Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Pasta Para Duros

I just realized that tomorrow is the 20th and my quarterly taxes are due. How the heck did this last three months go by so quickly? I have a ton of posting to do before tomorrow so this entry shall be brief.

Yesterday, I mentioned a new, (well, new to me) product I bought over the weekend. Has anyone else ever heard of Pasta Para Duros? I had never seen or eaten this cute little pasta treat.

Pasta Para Duros

As closely as I can figure, the name translates to hard paste noodle adornments. The neat thing about it and the main reason I bought it was that the label says you can cook it in the microwave. No water required. Just place a few of the little pasta wheels on a paper towel and nuke them for 30 - 35 seconds and they puff up into cute and crunchy doo-dads.

Soft Taco with Para Duro Garnish

Apparently you can nuke them or deep fry them. The packaging suggests sprinkling them with lime juice and pico de gallo seasoning or dipping them in salsa. I bet if I deep fried them, they would be good sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, like a churro. I may try dipping them in dark chocolate for a desert garnish but this was the first time I experimented with them. Look how cute they are as a garnish with last night's supper of soft tacos (yes, I know I am on a taco kick lately), cold marinated green beans and chilled pasta salad. The best part is, it took one paper towel and 35 seconds to make them! You can purchase them online at http://www.melissas.com.

Since it's too hot to cook during Florida summers, I like to make a different pasta salad every week or so. This one is made with tri-color rotini, tarragon, zucchini, chicken, asiago cheese, olives, peas, onions and a touch of garlic. I dressed it with good olive oil, fresh lemon juice and salt and pepper. Very simple, very quick to make and a great way to use up all those extra zukes and that leftover chicken from last night's supper.

Pasta Salad

Time to start working on the quarterlies. If I don't get sidetracked, maybe I can be done with it all tonight and not have to waste any time tomorrow thinking about tedious things like record keeping and taxes.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to try this pasta salad .... your blog is the only one I read that leaves my mouth watering!
annie p

Flaurella said...

Hi Annie P,
Pasta salad is the easiest summertime food in the world. Just use whatever fresh veggies and herbs you have on hand, remember to add some onion or scallions and some fresh garlic, and then chill BEFORE you add your fave dressing. If you add the dressing when the pasta or veggies are hot, the salad will absorb all the fat in the dressing and become greasy. It takes far less dressing of any kind when added to chilled ingredients. Mangia!

Anonymous said...

a lunch south beach dieters would kill for..

Elmer said...

Pretty helpful data, thank you for the article.
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