merits of whole wheat

The NY Times wrote an article last week on the improvement in whole wheat pasta. This voracious reader (eater) of the Times was not convinced. Ever the hedonist, I shun all food stuff that you can only get in stores frequented by yogis. That is, except when eating with my beautiful and “my body, my temple” friend, Joanne (and finding myself, much to my chagrin, enjoying grains I can’t pronounce – quinoa?! amaranth?!).

For Joanne’s last dinner as a New Yorker, we decided on, what else, Italian. Gnocco, with its comfortable space and amazing pizzas, was to send Joanne off in culinary style. I zoomed in on the tagliatelle with sweet sausage and roasted fennel, while Joanne, true to her form, ordered the fresh homemade whole wheat pasta with chickpeas and Italian bacon.

As the dinner progressed, I found myself reaching over to her plate more and more, stealing tastes and bites of her pasta. I couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason for my fascination with her dish. Was it the lovely rosemary infused sauce punctuated by the unexpected spiciness of jalapeños? Was it my affinity to anything bacon? But then, I realized, much to my chagrin, it was the fascinating texture and flavor of the pasta. The sauce was just a supporting player, bringing out the slight woodsy flavor of the pasta. The ingenious ring shape gave the pasta an interesting and chewy texture. Not to mention, you got maximum surface area for sopping up the sauce. Delicious. I think maybe I’ll consider the merits of whole wheat in the future – or better yet, I’ll wait for Jo to visit and eat off her plate.