What am I gonna do with this pasta?
It’s lemon flavored. My parents brought it and a bunch of other goodies back with them from their trip to Italy.
I’m very excited about the pasta, but I’m just not sure what kind of sauce to make with it, or if I should just dress it with some olive oil and parmesan. I don’t know… Major life decision.
They also brought back some delicious chocolates, which are also lemon flavored (and they have some kind of alcohol).
They’re hard to explain… They’re almost like malted milk ball lemon drops (with booze in them), and when you bite into one, you get a rush of lemony flavor. I haven’t had anything quite like them before.
I’m really excited about this cute tabby cat-themed garland and journal, too, because I love old-timey maps, and the paper is handmade and really thick (I believe that the garland kitty is holding a fruitcake).
The notebook and the garland came inside these cool little bags, and I’ve always thought that bags from foreign places look really cool because you can see the addresses and the language.
They’re like getting a souvenir with the souvenir. 🙂
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Cute souvenirs. My boyfriend, who has a knack for cooking, says pesto would go really well with that pasta. Let me know how it tastes. I have never heard of lemon flavored pasta!
Oh, that’s a great idea! I have a lemony basil avocado pesto recipe that should work. Tell your BF thanks for me.
And how lucky are you that he’s a good cook! Does he cook for you often?
Chocolates with liquor inside are my favorites, haha! Where did your parents go? Did they enjoy their time?
Hi Lulle,
They went to Rome and the Almafi coast. This was their first time visiting Italy and they loved it! Have you ever gone?
I love goodies from different places! 🙂
I have always felt that basil, lemon and walnuts are a classic combination. So I’d do something with that. Most likely I’d toss the pasta with olive oil, fresh chopped basil, some roasted walnuts and either some arugula or maybe even some sort of seafood (that seems like it would be lemon-friendly).
I hope you enjoy your goodies!
Thanks DT! That sounds like a delicious combo. It sounds like you’re a good cook. Do you have a signature dish?
Thanks!
I don’t!
My mom disliked cooking so apart from some basic stuff I learned cooking on my own – thanks to cooking blogs 🙂 I’m lucky in that I am able to remember flavor combinations and throw things together randomly and very rarely do they go wrong.
I also remembered that one of my favorite pastas is the lemony ricotta ravioli from trader joe’s. So you could also throw some ricotta on the top as a little garnish and I’m sure it will end up tasting lovely 🙂
I love Italy!! All of that looks yummy. I would do something basic with the lemon pasta. Olive oil and cheese sounds good. Maybe with a little lemon zest!
I would love to go back there one day. The food is amazing!
Haha, I’ve always liked bags from foreign places, too! When I was younger, my mom and I used to collect them.
As for the pasta, Tagliolini al Limone is a typical dish from the Amalfi coast, where they dress plain tagliolini pasta with a sauce made with a little butter, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese (pretty much – everyone has their own version). Since you already have lemon in the pasta, I second your idea of just dressing it with olive oil and parmesan. Salmon would also go really well with it.
Italian food is my favorite, from their pizza (all day errr’day!) and pasta to the dessert (tiramisu for life yo) and spumante. Yummmmm!
Add green beans, olive oil and just a little bit of pesto. Trust me, it sounds weird, but we make pasta with lemon, green beans and of course pesto and parmesan all the time, it is quick, easy, healthy and filling.
Hi Karen, i’m wrighting from Italy and I can suggest to cook the pasta just with some butter and some sage, maybe you can add some nuts. The chocolate have inside lemoncello, the typical lemon liqueor made with the great lemons growing in Costiera (the beautiful region where Amalfi is) the best in Italy. Enjoy your food and even the garland meow!
What a great haul! You could use the pasta for shrimp scampi (or use a scampi sauce with salmon and capers). Lemon and fish are always a winning combo. 🙂
I love Italy and am glad to hear your parents did, too. Rome is amazing and Amalfi is beautiful, especially if you like to drive along cliffs on narrow roads (which I do!).
What fun souvenirs! The lemon pasta sounds yummy. I like that journal. The cover is really cool. And you can’t go wrong with a tabby cat holding a fruitcake. So cute!
I go to an online store called Parthenon Foods for international grocery items. Getting foods from other countries is so much fun!
Karen,
Ciao! As a nice Italian Girl from New York, I agree with Carolina…good olive oil, good parmesan or pecorino romano cheese and some lemon zest is all you need. Personally, I think pesto or arugula will overpower the lemon flavor of the pasta. With lemon, you want nice clean flavor.
Mangia!
xoxo
Anne Marie
You need to make lemon pasta by Pioneer Woman!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/baked-lemon-pasta/
Pesto would be great with the lemon pasta, or you could dress it with some garlic-infused olive oil and a sprinkle of Parmesan.
Lemon Pasta is good on it’s own dressed with more lemon, olive oil, and parm. Maybe a bit of garlic. You can also do seafood(white wine, lemon, and olive oil) or pesto with it. I get Lemon Orzo and make pasta salads out of it. I’ve also had lemon pasta with Bottarga sauce but I doubt you can find Bottarga in the USA easily.
The journal is so beautiful. I’m not Italian, but my immediate thought was olive and a bit of cheese. I was thinking gorgonzola dolce, ricotta or parmesan and maybe some walnuts and maybe a bit of cracked pepper. You don’t want to overwhelm the flavor of the pasta because I’m guessing it’s rather delicate.
Enjoy your goodies!
My first thought was a light cream sauce. I make a very old Racheal Ray recipe that’s pasta with a lemon cream sauce, it’s one of my husband’s favorites.
I love lemon anything! That pasta sounds so good.
The lemon pasta would prob be a good side dish for fish and do it up just like you said.
Orrrr you could google it real quick, I bet there are some recipes for the lemon pasta floating around! Man I adore handmade pasta from Italy although I’m not sure I would be into lemon.