Pasta was a cornerstone dish in my Italian-American family. The process of properly cooking pasta is totally ingrained in me, passed on from my mother and grandmothers. My first baby food was a tiny type of pasta (calledpastina) that was mixed with milk and butter to make a creamy cereal...
•Brothy, No-Egg Pastina— Use double the amount of stock called for in the recipe above, omit the egg and butter, and wait to add your Parm and black pepper until you've ladled the soup into bowls for serving.This version is especially great for small kids, FYI!