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[pct-l] Corn pasta

After all the bad mouth about corn pasta, I had to try some.  Here is a
long analysis.

Background:  I am a restaurant critic and a passing amateur cook.  I sure
do like to eat and am willing to write about it.  I write a restaurant
newsletter.

My religion:  I like tasty food, spicy is better.  I don't like pasta,
eggplant or tripe if they have no sauce on them.  They have some texture
(except the eggplant) but little flavor, I don't like boring food.

What I did:   Bought a pound of corn spaghetti, cooked 1/4 #, ate same.  

How it came out:  The Jardine recipe is short on water.  For 4 oz.
spaghetti he says 9 oz. water, I used 14 oz. and it was just about perfect.
  Cooked correctly, all the water is absorbed and the pasta is tender but
firm.   The time is also way off.  Boil for 5-10 minutes, stirring twice,
THEN let it sit for another 5-10 minutes.  NOTE:  Cooked correctly, my
pasta was gluey and clumpy.  This refers to how it LOOKED, not the texture
or mouth-feel or flavor.  

The cooked result was mega-bland, just like any other pasta or eggplant or
tripe would be.  I couldn't have eaten it that way, TOO BORING.  I then
tried it with some chipotles and tomato sauce and with some Thai red curry
sauce.   OUTSTANDING.  As with any other food of this type, the sauce is
everything.  It was great eats.  So for all those folks who left some in
bear boxes, the problem wasn't in the pasta, it was in the sauce.

What to do:  Try sauces from the market.  I went down to the local super
tonight and found close to fifty sauces (dry packets).  Ignore the cooking
directions, stir the powder in with the pasta before letting the pasta sit.
 Make some great homemade sauce and dry it.  Adventure time!

Please go buy some pasta and tell me if you like it as well as I did.  And
use some great sauce with it!    
--
Dave Gomberg	gomberg@wcf.com
FormMaestro  <http://www.wcf.com>
Stop SPAM!  <http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~cbrown/BL/>
Join CAUCE  <http://www.cauce.org>
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