On August 1st, 2003 I had moved into my apartment (with my wife). A week later New York City suffered the worst blackout since 1977. For about two days and change, stores and homes alike had no electricity. Of course the weather made it so much nicer by blessing us with blistering heat and humidity. As far as food goes, we were limited with our options. After the first day most of our fridge stuff spoiled. The only thing left was dry-goods and canned foods. Now my wife would gag if she even thought about eating any of those preservative-enriched pastas straight from a can. Me, I used to do the cold canned pasta thing when I came home drunk. Delicious. So which pasta do you choose for such an occasion? Here are my top 5:
#5 – Chef Boyardee Overstuff Beef Ravioli: This dish proves, you can have too much of a good thing. Chef Boyardee makes a meaty, regular-sized ravioli that’s perfecto. To me, cramming it with even more beef is not necessary. It totally overpowers the pasta and lessens the tomato taste. On the plus side, this dish will satisfy any appetite. In my heyday I could go through two regular-sized pasta cans. One serving of Overstuffed Ravioli would’ve been more than enough for my belly.
#4 – Franco American SpaghettiOs with Meatballs: Definitely more of a lighter fare out all the pasta dishes. The ratio of sauce to pasta gives it almost a cold tomato bisque taste. The meatballs themselves aren’t overpowering. Nice accent to the dish. Though a bit on the messy side for my taste.
#3 – Chef Boyardee Meat Tortellini: As authentic Italian you’re going to get in these conditions. The pasta is al dente. The sauce has a rich tomato taste, with a strong hint of basil. Again, if you’re looking for something on the hearty side you might be slightly underwhelmed.
#2 – Chef Boyardee Pepperoni Pizzazaroli: This is a pasta that packs a “big spicy” punch. Very, very strong pepperoni-pizza type taste in every bite of ravioli. I also love the extra effort of including little pepperoni bits in the sauce, instead of ground beef. It really does taste like a pizza, in soupy pasta form. WARNING: If you are prone to indigestion do not eat. After 4 to 5 bites of this stuff, you’ll be begging for a keg of Pepto Bismol.
And #1 – Chef Boyardee Cheese Burger Ravioli: This magical blend of beef, tomato and cheddar stuffed in little raviolis is the perfect remedy for next morning’s hangover. The meaty tomato sauce has the right flavor and thickness. They also add a hint of ketchup. Just enough to enhance this cheesy, burgery taste even more. I’d say even with electricity, this is still a dish best served cold. Nuking this pasta would kill the flavor that comes with the cool, coagulated-ness.
Bon Appetit.
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