Recently on TikTok:
Another dish goes *viral*. Ooh.
parsnip – as it is called by the international community of TikTok Gen Zers. There is also talk of “Italian penicillin”, which is eaten “when Italians are sick”, or that it is the “most comforting comfort food ever”.
@alexawhatsfordinner I’ve always wondered why Italians love this stuff so much… I think I get it now 🤗🫶🏼 v reassuring! Recipe Below‼️ Ingredients: -3 cups low sodium chicken stock, divided -1 cup dry Pastina -1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish -1 large egg -1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper -kosher salt, to taste Directions: -In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 2 cups chicken broth and the Pastina. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until the pastina is al dente, about 6 minutes. – Turn off the fire and add the Parmesan cheese, the egg and the pepper. Stir to combine, adding additional stock if it gets too thick. Taste for seasoning and add kosher salt if necessary. -Serve & garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper. To enjoy! #pastina #pastinarecipe #pasta #cookingvideo #foodvideo #comfortfood #comfortfoodrecipe #yum #foodie #foodtok #satisfying #cozyvibes #homemade #homecooking ♬ Better Give U Up – FKJ
Incidentally: The reason for the latest TikTok trend? The largest US pasta producer, Ronzoni, stopped producing its pasta at the end of January 2023.
Okay, since it seems like it’s mostly *American* TikTokers encouraging the trend, it’s about time some plain text to talk. Because what’s being hyped is something that was regularly eaten in the Baroni house… when I was a kid. Yeah, when I think about it, it was mostly kids food for us.
In fact, in Italian supermarkets, pastina is often on the baby food shelf, right next to baby porridge and bottled milk.
OK, But pastina is also a dish for adults. Even the usual pasta shelves in your supermarket will usually have a number of pasta shapes that can be categorized as pastina – which brings us to the first clarification: “Pastina is small star-shaped pasta”… this statement is not entirely true.
Stelline (that little star-shaped variety) is a form of pastina. ditalini but also. orzo Also. Hey, even the letters of alphabet soup are a form of pastina.
In short: the genus Pastina includes all the smallest forms of pasta. “pasta” can be simply translated as «little pasta».
And how do you eat this little pasta? The simplest (and before TikTok determined the story, certainly the most common) method of preparation is:
For both my children this was their first introduction to pasta. But it is also a popular starter for adults. Only a few are needed Ingredients:
The preparation speaks for itself:
No, it doesn’t take a lot of pastina per plate. This dish is mainly intended as a soup. Of course there are some variations: with beans, peas, green vegetables, fish, seafood, ham and and and and; depending on the season, region and stock in the pantry.
Who wants it more cordial … well, well Let’s go to the version that most TikTok videos point to:
Ingredients:
(Approximately for 2 persons)
Preparation:
The cold of winter lingers. Come on people, get a plate of pastina!