Everyone loves pasta. To satisfy your pasta cravings and find the best pasta, take this pasta shape identification quiz from Slashfood.

The dark side of cantaloupe. Photo: oskay, Flickr

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• When a diet restricts, here's how to indulge in a creamy linguine without the heavy cream.
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It's Meyer lemon season and I am delighting in their tangy flavor (the appearance of these lemons makes the onset of winter a little more palatable). My grandmother had a Meyer lemon tree in the backyard of her house in Woodland Hills, CA and the first whiff of their signature scent (a little more floral and sweet than a conventional lemon) always takes me back to her kitchen.

Friday night, I was home alone and in need of some dinner. I considered heading down the street for some takeout Thai but having eaten out a whole lot last week, I determined to do something at home with ingredients already in the fridge. Surveying my options, I came upon a bag of Meyer lemons, a third of a package of linguine, some ancient creme fraiche, some already-grated Parmesan cheese (I realize it's a foodie sin to buy it pre-grated, but sometimes it's just so much easier) and a bag of must-be-used arugula.

Those ingredients started a bell in the back of my mind jingling and I dredged up a memory of a recipe that used those components in Amanda Hesser's Cooking for Mr. Latte. Finding the book in a stack in the bedroom, I cooked up what became a delicious and easy solo dinner. The recipe is after the jump.

In the New York Times Magazine, chef Daniel Patterson, owner of Coi in San Francisco, admits to a massive kitchen taboo - he doesn't like garlic. Well, he doesn't like eye-stinging, cutting-board ruining radioactive garlic, that is. What he does like is green garlic, the young stalks of the garlic plant plucked before they reach maturity. Also known as spring or new garlic, it goes perfectly with springtime dishes like lamb, peas and fava beans. Patterson likes to turn it into a aioli-like sauce by pureeing it with egg, oil and vinegar and using it as a sandwich spread and an artichoke dip.

The story includes a great-looking recipe for linguine with green garlic sauce, which I'll have to try next time I get my hands on four pounds of Manila clams. If you try it, please let me know how it is!

I've been cutting down on carbs lately and looking for an excuse to have a big plate of spaghetti topped with sauce and grated parmesan cheese. Hello National Pasta Day!

I could spend the entire day just doing posts for pasta, it's such a versatile food, but I can't do that. Instead, here are several pasta recipes from various sites, including Epicurious, AllRecipes, RecipeZaar, Food Network, The Reluctant Gourmet and The National Pasta Association.

And don't forget the sauce! Here are several recipes from About.com and this one from MealsMatter.org for Southwestern Pasta Sauce.

I am all for quick and simple dishes - the freshest and best ingredients need little in my experience to shine. This recipe, a highly adaptable one I should add, comes from Rick Stein's Food Heroes:another helping. It is adaptable as the crayfish (he recommends fresh water crayfish which are abundant in the UK's rivers) can be substituted with langoustines, lobster or large prawns.

 

Linguine with Crayfish - serves 2

• 225g (8oz) cooked freshwater crayfish tail meat
• 225g (8oz) dired linguine
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 4 tomatoes skinned, seeded and finely chopped
• 50ml (2 fl oz) dry white wine
• 2-3 tablespoons double cream
• 1 small bunch of basil torn into small pieces
• salt and pepper

Cook the linguine for 8-9 minutes until al dente. Fry the garlic in the olive oil, add the tomatoes, white wine and some seasoning, Cook 4-5 minutes until the liquids have reduced a little. Add the crayfish, the cream and simmer for a minute until the crayfish is warmed through. Add the basil, check the seasoning, and toss into the drained pasta.

A note on the wine - I tend to use unoaked wines in cooking. Those heavily oaked chardonnays can add oak/woody flavours so I generally go for Italian whites or cheaper wines from the South of France. Sauvignon Blanc works well too.

[Photo Andrew Barrow]