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Pasta is the generic term for various noodles, a food made from flour, water, and/or eggs, shaped in doughs. Pasta, when served with sauces and seasonings, refers to the dish.

Pasta is characterized as either Dried or fresh. Dried pasta, made without eggs, can be stored for up to 2 years, and is usually found in prepackaged, or serve yourself bulk, forms. Fresh pasta is usually found in the refrigerated section of grocery stores and can survive a couple days in the refrigerator.

Under Italian law, authentic dried pasta can only be made from durum wheat flour or durum wheat semolina (the purified meddlings of durem wheat). This wheat provides pasta a yellow tinge in color. Outside Italy, other flour types are used to make pasta but these yield softer products that can not be cooked al dante.

Pasta has approximately 350 shapes. Spaghetti, hollow cylinders, swirls, and lasagna are all some of the shapes of pasta. Pizzorcheri are made from grains low in gluten for gluten-intolerant people. Gnocchi are made with milled potatoes, do not contain flour, and can not be called pastas.

Pasta should always be cooked uncovered, at a rapid boil, using plenty of water. This allows the pasta to move freely in the water and promotes even cooking of the pasta. Use 1 quart of water for every 4 ounces of pasta, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Salting the cooking water is optional for the proper cooking of pasta, however, salting the cooking water adds flavor to the pasta. For a slightly different flavor add a tablespoon of dried herbs, or lemon juice, to the water before boiling. Drain pasta well and serve it hot.

Overcooked pasta is mushy and pasty. Cooked pasta should be tender but firm. The fresher the pasta the shorter the cooking time required. Pasta should be rinsed when it is being used in salads, otherwise, do not rinse pasta unless the recipe calls for it to be rinsed.

To measure four ounces of pasta make a circle about the size of a quarter and fill it. When preparing pasta allow 1/2 to 3/4 cup cooked pasta per side or appetizer serving. If pasta is the Main Entree allow 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups pasta per serving. I ounce of dried pasta yields 1/2 cup of cooked pasta with a slight variance depending on the shape, type, and size of the pasta.

Pasta can trace its roots as far back, at least, to the Second Century AD, in Greece. From the Third to the Fifth Centuries AD, pasta was common in Israel according to the Jerusalem Talmud. The familiar legend of Marco Polo importing pasta from China was born in the USA. Marco Polo described a lasagna in his Travels, but used a term he was very familiar with, durem wheat, to describe its contents.

Fetticcine Alfredos are popular pasta-style dishes in the US, made of cream, cheese, spaghetti, and tomato sauce, meat (optional). Pre-packed specialty pastas often include spices, cheeses, and added colorings from spinach, tomatoes, or food dyes.

Pasta can be thin like spaghetii, tubular like Cannelloni and Massicotti, strands like Vermicelli, ribbon sheets like lasagna, fetticinni, and linguine, micro like Alphabets, or stuffed like Cannelloni.

The English translations of some of the Italian words for pastas can range from Little Ears, (Orecihiettes), to Priest-Stranglers, (Strangolapreti), to Little Twins, (Spaghetti). Shapes of pastas include Bucatini, (little-holed spaghetti), Cavatelli, (short and solid hollows), Conchiglie, (seashell-shaped shells), Croxetti, (coin shaped/coat of arms-stamped little crosses), Farfalle, (bow ties or butterflies), Fiori, (little flower shaped), Fasilli, (mixed colored/3-edged spirals), Gemelli, ("s"-shaped, twisted, loose spirals), Radiatore, (radiator-shaped pastas), Rotelle, (wagonwheel-shaped pastas), and Spirali, (spiral tubes).

The first commercial pasta plant in the US was founded in 1848, in Broklyn, New York. Pasta's popularity lead to the establishment of the National Macaroni Manufacturers Association around the turn of the 20th Century, and in 1981, that organization became the National Pasta Association, with the intended goals of increasing pasta consumption, promoting the development of public policy about pasta, and to act as the knowledge center for the Pasta Industry. Presently, there are Manufacturing Member Companies, Milling Member Companies, and a Board of Directors for the National Pasta Association, which can be contacted on the website ilovepasta.org.

Hilopites are egg noodles popular in Greek cuisine for casseroles and soups. They can be used as long pasta or cut into small, linguine-sized pieces.

Greek-Italian Seafood Hilopites Pasta Makahronya

(Coming Soon, by popular demand, Lil Rickie's Most Popularly Requested Greek Recipes Cookbook)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil, 4 cloves garlic peeled and chopped, 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, 1 shallot peeled and chopped, 1 cup cream, 1/2 pound peeled, deveined, shrimp, 1/2 pound scallops, 12 littleneck clams, 1/2 cup frozen chickpeas, 2 tablespoons basil chopped, 1 pound large bow tie pasta, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:

Cook butter and olive oil over medium high heat, 30 seconds, in skillet, Stir flour in and cook one minute, stirring constantly. Add cream.

Bring to boil. Add seafood and peas. Cover and simmer 12 minutes or until clams open up. Add salt, pepper, and basil.

Cook pasta according to directions on package. Serve seafood over pasta.

Serves: 6