Pasta

At first I thought I was going to photograph every type of pasta I could get my hands on.. but wikipedia has a very good set of images (which I will paste below) that show all the popular types. Don't get scared, you won't have to learn to recognize all different kinds of pasta, I'm just posting this so you have an idea of the many different forms in which pasta can come. Also, this can be a useful visual reference.

 Long pasta:

Short pasta:

Pasta for soups:

Egg pasta:

Fresh pasta ("casereccia" means "homemade"):

Each of these kinds of pasta has its strengths and weak spots, each one is good to use with some ingredients and is wasted with others. Stay tuned and I will teach you the best combinations in an easy way.  Tomorrow we'll start with something very simple: spaghetti pomodoro e basilico [spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil]. You'll be amazed how easy it is to make such a delicious and healthy meal.