PASTA MONTH

From rotini and linguine, orzo and ditalini to bow ties and wagon wheels, names of pasta shapes are as varied -- and can be as colorful -- as the dishes in which they star.

Although October is called National Pasta Month by the trade association for the U.S. pasta industry -- the National Pasta Association -- it doesn't take a special designation to draw attention to the product. Growing numbers of Americans are already finding ways to incorporate these creatively shaped pieces of mostly flour and water into their meals.

"Pasta is one of our favorites," Carol Bland said of her family. Bland, of Fruitland, often prepares pasta complemented by a variety of sauces. Her favorite recipe is a dish she calls My Pasta Salad.

"Any vegetable you can find goes great in it, and it looks really pretty," she said. The pasta salad is a great dish year-round and one that packs plenty of crunch; plus "it's real healthy," said Bland, a registered nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital,

Whether for reasons involving health, taste, economics, or the speed with which it can be prepared, pasta is gaining in popularity in kitchens across the country.

Last year retail consumption of dry pasta alone increased by 130 million pounds, from a 1991 figure of 1.2 billion pounds.

That doesn't include pasta that people eat in restaurants. Those numbers, too, are on the rise.

"Italian eating-out is still the No. 1 growth market in the restaurant industry," said Bob Hoppmann, supervisor of The Pasta House Co. in West Park Mall. That's no surprise to Hoppmann, who has been with the local restaurant for 10 years.

"I have seen kids grow up eating their pasta," he said. "So many moms will show up on the baby's third or fourth brand-new day of their lives; I call them pasta babies."

While it may be a couple of years before the youngsters are sharing their parents' enjoyment of the food, when young ones do begin eating pasta-based foods, they often like them.

Diane Porter, general manager of Fazoli's in Cape Girardeau, said pasta dishes are more popular than other menu items that are often considered young people's favorites.

"It's gotten so big with the kids that we're expanding the kids' menu," she said. "The kids saw what their moms and dads were eating and they wanted some of that too," she said.

Ravioli and pasta with meatballs are among some of the top draws for the younger set, Porter noted.

When it comes to grownups' favorites, a dish called pasta con broccoli is a top choice among female customers at The Pasta House, Hoppmann said. "Men always go for something more meaty, like spaghetti or lasagna," he said.

Nutrition is also an issue and part of the attraction of pasta, Porter and Hoppmann indicated.

Pasta is rich in complex carbohydrates but low in fat and calories. A half-cup of cooked pasta typically contains about 211 calories and less than half a gram of fat.

It's the toppings, and, of course, the quantities consumed, that can cause those numbers to shoot upward, said Janet Kline, nutrition-health education specialist with the University of Missouri Extension Benton center.

With innumerable ways to serve pasta, people should have no trouble finding or developing dishes to please. Some 150 pasta shapes are available in the United States and some even come in colors. Those colors are supposed to be derived from spinach, parsley and tomatoes, Kline said.

Bland likes to use corkscrew pastas for colors in her favorite pasta salad.

"I put in any kind of vegetable I can find, like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, green onions, green olives, kidney or garbanzo beans. Any raw vegetable is wonderful in it," she said. She also includes red or yellow bell peppers and red cabbage.

Bland uses about a pound of pasta in her salads. She offers these two tips for dressing choices: a bottle of Wishbone Italian dressing (she lets it settle in the bottle, discards the oil that rises to the top and uses the bottom portion), or Good Seasons Italian mix. She prepares the dry mix using balsamic vinegar, water and extra-virgin-olive oil.

Such a dish lends itself to all kinds of innovation. "Imitation crab meat is really good in it too," Bland said.

To top it off, she always includes a clove of fresh, crushed garlic.

"Pasta and garlic are like peanut-butter-and-jelly," Bland said. "You just can't eat pasta without fresh garlic."

Tips for interchanging pasta shapes

Many pasta shapes can be easily used in place of similar shapes. Some of the most common substitutions:

-- Spaghetti, thin spaghetti, linguine.

-- Elbow macaroni, medium shells.

-- Rotini, rotelle, ziti.

-- Bow ties, rigatoni.

-- Ziti, bow ties.

-- Orzo, alphabets, ditalini.

-- Radiatore, elbow macaroni.

-- Mostaccioli, penne, ziti.

-- Wagon wheels, elbow macaroni.

-- Vermicelli, thin spaghetti, capellini.

Pairing shapes and sauces

Long shapes: Round long shapes progress in fineness, from spaghetti, which is thickest, to angel hair. Generally, the finer the pasta, the lighter the sauce.

Medium shapes: Because of their holes and ridges, any of these shapes are excellent in salads, and the thicker ones are also perfect paired with chunky, hearty sauces or in casseroles and pasta stews.

Small shapes: Small pasta shapes are perfect for soups, salads, and in baked dishes.

Egg noodles: Differing from most other pastas because they contain egg, they come in fine, medium, wide and extra wide sizes and are great in casseroles or soups, or even tossed with a sauce for a side dish or main course.

Specialty shapes: Typically used in baked dishes, but lend themselves to a cook's creativity.