Also known as farfalle, it is the Italian word for bow-tie pasta. Farfalle translates to the word "butterflies," which is exactly what these little critters look like. Bow-tie pasta is fantastic when it comes to mopping up sauces and cheese. The pasta is well suited for tomato and cream sauces, although it can be used for others as well. It also holds its shape really well when baked in casseroles.
Living in Chicago for 11 years, I was surrounded by a plethora of wonderful Italian restaurants that delivered. One of my favorite restaurants was 'Go Roma,' which made and delivered the most insanely yummy bow-tie pasta with an amazingly olive oily Pomodoro sauce. Everyone I have ever introduced to this, has enjoyed it just as much as I have.
There is a noticeably difference in fresh pasta than boxed pasta. Fresh pasta gives you that eggy satiating taste that I have a hard time finding in boxed store-bought pasta. Once you establish the perfect pasta dough recipe, it is so easy to prepare. And, this pasta is not limited to just one sauce! Pair it with anything that gets you excited.
Pomodoro sauce is typically prepared with olive oil (good olive oil), fresh or canned tomatoes, basil, and other ingredients. My "other ingredients" include an overwhelming amount of fresh garlic, carrots, dried oregano, and a parmesan cheese rind. If you decide you want to use fresh plum tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes, you will need to blanch and shock the tomatoes and proceed to peel them. Roma tomatoes work the best in this case, because they have less seed compartments, so you won't need to remove the center.
Pomodoro means "tomato" in Italian. It is similar to a marinara sauce, but it uses olive oil as the base rather than a chicken stock. Pomodoro sauce is much thicker than a marinara, but still quite liquidy (because of the olive oil) with fewer chunks. Why exactly are we using carrots, you ask? Well, its either carrots or granulated sugar. You want to start eating healthier, right? Right! Carrots are a great substitute for sugar, because they add an element of sweetness to the sauce and gives it some flavor depth, while they deacidify the tomatoes. The basil presents an initial subtle peppery flavor that evolves into a slightly sweet anise flavor as it cooks. It is best to add the basil towards the end of the cooking process (if it is a long process), because the oils in this herb activate the flavors and aromas, which hit their peak quickly, delivering an immense amount of FLAVA. However, 45 minutes is short enough where you can add the fresh herbs towards the beginning to middle stages of the process. And, while we are skipping the sugar, we can also skip the salt! I add the rind of parmesan cheese, which adds a salty flavor to the sauce. But, if you must, you can add a bit of kosher salt to the sauce as well. Dried oregano is incredible in the sense that it is more flavorful than any other herb when its dried than fresh. It adds a comforting, familiar, slightly bitter taste to the sauce.
This is a great week night dinner, because it is intended to be a quick light dish, rather than heavy. It also cooks up in less than an hour! It is great to make with the kiddies too! I have made pasta with my 7-year-old sister before and not only does she love cutting out the shapes, but she really develops an appreciation for food. It's definitely a lot less fights at the dinner table when you get the kids involved in the cooking process. I have one of the pickiest sisters in the world, so I am living proof. Ciao!
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