alfredo, because they will separate and become grainy.
NOTABLE BIRTHDAYS FOR OCTOBER 17
Jupiter Hammon (1711-1806) - Slave poet who was the first Black person to publish poetry and other written works.
Richard Mentor Johnson (1780-1850) - U.S. Vice President to President Martin Van Buren (1837 to 1841).
Albertus van Raalte (1811-1876) - Vicar who helped establish the Dutch community and Dutch Reformed Church in Michigan.
John J. Gardner (1845-1921) - Politician known for his involvement in the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which aimed to regulate corporate behavior and promoting fair competition.
Childe Hassam (1859-1935) - Painter and illustrator known for his urban paintings.
Henry Campbell Black (1860-1927) - Founder of Black's Law Dictionary.
James Rudolph Garfield (1865-1950) - U.S. Secretary of the Interior who played a key role in the expansion of the U.S. Park system.
Spring Byington (1886-1971) - Actress known for her role as Marmee in Little Women.
Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) - One of the greatest influences in modern dance.
Jean Arthur (1900-1991) - Silent film actress with major roles in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) and You Can't Take It with You.
Nathanael West (1903-1940) - Author of Miss Lonelyhearts (1933) and The Day of the Locust.
Paul Derringer (1906-1987) - Cincinnati Reds pitcher.
John Marley (1907-1984) - Golden Globe winner for his role in Love Story (1970).
Red Rolfe (1908-1969) - Third baseman for the NY Yankees and later Detroit Tigers.
Cozy Cole (1909-1981) - Drummer for Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong.
Theodore Marier (1912-2001) - Founder of the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School.
Robert Lowery (1913-1971) - Second actor to play Batman.
Jerry Siegel (1914-1996) - Co-creator of Superman and creator of Doctor Occult.
Ralph Wilson (1918-2014) - Founder of the Buffalo Bills.
Barney Kessel (1923-2004) - Most sought after jazz guitarist for bands, film scores, and studio recordings.
Robert Atkins (1930-2003) - Creators of the Atkin diet.
Evel Knievel (1938-2007) - Motorcycle rider and stuntman.
Stephen Kovacevich (1940-Still Living) - One of the world's more revered pianist ever.
Earl Thomas Conley (1941-2019) -Country singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Jim Seals (1941-2022) - Half of the musical duo Seals and Crofts.
Steve "Snapper" Jones (1942-2017) - Three time ABA All-Star and NBA player.
Gary Puckett (1942-Still Living) - Lead singer of the Gary Puckett & The Union Gap band.
Michael Hossack (1946-2012) - Drummer for the Doobie Brothers.
Bob Seagren (1946-Still Living) - Leading pole vaulter in the 1960s and early 1970s.
Michael McKean (1947-Still Living) - Actor known as Lenny in Laverne & Shirley and cast member on Saturday Night Live.
Robert Jordan (1948-2007) - Author of Wheel of Time book series.
Howard Rollins (1950-1996) - Actor who played George Haley in Roots: The Next Generations.
Carlos Buhler (1954-Still Living) - Leading high altitude mountaineers.
Fran Cosmo (1956-Still Living) - Former lead singer for the band Boston.
Mae Jemison (1956-Still Living) - First Black woman astronaut to travel to space.
Stephen Palumbi (1956-Still Living) - Academic of genomics of marine organisms and research on how to preserve marine life.
Alan Jackson (1958-Still Living) - Country singer.
Richard Roeper (1959-Still Living) - Gene Siskel's replacement for the series At the Movies with Roger Ebert.
Rob Marshall (1960-Still Living) - Director of the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Chicago.
David Means (1961-Still Living) - Short story writer for magazines.
Mike Judge (1962-Still Living) - Creator of Beavis and Butt-Head.
Tommy Kendall (1966-Still Living) - Race car driver who won the IMSA GT Championship and SCCA Trans-Am Series.
Wood Harris (1969-Still Living) - Actor known as Julius Campbell in Remember the Titans and Jimi Hendrix the television film Hendrix.
Wyclef Jean (1969-Still Living) - Haitian-American rapper, producer, and actor.
Chris Kirkpatrick (1971-Still Living) - Founder of the band NSYNC.
Eminem (1972-Still Living) - Rapper.
Sharon Leal (1972-Still Living) - Dreamgirls actress.
Seth Etherton (1976-Still Living) - Former pitcher of the Anaheim Angels.
Alimi Ballard (1977-Still Living) - Actor who played Marcus Dumas in Queen of the South and Fusco in Fast Five.
Ryan McGinley (1977-Still Living) - Acclaimed photographer.
Holly Holm (1981-Still Living) - Mixed martial artist.
Mitch Talbot (1983-Still Living) - Former pitcher for Tampa Bay Rays.
Randall Munroe (1984-Still Living) - Creator of the comic xkcd.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS FOR OCTOBER 17
1691 - Merge between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Plymouth Colony.
1777 – British army surrenders to the Americans at Saratoga, NY.
1781 – British army surrenders to Americans during the Siege of Yorktown.
1787 - Blacks in Boston petition the state legislature for equal school facilities for black students.
1829 - The Chesapeake Bay Canal opens.
1850 - The Knickerbocker Engine Co No. 5 firehouse is created in San Francisco, CA.
1855 - Bessemer steelmaking process patented by Henry Bessemer for mass production of steel.
1862 - Confederates overtake the Union at two battles--the Battle of Leetown and Thoroughfare Gap, VA.
1871 - President Ulysses S. Grant suspends habeas corpus in during prosecutions against Ku Klux Klan.
1885 - Salaries for baseball players is set at $1,000-$2,000 for the season.
1888 - The patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie) is submitted by Thomas Edison.
1894 - Three lynchers are killed by Ohio National Guard while rescuing a black man during a lynching.
1904 - The Bank of America opens its doors in Jackson Square, San Francisco.
1920 - The Chicago Bears plays their fir professional football game.
1931 - Al Capone sentenced to 11 years for income tax evasion, but was released in 7 years for good behavior.
1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in US as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
1934 - The radio comedy series The Aldrich Family premieres across the airwaves.
1941 - The Navy vessel USS Kearny is torpedoed by a U-boat.
1956 - A 13 year old Bobby Fischer beats U.S. Chess Champion Donald Byrne in the "Game of the Century."
1957 - Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, premiers Memphis, TN.
1960 - The U.S. is granted access to the British nuclear submarine base in Holy Loch, Scotland.
1965 - The N.Y. World's Fair closes after two years.
1966 - At least 12 firefighters are killed during the 23rd Street Fire in New York City.
1967 - The musical Hair premieres on Broadway.
1967 - Belle of 14th Street, starring Barbra Streisand stars, premiers as special on CBS.
1972 - My Ding-a-Lng by singer Chuck Berry's reaches #1 on the Billboards.
1975 - National Space Tech Labs conducts the first Space Shuttle main engine test.
1978 - President Carter signs bill restoring the US citizenship of Jefferson Davis.
1979 - U.S. Department of Education is created.
1982 - The National Symphony becomes the first live orchestra on a US commercial network.
1983 - The Sally Jessy Raphael Show debuts.
1986 - An immigration bill prohibits hiring of illegal aliens but offers amnesty to illegals who entered prior to 1982.
1988 - Political activist Lyndon LaRouche pleads innocent to fraud, conspiracy indictment.
1988 - Phillip Morris offers Kraft $11 Billion to hopefully establish the company beyond tobacco.
1988 - The Traveling Wilburys (Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty) release Handle With Care.
1989 – A 6.9 earthquake shakes kills 63 people on the West Coast.
1990 - Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day) drops out of school to pursue a career in music.
1991 - Blue Man Group's performs for the first time in New York City.
1992 - Japanese student Yoshihiro Hattori is killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana after accidentally entering the wrong house.
2005 - "The Colbert Report" airs for the first time on U.S. television.
2006 - U.S. population reaches 300 million people.
2012 - Lance Armstrong is found to be involved in doping.
2019 - Mick Mulvaney, acting Chief of Staff, said the White House withheld nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine.
2020 - Chicago is declared the "rattiest city" by the pest control service Orkin.
Pasta Ping!..................
Let me noodle on that.
A penne for you thoughts.....................
You had me at pasta.
I remember the Loma Prieta earthquake, as I was there! 35 years ago.
Originally it was rated as a 7.1 IIRC.
I was on the 4th floor of an office building in Redwood City, and we got rolled around pretty good.
Afterwards was a giant traffic jam.
I love pasta. Unfortunately, it loves me too.
Has anyone here tried the Barilla Al Bronzo pasta? I’ve seen it at the local grocery store. Apparently, the texture of the pasta makes it more conducive to holding sauce.
Audrey Hepburn’s Penne a la Vodka
Ing ½ minced scallion, Pinch crushed red pepper flakes 5½ tbl unsalted butter cup tomato puree ½ cup ea best Russian vodka, h/cream Coarse sea salt lb penne piccole lisce oz Parmigiano-Reggiano
Steps Sauté onion, pepper flakes in butter on med. Add tomato puree, on low heat cook a few min, then stir in vodka. Cook down 15 min; add cream. Add drained pasta cooked al dente w/ handful sea salt. Turn heat high, and cook a min, tossing to coat. Sprinkle w/ grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve w/ salad and fave vegetables.
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