The World Pasta Day conference in Rome and some thoughts

As you probably already know yesterday was the Word Pasta Day and it was celebrated all around the world. This year in particular the World Pasta Day returned to Rome, where IPO (International Pasta Organisation) and AIDEPI (Association of the Italian Pasta and Confectionery Industries) have hosted a special conference: "Pasta, global challenge. New markets and new consumers for food that is conquering the tables of the world" .

Have been invited to the occasion the most important pasta producers, economists, opinion leaders and media around the world and everyone  was there to celebrate this ancient food, rich in history, present on families' tables (and eating habits) in 5 continents and candidate to be the food of the future.

In a time of big pressure and bad news about our future alimentation, pasta seems to be one of the few ingredients that will probably be able to survive on our table. If the fish will disappear and the meat will be maybe not enough for all the planet, if not in danger as we have seen in the past, with viruses or weird genetic mutation, it seems we will be able to count at least on vegetable, fruit, rice and pasta.

Finally in time of poverty and war, this is what kept part of the world alive.

So if yesterday in Rome they tried to "understand how this food will help bring answers to one day dominated by uncertainty and food shortages.", I can also give you a little resume  of what came out from a nice event  organized last week in London by Latitudinal Cuisine “a geo-specific dining group, exploring the world a degree a day, meeting new people and cultures as we eat new cuisine”.

Last thursday in fact I went to their event about “Future of Food: dinner & conversation @ The Hub Westminster”. In this beautiful place in the New Zealand House in London, around 30 food lovers and people worried about environmental and social issues cooked what they think will be the food of the future and came together to enjoy it and exchange their ideas.

There were people that brought traditional food from their country, dishes made with sustainable fish, organic food, cake and tarts made by fruits and vegetable cultivated in their own gardens or even in the guerrilla gardens in London… and there was even someone who brought an amazing salad with fried ... locusts with big surprise of all the group. I brought pasta of course, because I believe in it for our future… and to shake and inspire a bit the audience I tried a sweet pasta recipe, with sugar, maple syrup, grated almonds and organic chocolate.

I used the pasta from Pastificio dei Campi not only because it's PGI and 100% Italian but also because is produced following the oldest artisanal traditions and only  with high quality Italian grain.

I bet pasta will be with us in the future! What do you think?

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From Brazil to UK everyone cooking pasta and enjoying it!

Yesterday was the World Pasta Day and after New York, the place chosen this year for the big celebration was Brazil, third world producer of pasta. From the first congress in Rome in 1995, delegations from various countries once a year discuss together the theme of the collective promotion in favour of pasta consumption, exchanging their ideas and experiences.

The first event was successfully carried through, thanks to the efforts of the Steering Committee, consisting of representatives of the National Pasta Association (United States), of UN.A.F.P.A. and of the Associations of Venezuela and of Turkey.

The objective of World Pasta Day is "to draw the attention of the media and consumers to pasta. Communication should underline the fact that pasta is a global food, consumed in all five continents, having unquestionable merits, appropriate for a dynamic and healthy life style capable of meeting both primary food requirements and those of high-level gastronomy".

I wanted to participate as well in this celebration and i decided to cook a nice and easy spaghetti dish with courgettes and Taleggio cheese.

Last weekend in fact in Southbank in London, was organized a nice Cheese and Wine Festival, that i couldn't miss. Lots of different producers from France, England and Italy came to sell their products and the atmosphere was really great.

I had a little tour between the stands and the activities organized there: there were short wine taste courses, champagne stands, but also products from bakeries were been sold... and of course lots of cheese. I bought some french "Bleu d'Auvergne" to eat on some fresh bread as a starter and some italian Taleggio to cook a new pasta recipe.

I know that a very good combination is Taleggio with "Radicchio rosso" a kind of red chicory, very typical of the north east of Italy, but quite difficult to find here. So i decide to use another vegetable, easier to find and cook: the courgettes were the right choice because with their delicate taste, they can create a  good mix with the italian cheese without covering it or disappearing.

Wash and cut the courgettes in thin slices or even in little pieces and stripes. Put some oil in a pan with the shallot chopped finely. Let it cook a bit and when tender add the courgettes, salt and pepper. Wait for them to absorb some of the oil and when they start to fry, add a glass of white wine.

When evaporated, cover the pan and wait for the courgettes to cook and get mild and colored. In the meantime boil some water, then add salt and the spaghetti. If the courgette are getting too dry, add some milk or water from the pasta to let them cook and become tastier.

When the pasta is ready, add to the courgettes the Taleggio cut in little cubes and then the drained pasta. Toss it all a bit until the Taleggio is melted and mixed with the courgettes.

Serve it hot with some Parmesan, pepper or chili on top.

Enjoy the World Pasta Day!

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