A favorite thing to do on our many adventures downtown to Pike Place Market is to stop by the Pappardelle’s Pasta stand. It all started one morning when we were meandering through at about 8:30am, before all the tourists started swarming.
This is the best time to be at the market, by the way. All the vendors are cheery, and still setting up, and have plenty of time to chit chat. Ruthie even had a conversation with one of the fish guys I had a crush on as an 18 year old, and that was very weird for me.
Anyway…
A man behind the stand held out a glass jar filled with chocolate sticks, and asked if my kids would like some chocolate pasta.
Of course.
It was a very yummy, crunchy treat just as it was, but the vendor further sold me on the idea of chocolate pasta when he handed me a recipe for making dessert. I also thought his pricing was brilliant. I can’t imaging paying $10/lb for pasta during my regular grocery shopping, but when browsing the market on a special occasion, spending $5 for half a pound of specialty pasta seemed like just the right price for something so unique and tasty.
Once we got it home I cooked it up with just a little olive oil, rinsed it, and left it to chill in the refrigerator. After dinner I warmed up some berries on the stove with a little sugar, and served over the pasta with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.
Five dollars worth generously served three adults and two kids, and on several occasions I used blackberries we picked down by the river. Practically free! If you ever find yourself downtown, I highly recommend the Pappardelli’s stand. If for no other reason than to get a free sample and take in all the beautiful colors of their specialty pastas. It’s quite a sight.
That looks wonderful.
I came so close to buying that once–but couldn’t think of a good recipe! Good to know it ended up tasty. I will definitely try it next time I’m down there!