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Plan: eGullet Pasta Feast

Varmint

By Varmint
in Southeast: Dining

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Varmint

Varmint

Posted
Posted

As the holidays wind down, phlawless and I are ready to concentrate on some top-notch cooking again. What better way to do it than with a multi-course pasta meal? If it's good enough for Mario Batali and Babbo, it's good enough for us. We'll find a date in the next couple of months (MLK Day weekend, anyone), but in the meantime, start suggesting dishes here. Hell, I might even spring for some truffles.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

SobaAddict70

SobaAddict70

Posted
Posted

Hm, are you looking to do a pan-Italian pasta tasting menu? Or something totally different?

My one request: NO DESIGNER RAVIOLI!!! And by that, I mean when lobster ravioli was all the rage two years ago, I couldn't turn around without being confronted by a menu that had...lobster (or some other variation thereof) ravioli. It was the "seared tuna steak with mango salsa" food fad at the time.

Otoh, I'm perfectly open to foie gras ravioli. Can't have too much foie gras. :biggrin:

Soba

tommy

tommy

Posted
Posted (edited)

varmint, if you even come close to approximating a babbo pasta (and i'm sure the experts will tell us how easy it is), make sure you post the details here. i'd be very interested.

addtionally, if varmint invites all of egullet, it's a clear sign that he's finally lost his mind. :biggrin:

Edited by tommy (log)
tommy:eats.com
Varmint

Varmint

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
varmint, if you even come close to approximating a babbo pasta (and i'm sure the experts will tell us how easy it is), make sure you post the details here. i'd be very interested.

addtionally, if varmint invites all of egullet, it's a clear sign that he's finally lost his mind. :biggrin:

Or it's a clear sign that I'm trying to get divorced!!! :wacko:

Actually, we'll probably do about a 6 course pasta tasting. Phlawless does most of her restaurant's pasta and I've made my fair share. In some ways, it'd be fun to do 6 different regions of Italy.

Anyhow, this is NOT going to be anywhere near the same scale as the pig pickin'. If we get 20, I could easily handle that. If we get 40, well, that's another matter. :wink:

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

Varmint

Varmint

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

The only thing I can say with certainty is that it'll be on a Saturday! Phlawless needs to get her schedule ironed out, and I need to find out the soccer schedules of ALL 4 L'il Varmints. Yup, all of them, including the 3 year old, are in soccer come January.

I'll need some advance time to order any "exotic" ingredients, too.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

phlawless

phlawless

Posted
Posted

I've done a beef cheek ravioli that was heavenly...and I can get the cheeks through work. Would gnocchi be considered as well? Jesus, there goes my atkins resolution........

"Godspeed all the bakers at dawn... may they all cut their thumbs and bleed into their buns til they melt away..."

Varmint

Varmint

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Beef cheeks -- yum. Can we get some foie gras, too? What about other "unusual" meats.

Folks, we'll be requiring a bit of a "donation" to cover some of the costs of this affair, but, man, it'll be worth it.

You know, I'm thinking Valentine's Day might be perfect for this, just because you can't get a decent meal that night, but you could at my house! Plus, we don't celebrate Valentine's Day! Anyhow, we find out soccer schedules this weekend, so we might be able to work out a date early next week. Please let us know what dates work for everyone.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

Al_Dente

Al_Dente

Posted
Posted
I've done a beef cheek ravioli that was heavenly...and I can get the cheeks through work. Would gnocchi be considered as well?

Dammit, you had to say something as provocative as "beef cheek ravioli" and "gnocchi". :hmmm:

Now I'll have to come down there. :wink:

If it can be February, I'm in. I'll bring the soundtrack to Big Night.

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

Al_Dente

Al_Dente

Posted
Posted
I'll bring the soundtrack to Big Night.

There will be no risotto, however. :wink:

Mashed potatoes?

peak performance is predicated on proper pan preparation...

-- A.B.

phlawless

phlawless

Posted
Posted

February is good, but I'm one of those saps who does celebrate V-day. How many people are we talking about?

"Godspeed all the bakers at dawn... may they all cut their thumbs and bleed into their buns til they melt away..."

herbacidal

herbacidal

Posted
Posted
The only thing I can say with certainty is that it'll be on a Saturday! Phlawless needs to get her schedule ironed out, and I need to find out the soccer schedules of ALL 4 L'il Varmints. Yup, all of them, including the 3 year old, are in soccer come January.

are you trying to include them, or exclude them?

working on babysitters and ride-givers ?

Herb aka "herbacidal"

Tom is not my friend.

Varmint

Varmint

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

phlawless: I don't know how many yet. We'll give it some time.

Herb: The soccer schedules merely dictate whether I'll have time to host such a dinner. Plus, there is a weekend-long tourney some time in January.

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

scottie

scottie

Posted
Posted

Hmm, I'm curious...

My husband and I just moved to Chapel Hill from New Orleans. It would be nice to hook up with some egulleteers here, and have some great food, too.

A Southern Season here in town sure has lots and lots of exotic meats.

I think something pork would be yummy...

Varmint

Varmint

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Welcome, Scottie. Please chime in with some ideas. I think we need some good seafood, too. Squid would be excellent. Some salt cod would be cool, too!

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

scottie

scottie

Posted
Posted

Thanks! Happy to be here.

Seafood would be great. I saw some salt cod at Cliff's in Carrboro that looked interesting. I've never had it, though. Does it go with pasta? Heck, what doesn't?

Last summer, prepping for a trip to NYC that never materialized, I perused the Babbo menu. There was something in the Secondi menu called "guanciale," smoked hog jowls, I believe. Isn't that a regional specialty around here? Well, not the Eye-talian version, but the hillbilly version. Maybe that could be good fixed up with some pasta, Bubba-Babbo style.

I missed your Pig Pickin', sadly, but was pleased to note the regional authenticity of the endeavor.

Which leads me to inquire: How much regionality do you like to incorporate into your shindigs? I'm a big "terroir" person in that I believe locally produced is best.

On the other hand, good food is good and it's fun to try exotic stuff.

Squid, though. :hmmm:

Varmint

Varmint

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

In the middle of the winter, there will be only so much local stuff we can do. Plus, stuff like beef cheeks, truffles, foie gras, and wild mushrooms are going to be from distant lands. Of course, I can get lots of local collards, apples, and sweet potatoes. :wink:

Dean McCord

VarmintBites

joiei

joiei

Posted
Posted

"local collards, apples, and sweet potatoes"

I would consider these basic and necessary staples

It is good to be a BBQ Judge.  And now it is even gooder to be a Steak Cookoff Association Judge.  Life just got even better.  Woo Hoo!!!

bandregg

bandregg

Posted
Posted

What about the ever simple and delightful dishes like bagna cauda. We were served some on linguini over the holidays that was just terrific.

Bryan C. Andregg

"Give us an old, black man singing the blues and some beer. I'll provide the BBQ."

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