I Wanna Try This!

While I was plowing through the shelves of every grocery store we've been to in Rome for that nero pasta, I came across with Paella alla valenciana, which would qualify as an instant dish.  I could not exactly remember how much it costs (but probably would not reach 10 euros or P608.80 at 1euro=P60.88).  If you know me well, I am a self-confessed seafood addict and being that, I immediately put the thing in my basket and proceeded to the checkout counter.

Fast forward, I am now looking forward to that day when I will have enough time to cook (or say, heat) and savor the dish.  Weekends are my rest days, which are, at times, my excuses for being lazy even in the kitchen. :)

First thing I should go through, though, is to study the fine print at the back of the product package.  ;)

Wish I could just scan the Italian instructions and easily decode its English translation!  Wish me luck! :)

P.S. I hope I will be able to remember to take a picture of the end-result of my heating, err, cooking skill and share it to this blog.  Again, wish me luck! ;)

Cravin' for Nero Pasta

I've been to Italy for a few times already.  And I thought that my sole favorite Italian dish is Frutti de Mare.  That changed when, during our most recent deployment, we dined in a restaurant, which was literally just a few steps away from the place where we used to stay.  It was my first time in that restaurant and my first time to taste nero pasta.  By the way, "nero", in Italian, means black.  It was so yummy that I did not mind being told by a Director that the squid ink painted my lips black.  I thought that she was joking when she further said that I was wearing a Gothic lipstick!

Nonetheless, knowing that I enjoyed my pasta so well, my seatmate gave me a quick cooking lesson on nero pasta dish.  Thanks to her simple recipe, at that moment, I couldn't wait to buy and take home as much nero pasta as I can.  Sad to say, not all grocery stores in Rome have nero pasta on their shelves.  In my recollection, there were only three grocery stores that sell nero pasta, one of which is Conad City (but not all branches!).  And take note, nero pasta is so expensive compared to other pasta noodles!

By the way, frutti de mare and nero pasta are both served with seafoods - shellfish and squid, respectively.  My love for seafoods explains why the aforesaid dishes are my favorites!

I haven't tried cooking nero pasta yet.  It's been almost a month since I received the box containing, among others, my priced nero pasta.  Just looking at the packed noodles brings back memories of how tasty the dish was.  Perhaps this weekend, I will have the privilege to challenge my culinary skills (or incompetence) and hopefully savor what I am craving for right now.  Perhaps this weekend.. ;)