![]() Fresh pasta is still full of moisture, so needs far less cooking time than dried sometimes just 30 seconds is enough (though three minutes is more standard), so read the packet instructions and keep testing it for doneness. Drain the pasta in a colander (leaving a little water clinging to the pasta to prevent sticking) and mix with the sauce. Taste the pasta towards the end of the cooking time it should feel a little elastic and you should feel a little resistance in the centre of the pasta when you bite down. ![]() It's just as effective to stir the pasta occasionally to prevent it from sticking, rather than using olive oil.įor an Italian, the only way to serve pasta is cooked 'al dente' (to the bite). Oil does, however, help prevent the water boiling over. The well-known 'tip' to put olive oil in the pan to prevent the pasta from sticking isn't favoured by many chefs, because it stops the sauce clinging to the pasta when serving and is considered unnecessary. When the pasta is completely submerged in the water on a rolling boil, stir it from time to time to make sure it isn't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Use about 6 litres/10 pints of water to 500g/1lb of pasta. Whether you're using fresh or dried pasta it should always be cooked in a large pan of boiling water with salt to taste. Every store cupboard should have a pasta shape or two - the cook would be lost without it. Lasagne sheets and cannelloni sheets are good pastas to use in baked meat or vegetable dishes like lasagne al forno and cannelloni. Ravioli and tortellini are examples of stuffed pasta and the fillings can vary from meat to cheese and vegetables like the classic ricotta and spinach. More robust soups like minestrone take pasta like macaroni or bits of spaghetti. Long thin pasta is traditionally served with tomato, seafood or light vegetable sauces, while a sauce with chunks of meat is more likely to be served with wide pasta such as tagliatelle or short tube shapes such as penne.įor thin soups, tiny pasta shapes or vermicelli are good. Remember the two rules passed down from Nigella's mentor Anna del Conte - when cooking pasta, use water that's as salty as the Mediterranean, and when serving it, don't drain it too thoroughly because a little water will help incorporate the sauce. But for guaranteed authentic pasta, make your own at home.įor a quick meal, the variety of dried pasta available is indispensable if you have more time, there’s nothing more rewarding than making your own pasta with a simple combination of flour and eggs. At the same time there are some excellent pasta-makers makers who follow traditional methods and make terrific pasta. There are many poorly made pastas on the market which will provide you with a disappointing, pappy texture. ![]() If buying fresh or dried pasta it's worth spending a bit extra on a good quality brand. It goes well with buttery or creamy sauces or sauces with delicate flavours. Fresh pasta has a softer, more absorbent texture and takes on the flavours of the sauce with which it's served. Dried pasta has a firmer, denser texture when cooked and is suited to chunky, meaty or oily sauces. They play very different roles in the kitchen and in Italy it's almost inconceivable to interchange fresh and dried pasta. A simple rule of thumb to remember is that thin and long pasta suits oily, more liquid sauces, while wider pasta and more complicated shapes (twisted, hollow or curved) are better for thicker, chunkier sauces, as there's room for them to nestle and cling to the pasta.Īlthough fresh pasta is often considered superior to dried, this isn't necessarily the case. There are hundreds of pasta shapes, each of which allows sauce to cling in different ways. There is pasta for soup, for serving with sauces, for baking and for stuffing. The shape of pasta used depends on the dish being cooked. Pasta can be fresh or dried, made of pure durum wheat, sometimes with egg, and flavoured with ingredients such as spinach, tomato, beetroot or squid ink.
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