Ynnej:

That's not Stuff !!!~ LOL

It's supposed to represent Peppercorns ( Little round Beads ) of Pasta.

We use it mostly in Italian Wedding Soup, a soup made with Chicken Broth and very small Meatballs.

We also add Escorale or Spinich. Some folks drizzle in a beaten Egg, while the soup is boiling.

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You can use it in place of Rice with just butter added.

Or add cooked Spinich to it.

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There is another Pasta that is similar, called " Orzo ",
It looks like Rice.

If I remember anything else, I'll let you know.
LOU

I've used it to make tabouli. It is not the same as couscous and takes a bit longer to cook than couscous, but after it is cooked, you could probably use it the same way.

For more recipes, try a search for "acini di pepe", which is the correct Italian spelling. It may or may not make a difference.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Acini di pepe recipes

I just toss some into a soup that's soon to be served for a bit of added "stuff" in the soup.

Well, I just made my fav israeli couscous dish with it- with cuc, peppers, onions, red wine vinaigrette. Not bad, but I do find myself wishing it were couscous instead. It's got a slight sliminess to it and not quite as nice of a bite as its counterpart- overcooked, possibly. Always good to try something new, though.

I love it in soup. I make the italian wedding, and peas with pancetta soup, and also just had it in a really yummy fish soup that BF made last month. I could give you recipes if you like, for the last two. I make my italian wedding with fake meat crumbles, which is sacriledge, I know! Just made some last week with spinach, white beans, fake meat, and ditalinni, my other favorite soup pasta. Oh yeah, you can use it in Avgolemono soup too, although I like that best with rice.

Thank you all for the suggestions. I won't give up on it- I think you all are right about it being best in soups.

Acini de pepe, know as Pastina, was the first solid food I gave my kids as babies. they all loved it with a little bit of butter melted into it...sure is delicious.

I make it all the time for my kids. I make it as though I am making rice and sub chicken broth for the water. When it has absorbed all the broth, I add a bit of butter and either a handful of mozz or parm cheese.

ultimate comfort food.

Jo

Don't laugh - I feed it to my dog-since she had 14 teeth removed last year, I have been cooking for her - she loves it - we didn't care for the texture - but I can feed it to her without chopping or grinding. I make it by the box.

Maybe I'll try it again. We also think it is a bit slimy.

I've never heard of it before, but now I'm curious to try it.

Lpink, I'm glad you've made a vegetarian version of Italian Wedding Soup. That soup has intrigued me, but I've never made it or eaten it because it's not vegetarian. Now I feel motivated to make some, and experiment with it and this new to me pasta - if I can find the pasta.

Sally

joco, I reserved 1 cup of it to add butter to and give to my 15 month olds! They loved it. Mago, that is very kind of you to do that for your dog!

Italian wedding soup for me, too.