Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Pasquale, the Pasta Guy

You know how some people can sell you something, anything, you didn't even know you needed?  The sheer force of their personality draws you in, makes you look, and convinces you that you're missing out if you walk away?  Luckily, this doesn't happen to me too often.  Well, there is that leopard print sweater hanging in my closet, the one the sales clerk said makes me look "exotic."

Ravioli was nowhere on my shopping list when I headed down the street to the Fulton Stall Market


on Sunday afternoon, not even one package . . . certainly not four!  Then I met Pasquale.


I paused at the Bambino's Ravioli booth, along with friends Margie and Jack from Alaska, admiring the perfectly shaped circles of dough, when Pasquale asked us, "So what can I help you with?" He was juggling a couple of other customers, with a friendly smile and Brooklyn-Italian kind of energy that made us want to hang around.

"Oh nothing, just looking," I said, but was already secretly tempted by the tantalizing fillings listed on the labels...
butternut squash, prosciutto and fontina, walnut and Gorgonzola, sundried tomato and smoked mozzarella, shrimp, meatball and more.


"These freeze great, you know," Pasquale said picking up the pumpkin ravioli under my nose.  Just stick 'em in the freezer, pop a package out for dinner some night when you don't feel like cookin -- from frozen to done in 7 to 9 minutes."  How did he know that my favorite recipes are the "on-the-table-in-less-than-15 minutes" variety?

"So what do you recommend? What's your best seller?" Margie asked.

 "Probably the lobster, but then the prosciutto's a big-seller; some people like the vegetarian. Did you see the butternut squash?"  How did he know that Margie had eaten her way through Vermont on butternut squash soup just last week?

"Everything we sell is fresh, natural, no preservatives," he continued.  We put our heart and soul into everything we make.  I'm the owner; my family's had this business for over 60 years." His pride was  heartfelt, and contagious.

"Sure, we'll take a couple," I said, with a hint of pride in my own voice at the thought of supporting this local businessman.

Ahh, but I should have known. Pasquale was one step ahead of me.

"Buy one more, and you get a free pound of pasta," he said.


"What am I going to do with so much pasta?" I asked, knowing Pasquale's answer before the words left my lips.

"Freeze it."

Dinner that night was butternut squash and  prosciutto/fontina ravioli, salad, homemade cranberry/walnut bread from a young lady a couple of booths down from Pasquale, and wine.

 How was the ravioli?  The best I've ever eaten!



And that's not even the best part. I still have 2 packages in my freezer.

Look for the Bambino's truck at your local market.  Maybe you'll be lucky enough to meet Pasquale and leave with your own bag full of pasta.




And may you have the good fortune
to share it with friends.



     

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Thanks for the snapshot of Mom and Dad's visit! When can we visit and meet Pasquale? We love pasta!

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  3. Don't they look great! Come on and we'll go visit Pasquale. :-)

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