Posted by Renée Suen in pasta, photo essay on July 2, 2008 at 7:57 am
A quintuplet of rabbit ravioli is a welcomed lunchtime greeting from Célestin (623 Mount Pleasant Road) which features silky pockets of tender braised meat that are tossed in an arugula pesto and topped with shavings of parmesan.
Looking for light yet hearty fare during the summer months seems to be a paradoxical concept. On one hand the appetite seeks sweet and refreshing flavours from seasonal produce, but the stomach craves satisfaction that a mere salad cannot provide. I've found the perfect solution for such dilemmas are answered by a bowl filled with pasta, ones that aren't heavy laden with meat and cheese, but carbs tossed with fresh produce. Utilizing the best and freshest market ingredients, our contenders below have much to offer during these ripe months of harvest.
Sighs are generated by Terroni's delicious garganelli proscuitto piselli tossed homemade pasta with proscuitto, peas, onions and cheese...
... however vegetarians may find delight in the fungi pappardelle, filled with the fresh meaty taste of sautéed oyster and button mushrooms.
Pasta salad is probably one of the most popular forms of pasta during the summer months, but boring mayo versions could be made more exotic with options such as the butternut squash and Israeli couscous salad found at Pusateri's (57 Yorkville Avenue). These round pearls are dotted with creamy cheese nubs and wilted spinach, and spiced to add a kick of je ne sais quo to the dish.
Torontonians may love Salad King, however the attention should really be on its upstairs sister Linda Restaurant (335 Yonge Street) for its sweet and succulent palm-sized grilled jumbo tiger prawn that is accompanied by a toothsome orzo side. Those rice-shaped beads are the unsung hero of the dish, as they pick up every last drop of the delicious coconut-basil sauce.
Splendido's (88 Harbord Street) Chef David Lee may tease the palate by offering diners who order his tasting menu a single porcini mushroom tortellini in an aromatic double beef consommé, topped with an oxalis leaf. Sometimes chefs can be so cruel.
Via Allegro Ristorante (3-1750 Queensway West, Suite 443, Etobicoke) serves a number of great dishes, but folks looking for a careful balance of carbs, sauce and toppings may find comfort in the seafood classico that features jumbo black tiger shrimp, wild caught sea scallop, pasta clams, calamari, and cultured mussels, in a traditional white wine tomato sauce. Otherwise the rabbit and parpadelle dish is a scrumptious toss of broad egg noodles with sage braised rabbit, blue foot mushrooms, sweet onion chorizo sausage, braising ragout that is scented with truffles, while vegetarians may rejoice with the tomato-basil linguine.
Richness and fluffiness are embodied in house-made ricotta gnocchi, particularly when paired with the simple flavours of fresh lemon and spring herbs like those from Hart House Gallery Grill (7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto).
Renée Suen is a graduate student at the University of Toronto, specializing in cardiovascular sciences. She has an insatiable appetite and can often be found with her camera, searching for something tasty to eat. Many of these culinary discoveries can be found on her Flickr site.
