Best Pasta Poems
Along a Jersey creek, somebody
Made a crazy find –
500 pounds of pasta had been
Somehow left behind.
Whoever dumped the noodles
(Mainly elbows and spaghetti)
Isn’t known, but word got out and
There was lots of wordplay ready.
“Pastabilities were endless,”
Was reported and, as well,
“The perpetrators need
The penne-tentiary,” I heard tell.
My favorite was the mastermind
Whose capture is the aim.
Though it might be just an alias,
Al Dente is his name.
PASTA: A FORK OF HEAVEN
In a pot of bubbling boiling water,
I drop hard nine inches long bundle of farfelles..
Minutes passed,between my fingertips,
I pressed one strand, al- dente!
In a platter glittering white,
I form a fist of fresh-cooked pasta noodles,
pouring a hot scoop of white
creamy silky sauce made from:
parmesan and pecorino
melted, blended in a saucepan,
flavored more with a savory stock,
tossed of shallots, saffron and lean meat.
The sauce must be rich enough
coating all the threads of farfelles...
Garnishing it with grated cheese,
teaspoonful crunchy diced bacon,
a pinch of chopped flat leaf parsley...
Voila! Who could refuse this tasty fork of heaven?
__________________________________________________
***farfelle - a type of pasta: thick and wide noodles
al -dente - a pasta noodle cooked all the way through except in the center being slightly undone
CONTEST name: DIDACTIC FOOD
~~3rd place~~
1:54pm, September 09, 2015
Eeny meeny capellini,
Ziti, elbows, bucatini.
Vermicelli, farfalloni,
Gnocchi, orzo, rigatoni.
Alfabeto and linguine,
Cavatelli, fettuccine.
Penne, pappardelle and gigli,
Stelle, risi, tripolini.
Picking pasta gives you choices;
Any way, your mouth rejoices.
Think I'll go and boil me some -
If it's cooked al dente - yum!
Oh, vermicelli, rigatoni!
Lost on a sea of minestrone.
The sea beneath my feet,
And nothing else to eat,
I live on cheese and macaroni.
My mother was an excellent cook, not fancy but home cooking,
Our kitchen was always full of delicious and mouth watering smells;
We kids had our favourites, of course, and it was spaghetti and meatballs,
The succulent aromas drifted and floated throughout the house.
Even to this day when I eat this dish I feel the love of my family,
It was not just the handmade pasta or the thick sweet sauce;
Or the delectable meatballs with parmesan cheese all over the top,
And how we mopped up the bowl with a piece of Italian bread.
It was the whole scene, now memory, the vision of togetherness,
Such a simple dish of pasta and sauce is still a bowl of comfort;
Always a family night favourite, so robust and sweet, and flavourful,
And around the table we talked of life and things that mattered.
I found my mother's recipe diary in her belongings after her death,
It is full of meals of my childhood and a lot involved pasta;
Alphabet soup, macaroni and cheese, ravioli, lasagna and fettuccini,
Recipes for long and short shapes, tubes, twisted and flat pasta.
Now that diary is my treasure, it takes me back to the kitchen,
Where mother and father taught me about morals and ethics;
While I helped with the pasta and holding hands at suppertime,
We thanked the Lord for the food before us and for our family.
But today, I still love pasta and I follow mother's recipe almost,
Except for ethical reasons I make mine vegetarian, still good;
The pasta with a sauce of tomatoes, basil, oregano and garlic,
So yummy and scrumptious, it gives me that feel-good feeling.
_______________________
September 9, 2015
Didactic Verse
For the contest, Didactic Food, sponsor, Tammy Reams
First Place
The strong, potent garlic,
browning in olive oil, fragrance
throughout the house. Pasta
soon would follow. As we entered
the dining room we could smell
the sweet fragrance of fresh basil,
an added invitation to sheer
delight.
Freshly chopped tomato and
scallions fried, gave color to the
dish and last, the gray, delicate
shrimp slowly turning pink.
All then poured over a bed of
penne pasta. Laughter filled the
room like a song. You could feel
the simple elegance of dining
with friends. A bottle of aged
Cabernet was poured... let the
feast begin.
October 1st, 2015
There was a large cat from Llanelli
Who was terribly fond of spaghetti
One day out of menace
He travelled to Venice
Where he dined in the sun on a jetty.
Come gather one and all
As I tell you of a feast
That in this land
Could not be any finer
What is this meal called?
Give us a hint at least
What is so grand
And Heaven on earth, fair diner?
I shall tell you of this wondrous meal
That I devour with gustatory zeal
When it comes to pasta
I'll never say "Basta"
That means: Can't get enough
Of that semolina stuff
Covered with marinara
Topped with parmigiana
That is my tasty treasure
And my perfect pasta pleasure
Ravioli, Mostaccioli
With sauce: Putanesca or Bostaccioli
A pan of Baked Ziti
With a bottle of Riuniti
Rigatoni, by Ronzoni
Oh, just call it Macaroni
Ditalini, Cappellini
Twirl my fork in the Fettucini
Here comes mama with the lasagna
Everybody Mangia, Mangia!
I could easily consume it
For breakfast, lunch and dinner
It doesn't matter to me
That I'll never be any thinner
It's delightful beyond measure
This is my perfect pasta pleasure
~ Spinach Pasta Delight ~
( Epulaeryu )
Pasta dish is a delight
Tomatoes, spinach
Some basil, oregano
Onion, add garlic
Pasta penne, cook
Bake it all
Wow!
Dorian Petersen Potter
aka ladydp2000
copyright@2017
July.13.2017
'Kindness is a language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.'
- Mark Twain-
~Author's Notes:
The 'Epulaeryu' is a poetry form or style that was developed by Joseph Spence, Sr. The name of the poetic form was selected as a result of experiencing the Mediterranean and Far East cultures, and enjoying many succulent and nourishing meals and food during those memorable travels.
You are the stuff my culinary dreams are made of.
Unending shapes and sizes.
From skinny linguini to the rounded orecchiette
and squiggly fusilli.
As my tongue tastes morsels of your saucy tubular goodness,
I compose a rhyme of the ancient marinara to atone
for my over-the-top pasta love.
Stuffed, plain, buttered. Swimming in Sunday sauce.
The tastiest were those plain whites I pilfered from the pot
before nonna caught me. Whack! with the wooden spoon.
It’s rumored my very first uttering was mangia – an oft-heard word
spoken by mama as she attempted to feed me.
“You’re going to turn into a rigatoni
if you don’t eat something else,” she implored.
Ha! If I were a rigatoni, we’d be cugini.
I only liked you, beautiful al dente you.
And semolina only, please. I accept no impastas!
You’ve been with me through thick and thin,
mostly thick ... around my hips.
Late night comfort snack,
midday bowl of depression-busting goodness.
The breakfast of strong Italian women!
You are Sophia Loren’s guilty pleasure.
Mine, too. With the emphasis on pleasure.
One bite and I am transported back to childhood.
Visions of homemade pasta drying on pristine
white flour sack towels tantalize my taste buds.
You, dear pasta, are la bomba.
My love for you is unending, until we all farfalle down.
I once met a fat lady called Nettie
She ate plate after plate of spaghetti
Her face looked a real mess
Pasta splashed on her dress
She reminded me of a huge yeti
04~13~17
Dining with devotion
generates joy and satisfaction;
with best food served on the table,
truly, an act of celebration.
I dawdle in getting to the food
to let others take their choice;
my favorites showcase their flavor
filled with a finely made concoction.
Tomatoes seem quite ubiquitous
in many cuisines like Italian flavor;
macaroni and cheese with white truffles
creamy and tasteful, so edible!
Farfalle is my pasta shape of choice,
with gorgonzola, parmigian, or mature Stilton
all good combinations for an Italian version.
Wine, not alt-beer with an enticing taste;
like brands of Goose Island or Uerige Sticke Alt
the choice of many that’s fresh and lively.
A gorgeous fillet of salmon, so delicious!
with adorable broccoli and string beans
a path to healthy meals, an invitation
with distinctive tastes that hail good combinations.
Love pasta in any way shape or form
It's basically all the same stuff
Different shapes, sometimes filled
Proudly I'm a pasta buff
With cheese or meat and tomato sauce
Making me drool right now
Might not be able to finish my poem
Heading for the kitch......
© Jack Ellison 2013
Pasta with tomato sauce and basil please!
Or, white pasta with olive oil will do,
Steaming hot, slippery, sprinkled with cheese,
How about tagliatelle smothered in ragu',
Cannelloni stuffed with ricotta and spinach,
Thick lasagne layered with ham.
Please say it's pasta, please say we can.
Ravioli with potato filling dripping in butter,
Tortiglioni, penne, spaghetti, fusilli, I silently mutter.
Please say it's pasta, the good old red, white and green,
Please heap our plates and order us to lick them clean,
Pasta, please, Pasta.
When I think of my favourite food
my mind thinks of a wonderful land
one shaped similar to a boot
it's capital is so very grand
So my favourite food is Italia Pasta
those lovely strands made so slender
such smoothness made to a T
your taste buds feel it so tender
There's so many kinds of variety
such a lot to even mention
but gives such a great taste
for it always holds your attention
When made together with succulent meat
topped over with real creamy cheese
O the thought just fills your mind
it's really just the bees knees
I could have it every night
breakfast lunch dinner and tea
but too much of a good thing
makes the tummy too big to see!