Pasta Primavera

Ciao, como stai?

That is how you say "Hello, how are you?" in Italian. I once use to want to learn Italian. That was a long time ago. And, guess what? I still want to learn it! My interest in Italian started because I learned how similar it is to Spanish. Also, I love spaghetti and pasta. How close can you get to the culture than eating and speaking it?

That was how far I got into Italian. I hope to learn more of it soon! I guess I'll just learn Italian cooking in the meantime. And, what is a better dish to make than Pasta Primavera? Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 8 oz dry pasta

Directions:

1.  Place olive oil in skillet over medium heat until hot.
2.  Add sweet red pepper and basil and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Cook fettuccini according to package directions.
4. While pasta is cooking, prepare a thin white sauce by melting the butter over low heat in 1-quart saucepan. Add the flour and salt, and blend until smooth. Remove the saucepan from heat, and gradually add the milk while whisking continuously until smooth.
5.  Place the mixture over medium-high heat. Bring sauce to a boil, and boil for about 1 minute stirring continuously.
6.  Remove sauce from heat, and stir in the pepper and half of the Parmesan cheese until cheese is incorporated. Add the rest of the Parmesan and stir again until it is melted.
7.  Place drained pasta, sautéed vegetables, and white sauce in a large bowl, and toss.
8.  Add more salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

What's your favorite pasta dish?

Do you like cheese bases sauces or tomato bases sauces better?

Oh yea. Fun fact. Tomatoes are not native to Italy! They are native to the Americas. When the Europeans first settled here, they used some of the crops and plants the Native Americans used. The Italians brought back the tomato to Italy. 

Also, the potato is native to the Americas too! The Irish brought them back to Ireland.