seasoned puffed pasta

Seasoned puffed pasta makes a great snack. I like to keep cooked, dehydrated pasta in ziplock bags to fry and season for last minute munchies, cocktail snacks and soup garnishes. They're really good tossed in salads, too.

The potential seasonings are infinite. Here are two of my current favorites:

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Quintessential Mac 'n Cheese: Cabot makes a product called Cheddar Shake— a sharp white cheddar powder that has enough moisture to cling to and thickly coat puffed pasta.  These really are The Cheesiest.

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For something more exotic: I toast fenugreek and coriander seeds, grind them with grains of paradise (melegueta pepper), fennel pollen, meyer lemon zest, salt, and a touch of citric acid, and sprinkle it onto the pasta as soon as it comes out of the fryer. The spices cling better when the pasta's surface is still wet and the heat releases their essences.

Note: Virtually any sauce or paste can be spread thinly on silpat and dehydrated along with the pasta (to save energy), then ground and used as a seasoning. I've had success with (reduced) marinara sauce, bbq sauce, mole, and curry pastes.

 

3 thoughts on “seasoned puffed pasta

  1. Chef,
    You had actually lost me with the previous post because I was thinking “pfft, why would I want to deep-fry pasta?” And then I see your It’s the Cheesiest packaging and realize that it’s just a genius idea for snack food.
    Given that I’m having incredible difficulty sourcing cockscombs right now (thank you, Andrew Zimmern), puffy pasta’s looking like a really interesting snack alternative.

    Like

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