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illinoisadventures · 3 years

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…..👻

It was….sudden, to say the least. Dark always said he’d wait until after both Illinois and Yancy and now Yanny were gone. Make sure they were well-taken care of, even in the ground. They were all older now, well into their 60s, even Dark was now a little over 200 years old. He’d seemed fine, happy, with Mikey and Connie and Aiden all grown up, Venus still looking not a day over 20, full of life.

And yet, one day, they’d still woken up to him colder than he should be, wings limp, chest still, and his expression still twisted like it did when he was having a nightmare.

Just an empty shell in bed.

They didn’t realize it at first, with how he was always so cold. Illinois had a bunch of body issues as is, with how fucked up it’s gotten from his earlier years. He was barely functional, needing help with just moving around.

Still snuggled into Dark’s side, head on his chest. Blearily looking at up at him, fingers twitching in their poor attempt to knead over his stomach.

Meanwhile Yancy just… slept. Peacefully, one arm far less strong then in his prime thrown over Dark, the other around Yanny. Buried under the limp wing, only his snores and occasional twitching showed he was there, along with his peppered hair sticking out.

By the time they realized it hours later, Yanny and Yancy waking up, it would be from how blankly Illinois looked at them, silent tears running down his face. It wasn’t the first time he laid with a body, and he could’ve moved at any time. Even with his mess, he was still stubborn enough to collapse on floors, or attempt to pull himself places and fall. He hadn’t though, continuing to lay right there, pecking Dark’s face occasionally with trembling lips. Hoping he would come back, not even having the ability to call loud for Ahperikaar.

It took… much longer then Yancy would like to admit, putting the pieces together as he reached out to dry Illinois’ tears. The lack of movement wasn’t something he noticed, as he went to nudge at Dark. Pressing a kiss to the palm of his hand and patting at his face.

“Babe. Babe! Wa’up. I knows youse likes youses beauty sleep an’ all, bu’ youse young ‘nough, an’ Noisys cryin’. Babe? BABE!” A harsh coughing fit broke out after his yell, making him keel over with an arm over his chest.

Dark still didn’t move. Dark always responded, no matter how often Yancy gripped about them always being able to take care of themselves. Afraid they’d kick the bucket at the slightest brush of air.

That’s the third thing that sent the alarm bells ringing, as he nudged Yanny and told him to turn on the light, and hand him his glasses. Putting the silver frames on to get a better look at Dark.

Another coughing fit, punctuated with screams between, and Illinois’ quiet plea, asking “Why?”

#I actually cried writing this #Illi needs so much help to move #the cane can only help for a bit and even then he needs a wall or something to grab onto #he’s got pepper hair too but it’s mostly white #Yancy’s is mostly silver with a lot of black even though he’s one year older XD #ask #doctordiscord123 #dark infatuation #death tw #answer #Illi things #Yancy things

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emdythewriter · 4 years

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A new light | chapter eleven (Elriel)

A/N: sorry is been so long the first year of college hit me hard and I’m finally just now getting back to myself. But I’m planning on updating this until it’s done, which will probably be around 15 chapters!

(NSFW)

Elain woke up to her usual alarm but she didn’t wake up in her room. No, she was still wrapped up in the toned muscles of Azriel’s arms. Her back was flushed against every inch of his body, and could feel his morning wood pressing into her ass. She smiled, eyes still closed as she rolled over in his grasp to face him, only to find Azriel watching her.

Reaching up Elain watched as Az brushed a strand of fallen hair back behind her ear. His fingers then trailed down her cheek, her jaw, and neck before slinky down her arm and latching onto her hand. Az laced their fingers together, watching as they fit perfectly together.

“I hate that I waited so long to do this,” Azriel whispered, still looking at their laced fingers.

“Holding my hand?” Elain teased though she suspected he was referring more so to what they did last night, several times over. Az chuckled, smiling and she could see the twinkle of happiness in his eyes before it disappeared.

“I meant holding you,” He replied almost quietly, no longer looking at her or their hands, in fact he had dropped his hold all together. Elain moved her body over his, laying on his chest and looking up at his hazel eyes.

“We were idiots,” she told him, brushing his hair back now like he had done to hers. “But we aren’t anymore.” She pressed a kiss to the hollow his neck, to his jawline, the corner of his mouth, and finally his lips.

The kiss was slow but sweet and full of all the sorrow each of them had felt in not being together, all the pain over the last few days of not being friends even. They let it all melt into the kiss. Az slipped his tongue into her mouth, moving the kiss to a new pace. Elain started to rock her hips against his, moaning in pleasure as he groaned beneath her.

Then Elain’s alarm went off again reminding them both that they still had another day of work before the weekend. Reaching over to the nightstand she turned it off, then started to move out from under the sheets. Azriel made a noise of complaint, she smiled as she pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose.

“Come join me,” Elain whispered before turning and heading for the bathroom to start a shower. Az practically jumped out of his bed as he went to join her. She giggled as she watched and even more as he swept her into his arms and into the spray of warm water.

The moment the shower door was closed he slammed his lips onto hers. Her smile was still there as Azriel slipped his tongue into her mouth, hands gripping her waist and pressing her flush to the glass wall of the shower. Elain ran her hands up his arms and into his dark hair, tangling her fingers all up in the wet strands. Pure bliss.

Az started to pepper kisses across her skin. First her jaw and then her neck and down her chest and stomach until he was on his knees. Elain’s hooded eyes watched him as he spread her legs, kissing her thighs, his thumb pressing to her clit. She moaned at the pressure and then again when he moved his tongue over her.

“Az,” Elain breathed out as he sucked, nipping at her a couple of times. His tongue dipped in and out, lapping her up. She rocked her hips against his wonderful mouth as he kept up his ministrations. Gripping her hips Azriel brough Elain to the edge of an orgasm before standing to his full height. “What the fuck.”

“That’s not how I want you to come,” Az whispered against the shell of her ear, a devilish smirk on his face. Then he gripped the back of her thighs and hoisted Elain up. Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist as she gasped. Then he slammed into her.

“Fuck,” she said out of surprise at the sudden pressure, the sudden feel of him inside her. “We’re going to be late,” Elain thought out loud as she met Az’s hazel eyes. He clearly didn’t give a fuck.

“Then we’ll be late,” he responded before colliding their mouths together causing all of her thoughts that weren’t about him to disappear. Azriel thrust in and out of her as their tongues danced, as Elain dug her nails into his shoulder blades. One thing he found out about Elain last night was that the tighter she gripped his back, the harder her nails dug into his skin the closer she was to an orgasm.

“Azriel,” Elain moaned and a few seconds later he felt her come. Felt her as she clenched around him drawing him to his own climax. Az groaned into her neck as he milked hers and his own orgasms until they were about to collapse onto the shower floor.

“We’re doing this every morning from now on,” Elain said once she regained her composure. Azriel chuckled into her neck, pressing a kiss against her collarbone before pulling out and setting her back on her feet.

“No complaints here,” Azriel said before reaching around Elain to grab a bottle of soap. They began to wash each other off and get ready for the day ahead. Elain had to go back to her own apartment to get dressed into fresh clothes.

Once Azriel was fully dressed he made his way to her apartment just as she emerged from it. She smiled up at him as he took in her attire for the final day of work before the weekend. Elain was dressed in a baby pink sundress with little red flowers all over it. She even had matching red flats on her feet and a red purse to complete the look. Her hair was left down but had a little barrette in the front to hold back the stray hairs.

“Ready?” Azriel asked her once his eyes made their way back up to her smiling and perfect face. Elain reached down and clasped his hand.

“Yes,” she answered, her smile seemed to grow brighter as she uttered that one simple word. Azriel couldn’t help but smile back as they made their way out the elevator and out of their building.

“When you get home you should pack a bag for the weekend,” Azriel said as they headed down the block in the direction of their office buildings.

“Why?” Elain asked, facing him as they halted at the crosswalk.

“Because I want you to stay at my place for the weekend,” Az said like it should’ve been obvious. After so long of waiting he was ready to spend a day or night without her. Last night and this morning cemented that.

“Then why would I need clothes?” Elain said, sending a sexy little teasing smirk of her own as they crossed the street.

“You’re going to make this a long day, you know that?” Azriel said as they stood in front of Elain’s office building.

“That’s the idea,” she responded as she stood on her tiptoes to press a light and teasing kiss to his lips. Then she turned and headed into her day of work. Azriel shook his head as he headed across the street and into his own office.

“Did Elain just kiss you?” Rhys asked, sticking his head out of his office door as Azriel walked passed.

“None of your business,” Az said simply though he knew it also answered the question that had been asked.

“About fucking time!” Rhys shouted back just before Az closed his office door. With a chuckle he plopped down into his cushioned chair, taking in his organized desk and thinking over all the tasks he had for the day in his head.

Then he reached into the drawer of his desk, the one that held all of the things that had reminded him of Elain, including the picture frame. There was no point in keeping it all in that stupid drawer anymore. They were together now.

And he was never letting go.

Tag list:

@thephilosophyofblank @roseteaofficial @sleeping-and-books @court-of-fuck-me-daddy @azriels-forgotten-shadow @tintinnabulary @jemma-nessian-and-elriel @cc-psm @chemicha @but-she-was-aelin-galathynius @ttakeitbacknoww @azrielismycinnamonrollprimary @mis-lil-red @poisonous00 @julesherondalex @acreativitydump @theogvodkaaunt @rapunzel1523 @l0sts0uls1128 @lord-douglas-the-third @musicalfae @sezkins79 @eloeloeheheh @caldelray @abimomeopectore @tswaney17 @wonderlandatemypanckes @loysydark @imheretooa @illyriangarbage @emmejo26 @amitynotpity @alingelina @unassumingsoda @hav-illi-ard @amylindle @ellenoftroy

(Let me know if you want to be tagged!)

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revengeisalwaysanoption · 4 years

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50 QUESTIONS YOU’VE NEVER BEEN ASKED

tagged by @lovely-things3 and @silenzio-assenzio

1. what is the color of your hairbrush? Black

2. a food you never eat? Turnips.

3. are you typically too warm or too cold? At home I’m usually too warm, outside I’m too cold (also because with any temperature below 0°C my fingers really hurt, even if I’m wearing gloves!)

4. what were you doing 45 minutes ago? Doing the dishes.

5. what is your favorite candy bar? Kinder Bueno.

6. have you ever been to a professional sports event? Yes, my hometown used to have a male volleyball team in Italian Serie A and my father and I used to go and watch all the play off matches.

7. what is the last thing you said out loud? I don’t really recall, as I tend to talk to myself a lot, but it was probably “cazzo” because the water was too hot.

8. what is your favorite ice cream? Fiordilatte & Menta, Strawberry and Mango. Artisan gelato is SO MUCH BETTER THAN industrial ice-cream, by the way... And my actual favourite is frappé... I got so pissed in Mexico that they called “frappé” something with coffee in it, when in Italian it simply means a milkshake made with gelato instead of fruit.

9. what was the last thing you had to drink? A latte.

10. do you like your wallet? Yes!

11. what was the last thing you ate? Pelmeni for lunch.

12. did you buy any new clothes last weekend? Yes, a scarf because it’s impossible to find masks.

13. the last sporting event you watched? Can’t remember.

14. what is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Anything that is SALTED, ffs. I want to feel that salt BURN my lips.

15. who is the last person you sent a text message to? my mom

16. ever go camping? yes

17. do you take vitamins? no, never taken any

18. do you go to church every sunday? Never did

19. do you have a tan? Not at the moment

20. do you prefer chinese food or pizza? PIZZAAAAAAAAAAA

21. do you drink your soda with a straw? Only at the cinema

22. what color socks do you usually wear? Black or grey

23. ever drive above the speed limit? Yes (not by much)

24. what terrifies you? The future

25. look to your left, what do you see? My bed and the closet

26. what chore do you hate? Cleaning the windows. Never did it here, actually.

27. what do you think of when you hear an australian accent? Nothing, really. On the other hand when I hear some British accents I’m like “Have I have ever studied English??? What language is this ?????”

28. what’s your favorite soda? L&P... I find it slightly different than Sprite and SevenUp and just what I adore. Sadly I could only find that in NZ.

29. do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive-thru? I go in.

30. who’s the last person you talked to? On the Internet? Several people... Actually using my voice? My students, yesterday.

31. favorite cut of beef? Sirloin (at a restaurant that is well known for their meat, in Italy, I usually ask for a green pepper sirloin - rare)

32. last song you listened to? Seventeen Years, Ratatat

33. last book you read? Still reading it... “The Cockroach” by Ewan McEwan.

34. favorite day of the week? Wednesday.

35. can you say the alphabet backwards? No

36. do you like your coffee? This particular brand? Not so much. But I’m not paying 700 rubles for a can of “ILLY” (which is my favourite)

37. favorite pair of shoes? Don’t have one

38. at what time do you normally go to bed? 2 a.m., unless I am exhausted

39. at what time do you normally get up? 9:30

40. what do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets

41. how many blankets are on your bed? One

42. describe your kitchen plates. White with colored flowers on the side (for the 2nd course) and just white for pasta/soups.

43. do you have a favorite alcoholic beverage? Pastis 51 (Ouzo, Sambuca... any anise spirit, really).

44. do you play cards? Not really, but I do have favourite games: Scopa and Uno!

45. what color is your car? Grey

46. can you change a tire? No

47. what is your favorite province? I don’t have any.

48. favorite job you’ve ever had? My current one, I guess :) ! But also my 3 months in Tehuacan were great!

49. how did you get your biggest scar? Appendicectomy

50. what did you do today that made someone else happy? Posted a fic they were waiting for :D Tagging @venivivividi , @beautifulhigh , @it-s-me-ella-g and @suicidaltreasure if they feel like it!

#personal #ask meme

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bing-fucker · 4 years

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Illinois visiting Yancy at Happy Trails for a conjugal visit 👀👀

So I was thinking about this request and then I was like "Hey, let's google a conjugal visit" and I've realized that they would never have a chance. Yancy is a federal prisoner, so he's ineligable. Even if he was eligable, Illinois and him aren't married so Illinois is ineligable. So the only option... is that Illinois broke into Happy Trails Penitentiary for the sole purpose of getting to fuck his boyfriend. Which is something he would absolutely do.

Also I kept getting distracted and this took me six hours to write.

Warnings: Breaking into prisons. As always, ask me to add ant necessary warnings!

Yancy wasn't feeling well. He wasn't sick - far from it, actually - he just wasn't feeling up to being around his crew today. It wasn't anything they'd done, he was just missing someone very specific. Someone he couldn't even see. He was pretty sure Illinois was on some adventure, off in a foreign land and unable to visit Yancy. Yancy sighed and sat heavily on his bed.

"Ow!"

Yancy shrieked and scrambled away from his cot, panting heavily and looking back at the bed. Illinois was laying down on his bed, currently clutching his stomach after Yancy sat on it.

"Illinois!?" Yancy exclaimed quietly, staring in shock

"Hiya, treasure," Illinois greeted, sitting up and smiling at Yancy.

"Noisy!" Yancy exclaimed, tackling Illinois onto the bed as he higged him. Illinois laughed and hugged Yancy tightly, laughing more as Yancy peppered his face in kisses.

"Hello to you, too," Illinois eventually said, settling his hands on Yancy's waist as the prisoner settled on his lap. Yancy grinned wider, kissing Illinois firmly. Illinois grinned, returning the kiss happily and holding Yancy closer.

"What're youse doing here?" Yancy asked, pulling away from the kiss and grinning.

"I missed you," Illinois answered, running his hands all over Yancy's body.

"I think youse just missed touching me," Yancy replied, grinning and leaning into the touch.

"I miss everything about you," Illinois laughed, settling his hands on Yancy's ass. "But touching you is the biggest thing I missed. I love touching you and holding you and kissing you and fucking you-" Yancy laughed and cut Illinois off with a kiss. Illinois grinned into the kiss, pulling Yancy closer. Illinois pulled away, kissing down Yancy's throat and hugging him close.

"Something on youse's mind?" Yancy teased, laughing as Illinois bucked up against his ass.

"You're always on my mind," Illinois replied, gripping Yancy's hips tightly and moving their position to press the prisoner against the bed.

"Youse's always on my mind, too," Yancy said, smiling softly up at Illinois. Illinois smiled softly, slotting his hips against Yancy's and kissing him gently. Illinois pulled away, smiling down at Yancy.

"You're beautiful," he said softly, running his hand through Yancy's hair.

"So are youse," Yancy replied, smiling and gently caressing Illinois' face.

"I love you," Illinois said softly. Yancy laughed and kissed Illinois briefly.

"I love youse, too," he said. "Now are youse gonna do somethin' about that tent in your pants?"

"Absolutely," Illinois replied, making quick work of Yancy's clothes. Yancy laughed, not moving to help Illinois and just watching him.

"You know, this would go faster if you helped me," Illinois complained, giving Yancy a pout.

"Maybe I don't want to help," Yancy replied, laughing. "I want to watch youse do it~"

"In a lazy mood, I see," Illinois laughed, smirking at Yancy as he slowly started unbuttoning his own shirt.

"I just like makin' youse do all the work," Yancy countered, watching Illinois attentively. Illinois laughed faintly, tossing his hat and shirt to the side when he finished unbuttoning it.

"I know you do, treasure," he said softly, taking Yancy's hand and placing it on his chest. "But I think I need a little bit of help~"

"Oh? Youse thinks so?" Yancy replied, trailing his hand down Illinois' abs and to his belt.

"Oh, definitely," Illinois agreed, licking his lips as Yancy undid his belt and pulled down his trousers. Yancy grinned lightly, gently stroking Illinois' cock. Illinois moaned softly and leaned down, kissing Yancy deeply. Yancy groaned softly, pulling his hand away from Illinois' cock.

"Treasure," Illinois whined, biting his lip. Yancy laughed and pushed Illinois away slightly so he could roll onto his stomach.

"Ain't there somethin' youse'd prefer over my hand~?" he purred, wiggling his ass.

"Abso-fucking-lutely," Illinois groaned, quickly pulling a small bottle of lube out of his pocket and quickly coating his fingers. Yancy moaned softly as Illinois pressed two fingers inside of him. Illinois bit his lip at how tight Yancy was, pressing his forehead against the prisoner's back as he slowly fingered Yancy open.

"Fuck, Noisy~" Yancy moaned, pressing his ass back against Illinois' fingers. Illinois grinned breathlessly, finger-fucking Yancy quicker.

"Sh, treasure," he muttered. "Can't be caught." Yancy whined softly, pressing his face against his pillow.

"Illi, please~"

"Fuck, treasure," Illinois muttered, pulling his fingers out and quickly lubing up his cock. "Just try to relax, yeah?" Yancy nodded and bit his lip to keep from moaning too loud as Illinois lined up his cock and pushed in. Illinois groaned softly, pressing his forehead against Yancy's back.

"Tell me when I can move," Illinois breathed, shuddering slightly.

"Move," Yancy breathed. "Please, Illi, move, I need youse~" Illinois groaned in appreciation, quickly drawing out of Yancy before pushing back in and setting an even pace with long strokes so Yancy could feel it all.

"You feel so perfect, treasure," he breathed, restraining himself from fucking Yancy as brutally as he wanted. Yancy bit his pillow tightly to muffle his moans, pressing back against Illinois and slowly stroking his cock in time with the adventurer's thrusts.

"Fuck, I missed you," Illinois groaned, sounding a bit whiny at the end as his thrusts sped up. Yancy laughed faintly, rocking his hips to meet Illinois' thrusts.

"I missed youse, too, Noisy," he moaned. "Fuck, I love youse so much." Illinois gasped and bit into Yancy's shoulder harshly as he suddenly came, blushing heavily. Yancy moaned softly and jerked himself faster so he came as well, leaning back against Illinois.

They laid still for a few minutes before Illinois pulled away and they fixed their clothes. Illinois laid down on the bed as Yancy tossed his dirty sheet toward the laundry basket in the corner before laying down, his head on Illinois' chest.

"So," Yancy said, a teasing smirk on his face. "Declarations of love are what does it for youse, huh?"

"Oh, hush," Illinois whined, blushing more. "I was already close."

"Mhm," Yancy hummed disbelivingly. "But it took that last 'I love youse so much' to push youse past the edge."

"Oh, shut up," Illinois laughed, leaning down and kissing Yancy softly. Yancy smiled and held Illinois closer.

In just a few hours Illinois would have to leave again so as not to get caught. But that certainly didn't stop them from enjoying each other's presence for what time they had.

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lynneguey · 6 years

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a love letter to my favorite piece of Italy in NYC:

I can be unreasonably sentimental about certain things. The Lower East Side and El Barrio, for instance (i.e. the real New York). The NYC subway (even when its latest track record doesn't warrant it). Hole-in-the walls.

Gaia is another prized possession in this category, a small Italian cafe in the Lower East Side named after the force behind it, the matriarch, the WOMAN. In Greek mythology, Gaia is the mother goddess who presides over the earth. Similarly, Gaia Bagnasco presides over this near-hidden cafe nestled on the corner of Norfolk and East Houston Street.

As equal parts owner, head chef, and Italian maestress, she demonstrates meticulous control over every detail of the cafe. Prices are affordable, in part because she only has two kitchen staff members, but mostly because it's written into the cafe's mores: food should not be expensive. A sumptuous panini ranges from $5-$10; a small illy coffee is just $1.00. All this, despite being in a neighborhood where pencil towers are rising faster than new graffiti to cover it.

I discovered Gaia 5 years ago when I lived in Alphabet City. The place is easy to miss in its basement-level location. But one winter day on my morning commute, I happened to turn my head and see the OPEN sign flip. I descended down the stairs, eager to gain entrance into what seemed like a secret underground club. Immediately, the warm, welcoming waft of illy Italian coffee greeted my senses. Alas, there was a credit card minimum and I had no cash! As I began to leave, Gaia insisted I take my coffee & croissant completely gratis; I refused, but she persisted. Without knowing who I was or if I would ever patronize her business again, she trusted that I would be back.

And indeed - the croissant was the best I ever had. Over the weeks, months, and years, Gaia has become my go-to for simple, no-frills cooking. What it lacks in propriety and small talk, it surpasses in value and authenticity. Fresh is the theme: from the perfectly flaky Nutella croissants, to the bread baked each morning (oh that bread!), to the panini that she executes using the finest Italian-imported cured meat and cheeses.

Gaia's perspective is fresh in abundance too. One day, I worked from home and ordered lunch to-go. She remarked,

“You Americans. No wonder you are all fat and unhappy. Always on the go, never stopping to just eat and enjoy.”

The menu states that “service is not a priority”, and that is sometimes the case - but thisundersells its authenticity. You may be promptly rushed out at 7 pm on weekday evenings and chided for ingredient substitutions. But so long as you come with a basic respect for the space & food that Mother Earth provides, you’ll receive more unsolicited acts of kindness than you probably deserve. Kind of like eating in your mother's kitchen.

Gaia’s best hits include her fresh salads, spinach & ricotta tegamini, gnocchi, ravioli, black pepper linguini, and paninis; my absolute favorite is the fresh-baked focaccia bread that comes with every dish, often on crumpled foil, along with plastic serving spoons. Wine is served BYOB-style in cheap plastic red water tumblers. A bit reminiscent of a hostel cafe, but I’d be hard-pressed to find a better backdrop in NYC.

I love Gaia for its fresh ingredients and heart-nourishing food. It is the remnant of a NYC that is quickly becoming a relic of the past: affordable, raw, you-get-what-you-ask-for candor. Dine here as you would like any respectful guest invited to a home-cooked meal; drop the ego, be hungry for community. You won't get special treatment. But you will absolutely get what you pay for: a meal with real food. (at Gaia Italian Cafe)

#golocal #motherearth #italianfood #gaia

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renatorizzuti · 5 years

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Pasta Makes Perfect!

Written by Maria Rizzuti

As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect,” I say “pasta makes perfect!” Pasta is great for any meal and is comfort food for most families and especially children. What child or adult for that matter would refuse a hot from the oven homemade bubbly really cheesy macaroni and cheese? Or would you prefer a plate of spaghetti with really saucy and spicy meatballs? Yes, that would be my choice! In one form or another, pasta is a staple in family meals around the world. Whenever pasta is on sale at my local grocery store, I make sure I stock up my pantry with a variety of pastas as it’s the perfect foundation for healthy, nutritious and satisfying meals.

Pasta's origin is subject to much speculation. While many different cultures of the world ate some sort of noodle which was composed mostly of grain, the key characteristics of pasta are durum wheat semolina, with a high gluten content. Pasta is made with a technique that allows the resultant dough to be highly malleable, thus resulting in the many different shapes such as ziti, lasagna, spaghetti and ravioli to name a few that characterize “pasta.” Well whoever has claimed to invented pasta and has pronounced pasta postulation, I am sure many are glad they did! Modern food science has revealed that pasta is high in minerals such as iron, phosphorus, and essential B vitamins (Thiamine, Niacin and Riboflavin) and now it is fortified with folic acid.

Of course, Italy is synonymous with food, and nothing says Italian food like pasta. The famous actress Sophia Loren has stated that “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” Whenever Italians have immigrated from, northern, central or southern Italy they have brought their pasta recipes along with them and it is basically a fundamental part of their Mediterranean Diet.

Italian pasta names often end in the masculine plural suffixes like –ini, -elli, -illi, -etti like linguini, flattened spaghetti meaning little tongues or bucatini which is hollow spaghetti or spaghettini thin spaghetti or little twines. Have you tried spaghetti alla chitarra? Chitarra means guitar in Italian, it’s similar to spaghetti, except its square rather than round and made of egg in addition to flour named after the device used to the cut the pasta, which has a wooden frame strung with metal wires. Sheets of pasta are pressed down on the device, and then the wires are “strummed” so that the slivers of pasta fall through. While you are making the pasta, you can sing a song of Mambo Italiano and entertain your guests and do the mambo like a crazy Calabrese and then make some pasta e fazul!

Or you have the femine plurals –ine, -elle ect. all conveying the sense of “little” like campanelle, little bell shaped pasta or rotelle, wagon wheel shaped pasta. Or plurals with –oni, meaning “large” like pennoni a wider version of penne and zitoni a wider version of ziti. Then you have other suffixes like –otti “largish” like manicotti which are large stuffable ridged tubes which can be stuffed with meat and or ricotta or a combination of both.

Then you have your minute pasta, what’s that you ask? This class of pasta is generally used in soups, or as an alternative for rice and similar accompaniments.

Some examples of minute pasta are anici di pepe, which is a bead like pasta or the translation would be peppercorns. A common minute pasta is orzo, it’s rice shaped pasta. Stelline are little star shaped pasta and farfalline are small bow tie shaped pasta. I really like using these types of pastina for my homemade chicken soup. If I happen to run out of minute pasta for my soup, my trick is to take cappelini or spaghettini hold a bunch of strands of the pasta and break off one inch pieces and use the cut up pasta for my noodles in my soup. I also use this trick for my pasta e fagioli or pasta and beans recipe. If I run out of ditali or small sea shell pasta I use the cut up pasta. Just make sure that to allow for the fact that different pastas cook at different cooking times.

Okay, so we have established that there are literally hundreds of different shapes of pasta. Pasta is usually categorized in two basic styles: dried and fresh.

Dried pasta made without eggs can be stored for up to two years under ideal conditions, while fresh pasta will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

Pasta is generally served with some type of sauce: the sauce and the type of pasta are usually matched based on consistency, ease of eating etc. Common pastas sauces in Northern Italy include pesto which is a combination of basil, crushed garlic, parsley, grated hard cheese like parmigiano-reggiano, or pecorino and pine nuts with olive oil. Historically, pesto is prepared in a marble mortar with a wooden pestle…well my ancestors may have done pesto this way but now many stores carry ready made pesto in jars, I am all for quick and easy pasta meal solutions . Or ragu alla bolognese, the traditional recipe, registered in 1982 by the Bolognese delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina, confines the ingredients to beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, white wine and milk or cream.

In Central Italy, there are simple sauces such as tomato sauce which is primarily made from tomatoes, but almost at all times starting with onions and garlic which are sautéed or sweated in olive oil, then adding the tomatoes and seeds optionally removed and other seasoning typically added are basil, oregano parsley and spicy red chili flakes if you are Calabrese like me and salt and black pepper left to simmer until it loses its raw taste.

Its really ironic that as I am writing about tomato sauce I am also cooking a BIG batch of tomato sauce in my kitchen. I am periodically getting up from my computer to stir my sauce as to make sure it is simmering slowly and cooking nicely. I make up a big batch every other Sunday and then once the sauce has cooled, I transfer the sauce into mason jars and store the sauce in my refrigerator to use during the week for the next two weeks or so. I vary the ingredients that I add to the sauce, sometimes it sauteed peppers, sauteed eggplant or a variety of mushrooms or sometimes I will make meatballs to add to my sauce. The pasta possibilities are endless!

Pasta alla carbonara is also a quick recipe. This recipe varies from one region to the next but all agree that Parmesan cheese, pecorino or a combination of the cheeses, egg yolks or whole eggs, curred fatty pork or pancetta and black pepper is the basic recipe. The pancetta is fried in olive oil, a mixture of the eggs, cheese and oil olive is combined with the hot spaghetti pasta, cooking the eggs.

In southern Italy, varieties of pasta alla puttanesca, can be found using chopped garlic, diced onions and anchovies sauted in olive oil. Chopped chili peppers, black olives, capers and diced tomatoes are added along with salt and black pepper to taste. This sauce is is reduced by simmering from 10 to 20 minutes and poured over spaghetti cooked al dente or you can use any type of long or short pasta like penne with the final touch of freshly chopped Italian parsley. Pasta con sarde or pasta with sardines is another quick pasta dish. I remember having this dish and liking it as a child. Its basically garlic cooked in olive oil until golden, add the sardines (drained from the can) cook for a minute more then stir in the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese and toss mixture over hot cooked pasta and add freshly chopped Italian parsley. More olive oil can be added to give the mixture a more crumbly texture.

Perhaps the most classic and basic pasta recipe is for spaghetti, aglio e olio which simply translates as spaghetti with garlic and oil. This is a quick and simple pasta dish that can be prepared when you get home late from work or if your “cupboard is bare” like Old Mother Hubbard. If you can boil water than you can make the recipe, give it a try.

Pasta with Garlic and Oil (Pasta Aglio e Olio)

Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti, or linguine or your favourite pasta

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper chili flakes

2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano

Directions:

Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water as per package directions until al dente. In the meantime heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and cook until garlic is lightly browned. Remove from the heat. Drain the pasta while reserving a ½ cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Place the drained pasta in a bowl and add the olive oil mixture and chopped parsley and toss. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid if the mixture seems too dry. Serve topped with the grated cheese of your choice. This recipe yields four to six servings.

“Pasta makes perfect” and if you practice making pasta dishes you will end up with a perfect pasta meal!

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