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    Ohio’s Own: Cleveland-Based Ohio City Pasta

    Ohio City Pasta is a Cleveland-based operation that’s been making ready-to-cook pasta since 1990. Here in Columbus, you can find its products at farmers’ markets and at the fancier Giant Eagle locations.

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    As always, the success of any ready-to-cook item depends on the competence of the cook who prepares it. That is to say, there’s lots of room for things to go badly for the pasta. However, the nice thing about scoring a few packages at a farmers market, is that the vendor will just tell you how to cook it … emphatically. For example, the green pockets of purchased Spinach Ravioli were to be plunged while still frozen in boiling water and boiled for exactly eight minutes. It’s unclear what would have happened had the pockets thawed before cooking, but the warning tone in the vendor’s voice was desperately ominous.

    Following his advice worked. Every single ravioli survived the boiling bath intact, with no explosions or messes. They emerged still green, but tender, and filled with a luxe mix of spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, provolone, and Romano cheeses.

    Unlike the ravioli, the Roasted Garlic flat-cut pasta was not sold frozen, but rather in refrigerated baggies. If there were additional special instructions for its preparation, they were forgotten. The baggie suggested a 90 second cooking time, and that worked just fine. The nest of noodles wiggled free and made a satisfying, garlicky base for some Alfredo.

    The flavor options from Ohio City expand well beyond those tried here. In terms of flat-cut pasta, you can taste the rainbow with options that range from a bright orange crushed red pepper linguine, all the way to a black squid-ink pasta. The ravioli, too, takes on adventurous dimensions with fillings that include black bean and cheddar, as well as a crab and shrimp combo.

    You can find out more about the business, and all its flavors at ohiocitypasta.com.

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    Miriam Bowers Abbott
    Miriam Bowers Abbotthttps://columbusunderground.com
    Miriam Bowers Abbott is a freelancer contributor to Columbus Underground who reviews restaurants, writes food-centric featurettes and occasionally pens other community journalism pieces.
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