tweak and nourish

FASCINATION WITH FRESH PASTA. It all began one fine afternoon after an orthodontic visit. (For the life of me, why did I get braces at 50?) My husband and I were looking for something to eat near the dental clinic. He couldn't decide which cuisine reigned supreme at that moment so I suggested trying out the Italian restaurant that serves fresh pasta in Redondo Beach. Before the pandemic, I was a big fan of Eater LA that I had to check it every night to find out what's new in the dining scene. I'm glad I did when I tasted the fresh pasta at Fatto a Mano. From then on, I looked forward to my regular orthodontic visits (to have my braces tightened) because it gave us an excuse to eat fresh pasta😊

You may have noted on my previous posts on pasta that I am well aware of its carbohydrate content and still eating it. I've tried pasta substitutes such as bean pasta, zoodles, spaghetti squash, sweet potato spirals, etc. but nothing compares to fresh pasta made of semolina flour from Italy. If I will eat one serving with 43g of carbs, I might as well enjoy a bowl of fresh pasta. (And because it's so good, I always end up eating another bowl!)

My orthodontic visits have stopped during this pandemic and you probably guessed that I haven't eaten fresh pasta for months. My husband and I have practically stayed indoors most of the time so we haven't made attempts to buy take-out meals. He has been honing his cooking skills while unemployed during this crisis. One of the skills he wants to improve is pasta making. For his first fresh handmade pasta dish, he added marinara sauce with meatballs and an option for a meatless dish of marinara with zucchini. It was amazingly delicious! At first bite, I was speechless. On subsequent bites, I couldn't stop raving about it. I can totally relate to the phrase, "once you've had fresh pasta, you'll never go back".

Fresh Handmade Pasta

Fresh Handmade Pasta

Fresh Fettucine Pasta with Marinara, Zucchini, and Meatballs