For the love of pasta

How many times have you fallen in love with a product in a supermarket when the unthinkable happens...they discontinue it? For one reason or another be it the distributor stops carrying it or the product is just not meeting sales expectations, or the manufacturer simply stops making it, supermarkets remove products from the shelves and replace them with what they hope will be better selling products all the time. But when the product is something you really have come to love, it can be very disappointing.

When a friend first told me about Real Torino pasta I scoffed at the idea that there could be a difference in dried pastas. "Dried pasta is dried pasta" I told her. "The only real difference in taste is between fresh and dried". Steadfast in her opinion, she gave me a bag of Real Torino Rigatoni and challenged me to not find a difference. Long story short, while I hate (I mean really hate) admitting I am wrong, I really could taste the difference-it seemed thicker, like what you get at restaurants-it was just a really nice texture. So like my friend, I became a committed Torino pasta lover. The pasta, imported from Italy cost a little bit more than some of my usual brands, but I was in love and money would not separate me from my new love.

Sadly something did eventually separate me from my new love, my supermarket-they stopped carrying Real Torino; in fact every supermarket in my area stopped carrying it. Like a school girl dumped by her first love, I was devastated. (I know it's only pasta...but what can I say?) So you can image my joy when 6 months later I stumbled upon Real Torino in a small shop near my daughter's dance studio. I filled my cart. The cashier looked at me oddly and I sheepishly explained "...it's really good....I can't get it in my supermarket".

Even if I can't convert you to a Real Torino lover, it's worth a trip to Real Torino's web site to see the dancing pasta-they're doing the Macarena.

Lemon-Pepper Bucatini Salad

1 lb. buccatini shaped pasta

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups thinly sliced fresh spinach leaves

1 cup grape tomato halves

6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, small diced

Cook the bucatini in a large pot of salted boiling water until tender to the bite, about 6 minutes; drain and transfer to a large bowl.

Stir in the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Let the pasta cool for 5-10 minutes. Add the spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and toss to combine; serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Yield: 8 servings