A friend went to Rome about a month ago and brought me home some pasta.  Those of you with Italian heritage, don't beat me up to bad!  More will come.  The salad is done, forgot picture, will get one. It is called an antipasto salad. Shallots, fire roasted pepper, Pepperoncinis, black olives, cherry tomatoes, provolone, and salami.  Dressing is Anchovy, red wine vinegar, garlic, Dijon mustard and EVOO.  Main will be pasta in Alfredo with Shrimp.  Kristin has volunteered to make that!

Left is salad pasta, right will be for Main.  I have never seen, heard or or eaten either!  More pictures to come

Please forgive me but where the He double L have you been all your life? I mean even in Mayberry they must have Italian restaurants or at least near by.  All I have to say is thank your lucky stars for Kristin.

I really like antipasto salads. There are many ways to make them. I can get a basic "antipasto" type salad by ordering an Italian BMT salad with extra pepperoncini's at Subway.

It's not the real thing, but it is still a close approximation and tastes really good.

I eat waaaaay too much pasta and I've not seen those two varieties, either.  I'm going to look around on the Internet right now.

I guess I'm worse than Bentley, Olive Garden and Fazoli's are my sole Italian restaurant experiences! Oh, and Ragu at home! 

When we lived in Texas there was a pizza place the had a great antipasto salad.
I would make the pizza and we would have one of those salads with it.

Can't find a good one here.   

Please forgive me but where the He double L have you been all your life? I mean even in Mayberry they must have Italian restaurants or at least near by.  All I have to say is thank your lucky stars for Kristin.

Mayberry has one Italian restaurant.  Owner is supposedly from Naples.  Kindest description of food is average to mediocre.  Which is pretty standard for basically every ethnic restaurant here in town.  Living in So Cal for so many years and having access to all sorts of great ethnic restaurants at a very reasonable price spoiled us and back here just cannot measure up.

  Living in So Cal for so many years and having access to all sorts of great ethnic restaurants at a very reasonable price spoiled us and back here just cannot measure up.

I have found in the US there are ethnic restaurants and there are ethnic restaurants.  By that I mean most so call ethic restaurants change their menu and the taste of the food to cater to Americans.  IMO in the States true ethnic restaurants you will most of their customers will be of their ethnicity.  In fact my wife and I have been asked more than once if we really wanted to eat in the establishment as we were the only white caucasians in the there. I remember one time being in Chinatown in LA where there had two menus.  One was on butcher paper on the wall and was a regular menu.  I got the regular menu.  It is also interesting to have friends your age who have emigrated to our country and still eat their traditional food however their children and grandchildren will not. 

I meant I had never heard of Maccheroni Al Torchino or Strozzapreti pastas.  Maybe they are more common then I know!

I forgot to take a picture of the finished main, it was very good.  I think the main would have been better with the pasta used for the salad.

I would have added the whole tin of Anchovy, but you have to respect the recipe the 1st time and those who will also be eating the meal.

I meant I had never heard of Maccheroni Al Torchino or Strozzapreti pastas.

My Internet search indicated that they are not common but available in the states (Ebay).  Retail is about $20.00 (then tax and shipping).