10 Ways to Demonstrate Your Love of Pasta During National Pasta Month (October)

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"Pastaphiles" rejoice! Now is the time to start planning the festivities for National Pasta Month -- the month to indulge your affection for one of America's favorite foods. Enjoy pasta all month long with these suggestions from NPA:


Learn to cook perfect pasta by tapping into www.ilovepasta.org for a wealth of pasta recipes.

Take a fellow pasta lover to lunch at your favorite pasta restaurant.

Plan a Columbus Day pasta party. Serve appetizers, entrees, salads, and desserts - all made with pasta for your guests to "discover." You can even use pasta shapes to create decorations for the party.


Plan to celebrate United Nations Day (October 24) by serving your family and friends an international pasta menu or a combination platter with samples of ethnic pasta favorites.

Fight the October chills with a big bowl of pasta soup. If you need a recipe, try NPA's Acorn Squash and Pasta Soup.



Prepare a pasta salad for your next tailgate party. Pasta provides the energy you'll need to root your team on to victory.

Return to comfort foods with NPA's recipes for mac and cheese, lasagne, or spaghetti and meatballs.

Master the art of substitution. Try a new shape in some of your favorite pasta dishes. For instance, use radiatore or spirals for a new twist on macaroni and cheese, or try bow ties in your favorite pasta salad for an elegant new appearance.


Become a pasta prodigy by vowing to add at least one new pasta shape a month to your pasta repertoire.


Play around with pasta - WITHOUT a recipe. Improvise by grabbing some spices and anything else you have in your refrigerator or pantry and let your imagination run wild! You can create great pasta dishes in less that 10 minutes. For more on "pasta improv," check out our special improv chart.


If you are already a pasta aficionado, take these quizzes to test your Pasta I.Q.

Quiz #1:

1. In Italian, fettuccine means:
a) ribbons
b) strings
c) horse hair
d) whiskers

2. In Italian, stelline means:
a) little diamonds
b) butterflies
c) melon seeds
d) little stars

3. When is National Pasta Month:
a) the month of May when durum wheat is planted
b) the month during which Columbus Day falls
c) the month of September when durum is harvested
d) the month during which daylight savings time begins

4. In Italian, capelli d'angelo means:
a) little angels
b) angel's wings
c) angel's hair
d) angel's breath

5. Pasta is on record as first being eaten by whom?
a) the Chinese
b) the Italians
c) the Greeks
d) the Romans

6. Pasta does not contain:
a) B vitamins
b) iron
c) fiber
d) cholesterol

7. Which of the following statements is false when it comes to cooking
pasta? a) at least one quart of water should be used for every four ounces of dry pasta
b) pasta should always be rinsed after cooking
c) salt added to the boiling water is optional
d) the pot should be kept uncovered while the water is boiling

8. Approximately how many shapes of pasta have been developed?
a) 100
b) 350
c) 25
d) 600

Answers:
1. a) ribbons
2. d) little stars
3. b) National Pasta Month is always the month during which Columbus Day falls
4. c) angel's hair
5. a) The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.
6. d) Pasta alone contains no cholesterol
7. b) Do not rinse pasta after cooking unless the recipe specifically says to do so
8. d) 600