Dear Pasta fanatic,

Who doesn't like Pasta?

Whether purchased at the corner restaurant, or at a fashionable parlour on the Italian soil, it's one of the true small pleasures in life.

In its original form, a Pasta (occasionally, Pasta pie) is an type of food made from the flour of various grains, water, and sometimes eggs, which is mixed, kneaded and formed into various shapes, and boiled prior to consumption. While the name comes from Italy, pasta is very popular all over the world. The English word pasta generally refers to noodles and other food products made from a flour and water paste, often including egg and salt. Pasta is often served with tomato sauce and cheese with optional toppings. The cheese is usually mozzarella (the traditional Italian Pasta uses buffalo mozzarella) or sometimes a mixture of several cheeses such as parmesan, romano, ricotta and feta. Various other toppings may be added to the pasta sauce's, most typically: 

• Herbs and seasonings such as basil, oregano, and garlic

• Vegetables such as bell peppers, green peppers, asparagus, eggplant, broccoli, spinach, onions, and artichokes

• Meat or fish products such as sausage, (especially pepperoni or salami), ham, bacon, ground beef, anchovies, chicken, and shrimp

Other common ingredients include mushrooms and olives.

You don't need endless patience to produce your own home-made pasta…as you can see in the recipes we offer you here in www.pastamanual.com... a little time, the rights ingredients, some tips, your own background (you have been eating Pasta your entire life!!!)...its all you need to become an excellent Pasta Cook... and remember practice makes perfection.