Getting dinner to go is hardly anything new for Central Market patrons. But now there’s a whole new section that puts a fabulous handmade dinner on your table in minutes.
Opened on Thursday, the new fresh pasta/fresh cheese department at the Fort Worth store marks one in a series of Central Market’s new expansions. Found in the area where the cheese and deli departments connect, this is where you go to get comfort food in a snap. You’ll see a flurry of activity there as chefs make the pasta while you watch, along with big, juicy bundles of fresh mozzarella.
I picked up a couple of the first boxes of freshly made pasta to go on sale, as well as a carton of fresh pomodoro sauce and a wedge of artisan parmesan. Once I was home, dinner was ready in a few minutes. Same story the next day, at lunch.
For the first dinner, I sauteed spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic I had in my fridge in a little olive oil in a skillet for about five minutes while a pot of water heated for the pasta. When the veggies were almost ready, I threw some of CM’s fresh raviolis (I bought two kinds, the one stuffed with mushroom-goat cheese and the herbed cheese varieties) into the boiling water and let them cook for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Because the plump little pillows are just made and so supple, they don’t need but a quick heating to be ready.
I tossed everything in a big bowl and there was dinner, with some of the freshly grated parmesan on the side. A great dinner for two of us in less time than heating most anything else might have taken.
At lunch, I heated the lush, nubby pomodoro in one pan, the pasta in another, in about two minutes. Again, grated parmesan. Voila – a great meal for two people.
All this set me back $21.50 and made four servings. The raviolis are $6.99 per box and make two ample servings; the pomodoro is $2.50 for a 12-ounce tub; and the artisan parmesan is $5 for a hefty, half-pound wedge.
The Fort Worth store, by the way, is the only place to find the new pasta-and-cheese section – for now. Fort Worth’s Central Market is the testing grounds for new concepts throughout the chain. Next up, a new fresh juice section and hot-food bar.
Find it at 4651 West Freeway (Hulen at I-30) in Fort Worth; call 817-989-4700.
