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pasta varieties.

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pasta varieties.

Postby scullion » Mon Jun 29, 2020 1:48 pm

just heard on the radio that one of the supermarkets has decreased it's range of over forty different pastas down to seven and that this will possibly remain for the foreseeable future.
we rarely have more than three types at a time - at the moment there's spaghetti, fusilli (used less now than when the kids were here) and orzo (a relic from a previous recipe).
i do make pasta from scratch occasionally so tagliatelle, papardelle, lasagne and ravioli aren't strangers but i wonder if i'd bother to make conchiglie etc from a lump of dough!
which shapes do you normally use that you may miss in the future and would you have a go at making them yourself?

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Badger's Mate » Mon Jun 29, 2020 2:55 pm

We've usually got a long one like linguine/spaghetti/tagliatelle, plus macaroni and orzo (one recipe! :D ). Occasionally something else, such as farfalle, penne or fusilli, but these days I tend to use macaroni for those dishes. I make lasagna far less often than I should.

However, when we first went into hibernation and other people were shopping for us, a load of different pasta shapes turned up as different friends bought us a bag of whatever pasta was in the supermarket. All the above have been bought or used in the last 3 months. Plus several different noodles, a slightly different issue I guess.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby karadekoolaid » Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:02 pm

I´ve got a pasta machine and I should make my own, but I´m too idle.
I use all the variations I can find, depending on what sauce I´m going to put with the pasta. Linguine, fettucine, papardelle, rigatoni (if I can´t find conchiglie to make pasta é fagioli), farfalle (cream, salmon, dill!) orecchiette - what ever I can get my hands on.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby karadekoolaid » Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:06 pm

Just curious to know what you use orzo for.
I think that might be something I have never, ever cooked with!

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:01 pm

I have spaghetti; some pappardelle for a change - I usually have the little nests of flat noodles. preferably the 50/50 yellow and green ones; some macaroni - the straight Barilla ones, not the elbow macaroni of my childhood; some whole wheat fusilli for a change and for some reason rather a lot of lasagne sheets as I was on a quest to get some green ones which seemed to have mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth

Probably a year's supply in stock, I don't make it, not worth it for a single person

I make Marlena Spieler's Orzo with Greek Island Flavours (feta, spinach and tomato mainly) quite often, but I now make it with macaroni as I prefer the texture, orzo is OK in soups but I'm not keen on a plateful

I also have some Asian noodles, but I need to stock up

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Pepper Pig » Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:32 pm

I like orzo . Sue's recommended bake is good and Nigella does a couple of good ones.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/chicken ... n-and-orzo
https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/me ... -with-orzo

Maybe a bit child-friendly but I'm often cooking for kids.

Talking of pasta, the wonderful Rachel Roddy gives her thoughts in today's G.

https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/me ... -with-orzo

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby jeral » Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:52 pm

I'm still wondering what the heck were the 40 types previously stocked and presumably frequently bought and which seven remain.

My cupboard has lasagne sheets, tricolour tag (from local shop) and a small shape whichever is on offer, although I do prefer fusilli to penne.

I like the large shells (conchiglie) but can't seem to cook or bake them right for moi. Are they one of the discontinued 33?

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Kacey » Mon Jun 29, 2020 5:23 pm

We eat pasta a lot, I've probably got more different types than Id like to admit! Current favourite shape is Gigli from Tesco

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby halfateabag » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:15 pm

I must admit to being a pasta collector ! If I see a new/different shape I am normally tempted to buy it. They all taste different !!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: Also on hols I always have a wander around local s'markets and collect a couple. I am the same with pulses. Nasty experience with one foreign pasta I caught weevils ! I am now very careful. I must have about 15 different ones. Most recent one is a squid ink one. I have made my own when I had chickens/eggs. I also collect different types of Polenta/maize/semolina - it's a good job I have a large kitchen !!!!

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby karadekoolaid » Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:32 pm

I'm still wondering what the heck were the 40 types previously stocked and presumably frequently bought and which seven remain

There are dozens and dozens of options, Jeral. Here are some of them:
http://deliciouscuisinesofeuropeandmediterranea.deliciouscuisinesoftheworld.com/the-pasta-shapes-dictionary-the-pasta-guide/
but it would seem that there´s a different pasta shape for each village in Italy.
Have you ever watched the marvellous videos on "Pasta Grannies"?

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Badger's Mate » Mon Jun 29, 2020 11:38 pm

Just curious to know what you use orzo for.


I use orzo for youvetsi - basically lamb cooked in a tomato sauce with orzo. :yum

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Earthmaiden » Tue Jun 30, 2020 1:11 am

As I live alone and only eat pasta sometimes I tend to keep in basic shaped pasta which can be used for a variety of things. At the moment it's M&S Florelli but often its some spirally stuff I've only seen in Sainsburys, or macaroni. I love elbow macaroni - not too small - but don't see it often. I like to have tagliatelle but would buy anything else as and when I needed it for specific dishes and sauces. I don't class noodles as pasta. I am still trying to use up the packet of Orzo I started at the beginning of lockdown which had been in the cupboard for a long time. I agree that it's good in soups.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby jeral » Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:06 am

Thanks karadekoolaid, although my query was which 40 types people buy often enough that a supermarket finds sales of each lucrative enough to stock and display. Supermarkets obviously earn nothing from static items occupying shelf space nor want out of date stock.

That said, a lot of big shops have already followed the Aldi and Lidl model and reduced the number of varieties of many things; indeed more so since lockdown to increase shelf space for essential items.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby scullion » Tue Jun 30, 2020 2:30 am

jeral wrote:That said, a lot of big shops have already followed the Aldi and Lidl model and reduced the number of varieties of many things; indeed more so since lockdown to increase shelf space for essential items.


i think much of the reduction in lines are being done at the factories rather than at the shop. it means that the production line can be kept going for longer , less down-time with equipment changing and interval cleaning between the different lines so higher output.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Kacey » Tue Jun 30, 2020 10:25 am

i make a really good spicy tomato baked orzo thing from Yasou by Miriam Sorrell. I also used it recently in a risotto type recipe, can't remember now what it was, but it was good, will have to have a think.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Suffs » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:09 am

The regulars in our cupboard are spaghetti, linguine, orzo, lasagne (plain and verdi) macaroni and tagliatelle. Papardelle appears sometimes if I can find it as I really like it with a ragu or creamy mushroomy sauces. I like making homemade pasta and e have a pasta maker but it won't fit on the worktops in this kitchen so it languishes on top of the freezer in the garage until I get around to finding a suitable board to mount it onto ... this year, next year, sometime ........... :oops:

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Sakkarin » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:36 am

Anyone with a pasta machine, in all honesty, when's the last time you made pasta from scratch?

It's probably at least a couple of years in my case...

Shame, because it's actually quite pleasant, althgough my favourite green pasta is a faff because you have to puree spinach as part of the process.

Still on my to-do list: homemade squid ink pasta. Last time I saw squid ink on sale (I think) was in the local now extinct Carluccio's.

Great book if you like pasta, I bought it as much for the way it looks as for a cookbook. Not sure if this link will work...
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=EPe ... &q&f=false

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby scullion » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:53 am

i think i might have used mine last year (but maybe memory deceives).
our daughter shared a flat with a couple of italian girls when on her erasmus year in spain. they were more than impressed when she told them that we make pasta from scratch and she'd done it during the holidays - they had never made it.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby Pampy » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:55 am

My pasta making kit went to a charity shop when I realised I hadn't used it for about 5 years. When I lived in Sardinia, I came across very few people who made their own pasta - most used shop-bought.

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Re: pasta varieties.

Postby scullion » Tue Jun 30, 2020 11:58 am

they're very good for rolling fymo!

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