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I don't know why but I never thought in 1,000 years that I would see a prosperous food KZfaqr make a recipe video about "Pastina" - The food my mother used to cure all of my illnesses. To me, it is the most humble of Italian pasta dishes and I never thought of it as "food" as much as "something you can stomach when you don't have an appetite" because it's simple and delicious. Thank you for showing everyone this Italian home "remedy"!

I'm a 75 year old Italian and my mom would make Pastina for me when I was sick. She'd boil it in water till done, drain and add warm milk and honey...almost worth getting sick for.

My grandparents used to call these "power pellets" and to this day I'm shocked my 70 year old Italian grandparents were such large Pac man fans

Pastina is baby’s first food, and an old person’s last meal. In between it’s just a perfect comfort food.

Like what a lot of other people are saying, I did not imagine I would ever see pastina on a cooking channel. Cool, absolutely. Differs somewhat form how my mother would make it, and how I now make it. I make more more of a soup, with plenty of broth, making it creamy with butter, Parm, and Laughing Cow cheese. That's my not so secret ingredient. But, I still end up with the same consistency if I have leftovers lol. The pasta absorbs all the broth in the fridge.

I did this before out of sheer curiosity, you can even make it sweet. It’s basically just congee but with pasta

Wow all I did was read the title of this video and my eyes welled up with tears. Total Ratatouille moment. Pastina was a staple of my Boston-Italian childhood but haven't heard it mentioned in years- or really ever outside of my family

Pastina is also often eaten in a more "soupy" way - just tiny pasta cooked in a lot of stock, and you eat both the pasta and the soup.

I doubt you'll see this but it's worth a try. Dude. For real, you saved tonight's dinner. I live with 2 friends and today is my day to cook for the house. Money has be very tight and I have not been able to buy much in groceries. I decided to use this video as an idea for what I can use to tonight's dinner. I could defiantly make some improvements with what I made but I am glad I could make dinner with zero issues.

The amount of times I used to eat this growing up sick at my grandmas house. What a walk down memory lane. I actually still make it, I like to put some calabrian chilis in it and then a teaspoon of the packing oil drizzled on top.

Who else grew up on this? Miss my Italian grandparents. I would run through the garden eating flowers and then come in to a bowl of pastina or some other pasta dish.

OH MY GOODNESS! ADAM! I have not had this since I was a kid sick at home with the flu in the 90s. My Grandma made it for me whenever I was sick with anything and it brings so much joy to my heart to see it here on this channel that I love. Wow. Just wow! This was a really nice video that hit all the feels. Thank you so much for this!!!

I've rarely seen people make pastina like it's a risotto, but it's very interesting. Honestly, you're making me want to try this out, see how well it comes out.

My nonna used to make pastina for me all the time, not just when I was sick! Although it wasn't as refined as your recipe. It was usually just small pasta (and there's a lot of different kinds) boiled in broth with maybe some cheese and that's it. And I loved it! On the other hand a lot of people I know here in Italy wouldn't touch pastina with a ten foot pole. "Oh, it's hospital food! It's sick/poor/old people food!" I think pastina gets a bad wrap and if your video can make it shine like it deserves it makes me real happy!

Reminds me a lot of the τραχανάς (trahanas) we eat in Greece. Same basic shape and cooked in more or less the same way (often with tomato sauce and feta mixed in and an egg on top), but instead of just pasta trahanas is made by mixing fresh pasta dough with yogurt and then drying and preserving. It gves any dish that uses it this wonderful tang. It's a fantastic ingredient that sadly does not get as much love as it should in modern Greek cooking.

I've been sitting at home with COVID... and watching your vids. The funny coincidence is... I was sitting here this morning wishing my mom was here to make me a bowl of Pastina this morning. She would make it like your fist iteration but without the egg. Happy memories with that. Thanks.

Morel mushrooms grow wild near me so I get plenty. I like to dry them out, then grind them in a coffee grinder, put the powder in a saltshaker and use the powder as a spice.

Pastina always gives me nostalgic feelings. My mom would make it with butter for me and my brother whenever we had an upset stomach late at night. always hit the spot.

You know, it isn't very often that I actually learn anything from food tubers, but this is the first time I'm hearing about this sort of dish. It must be super common in Italian homes but I don't come from one of those.

Grew up Sicilian and while every family will make this a bit differently, you brought me back to my childhood. Almost looked forward to being sick as a kid to have pastina with butter and cheese

The white wine makes a triumphant return!

My nonna used to make this for me when my parents went to work. When I was a toddler I apparently just grabbed fistfuls of it and got it all over, so there are pictures of little me with pastina stars in my eyelashes. Thank you for reminding me to find those with my mom :)

This was always my moms go to whenever I was sick as a kid. Now as an adult it’s just the perfect easy comfort food. 😊

Omg! My Italian Grandmother made this for us,yes, when we were sick, she made us pastina , with a little butter and grated cheese stirred in! Pure comfort!

I might have been happier when I was still curious about the meaning of the ending graphic. But now my brain recites 'Vinegar Leg Is On The Right'. Every time. Every time, Dr. Pavlov Ragusea. I can't tell anymore whether I'm drooling because of the recipe.

This video brings back memories of us kids being sick at home and taking a few days off of school. Mom would serve us Pastina boiled in water with butter melted in and a glass of ginger ale and we did indeed pretend it was 'caviar and champagne' lol. Such decadence. To this day I still catch myself sometimes sticking my pinky out when drinking from my cup, and I'm 38 years old now lol.

This gives me strong congee vibes, especially cause me mummers always fed me that when I was sick.

Interesting! I never heard of pastina as a savory dish. As a kid I would have it has a sweet breakfast meal where you cook it, drain, add milk (cold milk but the pasta is still hot so it evens out to being warm) and syrup then eat.

In Hungary we literally have this, it's called Tarhonya. We use it in the same context as rice. My family's tarhonya is usually not this wet though, it's definitely more on the dry side.

We have a huge Italian community in Argentina and we have Vitina which is a brand of pastina and we also grew up having it when we were sick. I still love it so much!

My picky boyfriend will love this. With a bunch of veggies. I’m thinking some Spinach, shrooms, shallots, garlic, tomatos, and squash. Gonna definitely give this a try. Thanks!

Buttery pastina was sick food in my house growing up. Thanks for helping me revisit/revamp it 💚

My mom's side is Italian, and I used to have this every time I was sick growing up. I never even considered that it was a specific cultural thing passed down.

I actually make something really similar with orzo, if you brown the pasta before cooking it adds a really good flavor, though you have to be careful not to burn it

I actually drain pastina. I know it's kind of weird, but I just mix it up with butter and salt (mostly when I'm not feeling well) and it is perfect. I have chronic migraines and at some point the headache becomes a catch 22 where if I don't eat I have a headache, but the headaches make me feel sick so I don't eat. I've found only two meals that can solve this issue without making me feel worse. One of these foods being pastina. Guess it doesn't matter how you eat it as long as it tastes good.

This is reminding me of when I was sick as a kid and our dad would make us "star soup"

I love seeing this! Our family makes it like a soup and the egg goes in like egg drop soup. Super easy feel good food! But leftover, it’s just like the porridge version and is fantastic.

My grandmother used to make this for me. Chicken broth, parmesan, and butter. I was such a picky kid, she told me it was just plain pasta with nothing in it. I told my mother, who was stuck between the rock and the hard place of keeping up the lie or disappointing me xD

My greek family made it pretty much the same way. But more stock so it was more like a soup. We also had star shaped just like Adam mentioned. And we ate it with block of feta. Great video.

Jesus this video hit some of my nostalgia. my mom used to make this when I was really little and it was cold out. been years since I even thought about this

This looks scrumptious! Finally, an opportunity to use that word!

Oh man I used to do this as a kid, tiny pasta in chicken broth until it made a porridge like consistency and always thought I was insane for liking it! I feel so validated now!

I am Italian and i approve this video. When feverish, Pastina was the only thing i could eat without throwing up. It has been a long time, i think I will take inspiration from your veggie-pastina and try my own!

Omg you guys mentioned it on your bonus podcast and I'm so happy for this episode

Throw back time! I grew up on pastina and we called my grandmother Nona! An incredibly wonderful woman. Thanks for the memories!

The silky texture from the egg is just like tamago kake gohan, same principle at work!

The Italian side of the family used to push "Dot Soup" for illness, the pasta is cooked in chicken stock, preferably homemade. To this day, I still crave this soup when I'm feeling ill

I literally was just looking at this pasta and some good recipes. Your time is always impeccable

I respect the fact that dude always shows his “mistakes” and how to fix em that’s pretty badass

I used to have a great babysitter by the name of Mrs. Jane. She'd make me a soup that I absolutely loved, and for years I've wondered what the dish was called. I'd always assumed it was a lentil based soup from Argentina (Mrs. Jane was Argentinian). However, after watching this video, I'm almost certain that this is the same dish with more stock! I thought I'd never get to experience that soup again- especially since Mrs. Jane passed away while I was still a child. This video has brought back many fond memories of her. Thank you for this video, Adam.

There was a reddit post a week or so ago about "earthquake pasta" that someone had a dream about. Putting spaghetti in a blender before cooking. Turns out that's a real thing!

Heard about this on the pod and am excited to make this. Despite what some rude commenters apparently said, I think your wife is charming, and I’m happy to see how y’all riff off of each other! 🙂

Mexican here! Never knew this type of pasta was used like this, I’ve only ever seen people use it in soup, kind of like noodle soup with chicken stock.

Definitely need to try this. But when you said “veggies you can buy just one of” and there was celery, I instantly said liar because I’ve never been to a store where the smallest amount of celery you could buy wasn’t like a whole freaking pound. That’s why I never buy it because I can maybe use 2 sticks before it all goes bad

Thanks for the memories, Adam. It was our baby food, sick food, and comfort food. I wish my Nona was still here to make it!

Seemed like a rush of nostalgia when you tasted it. Nothing brings you back like dishes growing up.

Thanks for this one Adm! I just made it for the first time this morning, and it was Delightful.

I do the same technique with orzo. Very good alternative

glad i checked this one out, what a well rounded meal there at the end with a lot of good insight. inspiring!

Here in Brazil, like in Italy, as you mentioned, it's tradition to eat this whenever you're sick. We call it "canja" and it basically consists of pastina along with chicken, some veggies and some not so strong spices. Preferably, let your grandmother cook it for extra flavor

As an Italian I've never seen pastina cooked in this way, in my region we generally cook this type of pasta as if it was soup

Thanks for using modern units, very happy.

Loved the video, and I can confirm that whenever my sister or I were sick, our mom would make us pastina with chicken & carrots and that's basically the only time we ever ate it. It's engrained itself in my mind as something that ONLY gets eaten when you're sick.

Wow thank you for posting! Will make it soon!

i think adam has won the hearts of italians with this one

i used to eat this all of the time growing up!!! i haven’t had it in forever…. i hadn’t seen a single person on the internet talk about it before this!!!! awesome video

Gotta love how Adam closes his eyes for a moment and seizes up a bit the second he tastes that pastina - it's like he got sent straight back to the past to his younger days

"Pastina" is something Oney would name a cooking game character

I should try cooking regular pasta in chicken broth - that sounds like an amazing idea

Used to eat this all the time for lunch when I was a kid. Days off from school were spent at Grandma & Grandpa's house down the street and my grandma would always make a very simple pastina and a skinned hot dog for me for lunch. Her version was super simple. I'm pretty sure it was just the pasta with a little salt and water, with a bit more butter added at the end to make up for not having other mix-ins. I never got the recipe or technique from her before she passed because I wasn't old enough to cook a lot, unfortunately. A few years ago though, I managed to figure out how she did it (or close enough). I expand on it a little but it's in the right ballpark. It's a great comfort food that reminds me of those days.

Thanks for the tips Ragussy

My mom made a dessert called Frogs Eye Salad using these. It was really good!

This meal was absolutely delicious!

You can substitute cornmeal for the pastina in the first recipe and you're making one of the most popular comfort foods in my home country.

Big fan of the porridge style foods for being sick. My mom would make me a chicken lemon mint rice porridge. Still one of my favorite comfort foods, and it's hecka easy too.

My Nonna used to make this for me every single time I stayed home sick from school. She'd use less water so that it's pretty much just the pasta and instead of mixing in the egg, she'd just plop one on top. An absolute comfort food

Just wanted to say your VO audio on this is really really good.

This takes me back to my childhood. Never had it when I was sick but it was a great comfort food with just butter and salt. I would say this is one of the first foods I made in my childhood. Seeing it right now makes me want to go to the store and get a couple of boxes so I can make some more in the future.

Looks like something I will try and enjoy

This one really hits home for me. Growing up my mom would always make me pastina when I was sick or when it was cold out.

I’m so happy you covered pastina !!!

I grew up eating this as a baby, thank you so much for bringing good memories back.

hi i am from Algeria, love your channel we have this kind of pasta too, it is called "berkoukes". it can be prepared with meat and veggies sometimes as a soupe but i like it when it is prepared simply with carrots and chickpea. we used to buy it from a lady who prepare the pasta traditionally by hand and it used to be a tradition in every home now it isavailable at every supermarket.

Pastina and chicken stock is one hell of a combo, I love it so much.

Really love your videos, thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world :)

Never seen pastina done that way, we always did it in at least 3x the broth you used. Very nice to add some texture to soup.

Great recipe! Looks delish. As an Italian man I still love this dish, always have it with chicken stock (homemade or store bought). I always add olive oil and parmesan and sometimes a couple of slices of processed cheese at the end. It's more of a soup in the way I usually have it (more broth/stock). It's super comfy for cold days ✨

I have recently noticed this pasta in the grocery store and wondered. Neat to see both a preparation style and also the number of peope who have many fond memories of it.

In Portugal we have a chicken 🐔 soup - canja - made mostly in a similar fashion, same pasta, but with more water, shredded chicken meat, egg yolk or all egg cooked, chicken guisard and liver and heart. Served hot with big fresh mint leaves. Best medicine ever ❤️🇵🇹

Breakfast of champions. I grew up on it, as did my kids. Not unknown as a comfort dinner on a cold day. Acini de pepe works well; it's a staple in my pantry.

this looks amazing. i always keep pastina on hand because it's my preferred noodle for chicken soup, but this looks like an excellent new way to cook it.

I need to try this.

Just today I've thought that pastina would be a perfect meal now that the evenings are growing colder and colder, ultimate comfort food

I can't believe you made this video😭 this is the food I hated the most growing up, but now it's such a sweet memory that I've grown to like it

Thank you for this.

I haven't had this since I was a kid. Thanks for reminding me.

My mom used to make this for my brother and I all the time. My brother's always been picky and this was an easy way to get more protein into him by adding more egg. We called it bustine. Don't know why but we did.

I didn't know what I was gonna cook tonight and I saw your vid, haven't had pastina in forever. I just cooked it up, grazie for the inspiration.

The white wine returns without fail!