Pasta La Vista! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Alfredo

An alternative to the typical meaty or tomato-based pasta sauce, alfredo is a go-to for people looking for a cheesier option. The original version of this sauce consists of little more than parmesan cheese and butter, but many modern versions also include egg as a thickener. The point of the sauce, however, is for the cheese to melt onto the pasta, coating it evenly.

Without pasta, however, you might be surprised by a good mixture of alfredo and baked potato.

Answer: Breadcrumbs

While all of these can certainly be added into a meatball, many choose to hold together their mixture with breadcrumbs (which allow for moisture to soak up, especially in larger balls). While very few meals can go together like 'spaghetti and meatballs', many opt to create larger meatball dishes, solo meatballs as it were, as a gourmet delight. And the great thing is, meatballs are adaptable enough to work with virtually any meat out there provided it can be minced.

You want to eschew pasta this time? Try a simple meatball soup with seasonal vegetables served in a herb and tomato base.

Answer: Carbonara

Another creamier pasta dish made with an egg and cheese sauce (usually pecorino and/or parmesan), carbonara is an Italian dish with great richness, often because pork (usually bacon) is cooked in fat and added into the mixture along with the sauce. A good carbonara also has a bit of spice; black pepper is another ingredient in the dish.

Alone, bacon is a popular meat and staple breakfast food, though its tendency to be a favourite in just about any meal is indicative of all the options you can make with it. My suggestion: bacon in dark chocolate.

Answer: Ink

The black stuff? That's squid ink, commonly used in the creation of certain pastas, either by submerging the entirety of the dough in ink or by creating two separate types of dough and weaving them into designs before cooking. No, the squid doesn't simply squirt ink into a dish; ink sacs are removed from the creatures before use (because of health and safety).

While this isn't the most conventional item to use in a modern kitchen, squid ink is also used in a number of Spanish dishes including seafood paellas like arròs negre, named such because of the black ink. This type of dish uses both the ink and the squid in its preparation.

Answer: Ravioli

While all of these options are stuffed pastas, ravioli is likely the only one sealed well enough and large enough to accommodate a full egg yolk which, when opened on top of a flat sheet of pasta, must be sealed in entirely and as delicately as possible to avoid leaks and breakage. When dropped into a pot of boiling water, the inside cooks for only a short time and should break open when cut into for a rich filling.

Egg yolks, of course, are also important ingredients in the baking world, so there is no shortage of options if you're not in the mood for complex pasta dishes. Bake a cake!

Answer: Spinach

While egg-yolk ravioli is a less-used version of this stuffed pasta, the traditional ravioli usually contains a mix of ricotta cheese, chopped spinach, and light spices, though modern, non-fresh ravioli usually contains types of meat and can come served in a rich tomato sauce (though alternatives would be a long list). Fresh ravioli can last quite a while before they need to be cooked, but when they are, the contents should be sealed in to avoid getting watery (or to avoid exploding).

Spinach, of course, is also great for salads.

Answer: Pine nuts

Pesto, made primarily with basil, garlic, and crushed pine nuts, though often these ingredients are mixed with a crumbly cheese (parmesan is common) and olive oil before being placed onto the pasta. Unlike alfredo or a tomato sauce, pesto is served cold or hot, and rarely in a dish with meat.

Pine nuts can be used in many different dishes not limited to pastas. Try pine nuts in breads, salads, and coating meat.

Answer: Tail

While lobster is a shellfish typically cooked with rich, clarified butter, lobster cooked in pasta is typically made with rich cheese-- a good mac and cheese is the perfect meal to add lobster into. Meat from a lobster can be found in the claws, tail, and carapace, and depending on the size of the lobster, the thickness of the shell, and even the time of year, you'll get different qualities of meat and different amounts.

And if you don't want the lobster in pasta, you could always use it as the main course; lobster is a fairly upscale dish, and a well-presented one is a memorable experience.

Answer: Basil

Pho, created with rice noodles and, often, beef or pork in a light broth, is often garnished with several different fresh ingredients depending on the dish, but common ones include basil, lime, bean sprouts, and a variety of sauces. Basil is a fairly popular herb worldwide though it was originally thought to be cultivated centuries ago in Asian nations.

Basil is, otherwise, used as a garnish in salads, soups, and basic pestos. Thai basil, a sweeter variant of the herb, is used in many traditional meat dishes as well.

Answer: Soy sauce

Soy sauce, made by fermenting soybeans, can range in taste depending on concentration, though outside of Japan it takes on a darker tone. Mixed with dashi stock and mirin, an alcoholic base, it creates a broth in which thick udon noodles can make a soup. This soup is often accompanied by tempura seafood or green vegetables and, if you want heat, wasabi.

Soy sauce is, otherwise, used as a condiment for different dishes, perhaps, most prominently outside of Japan, sushi.