Long Island pasta expert Dan Pashman, 'Top Chef' judge Gail Simmons hosting Commack event
Long Island pasta expert Dan Pashman. Credit: Dan Liberti
Long Island pasta expert Dan Pashman will launch his first cookbook March 19 with a special event alongside “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons at the Suffolk Y JCC in Commack.
A journalist who's lived in Greenlawn since 2013, Pashman hosts the popular food podcast, “The Sporkful.” But he also made his mark on grocery stores when he invented a new pasta shape called Cascatelli, with the help of Hudson Valley pasta producer Sfoglini. (It's available at Whole Foods and other Long Island markets.) Many of the recipes in Pashman's debut cookbook, “Anything's Pastable” (William Morrow Cookbooks, $31.50), feature the funky shape, which looks like a curved pork rind.
Pashman's new book contains 81 creative pasta recipes he developed with high-profile collaborators who have expertise in international cuisines. It's an offbeat look at Italy's beloved carbohydrate with recipes including Vietnamese fish sauce, Southern crawfish and Indian spices.
“I really wanted to differentiate this book from the traditional Italian cookbooks that you see out there all the time, which are very much like 'We’re going to make fresh pasta from scratch, we’re going to make this three-hour marinara …” Pashman said. “I’m a working parent. I get what it’s like, you come home and you got to rush and get dinner on the table. … How can we bring together a lot of exciting flavors and new ideas while still making it convenient?”
He'll have copies on hand during his talk with Simmons at the Suffolk Y, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at 74 Hauppauge Rd., Commack. Tickets are $25 at syjcc.org.
Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.
