Saturday Beefcake

If there is a drawback to growing up with an Italian heritage, it would be hard to find. The language is beautiful and one of the oldest in the world. Italians are the original Latins; after all Roma and Latium is the cradle of the language that influenced Western Europe and eventually much of the New World.

Being identified with pasta is not too shabby of a stereotype. One would be hard pressed to come up with a better instant anti-depressant. It was with great pleasure to witness the pasta craze of the 80s and Elisa Celli's ensuing book with an exceptionally sane reducing diet, The Pasta Diet. Its concept is universal: a sensible and enjoyable diet is the trick to good living.

Elsewhere in this very useful and unfortunately out of print book, La Celli speaks of the nutritional virtues of pasta and, consequently, pasta salad and with pasta as the symbol of parental nutrition, it can only be good news. Pasta salad, nonetheless, is best in warm weather.

Celli tells us, as would any bona fide pasta aficionado, "that the best pasta contains the greatest amount of durum wheat (grano duro). This is the healthiest, lightest pasta you can eat, with firm texture and delicate flavour. The refined inner kernels of hard, durum wheat, ground into a semifine flour, produce the semolina which, mixed with water, becomes the dough that can be made into an incredible variety of dried pasta shapes ... "

The many varieties come from the five basic colours she speaks of in her book: "the regular cream; a light brown variety made with whole wheat flour; yellow ...; green made with spinach; and ... red, made with tomato." [or beets]

Not to be ignored is black pasta made with ink from squid and great with seafood. Both major exporters of quality pasta, Barilla and DeCecco have produced quality whole grain varieties which seem to be catching on somewhat and truly live up to the reputation of its manufacturers.

Celli refers to pasta salad an "all-in-one meal" and instructs, again as any pasta aficionado would, to cook the pasta al dente, which literally means to the tooth which means that the texutre of the pasta should be a bit chewy as opposed to soft. By the way, do not put oil in the water as many Americans do, to keep it from sticking; frequent stirring keeps it from sticking. Putting oil in the water only keeps the pasta from absorbing the "sauce" or flaovurs from the other ingredients. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and immediately rinse it with cold water and then transfer it to a large bowl where it can be tossed with olive oil.

She makes sure that we know what may seem obvious that pasta salad lends itself to every setting. They are perfect for brunches as any dyed in the wool San Francisco or Manhattan denizen may tell you.

From another source with some additions from CoL:

• Fruit: Try adding melons, grapes, apples [granny smith is the best] to add a tang, crunch and a touch of colour. [Dried fruit is great. As in Thursday's recipe, apricots, but also currants and sultanas. A great addition is dried cranberries.]
• Vegetables: You can add uncooked or steamed veggies. Try grilling your favourite vegetables first for added smoky flavour.
• Nuts: Almost any nut will taste great with pasta. Try caramelizing them first for a sweet addition. [Pine Nuts and Almonds are the best]

Well it seems that Mike Betts and Rick Wolfmier, those Olympians of 1980 Colt, are something of which one can't seem to get enough much like pasta, so, once again their images grace Saturday Beefcake with one of Elisa Celli's pasta salad recipes. Their strong yet graceful presence could only enhance a pasta experience which seems to be pretty much the same on another level.

Pasta Salad Athena

500 grams cut Ziti
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
200 grams sliced black olives
100 grams diced onions
200 grams diced tomatoes
200 grams Arugula, broken into small pieces
One Large diced red or yellow bell pepper (roasted, if you like)
Basil, parsley and fresh oregano, chopped together
Crumbled cheese feta, goat or ricotta salata

1. When draining the cooked pasta, rinse with cold water and then rinse again.
2. Toss the pasta with two tablespoons of the oil and then add all remaining ingredients, except the cheese and toss again.
3. Disperse the cheese on top when serving.

This is for four people or for two guys like Rick and Mike on a cool Summer evening. Of course, CoL always adjusts a recipe with subjective changes to enhance the experience and to make it our own.