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The word pasta is Italian
for dough and literally means "paste". It comes in a world of shapes, sizes
and colors. The many different pastas used in this website have meanings and
are shaped specially to go with certain sauces.
Straight and narrow, ribbon
pasta are best with lighter sauces, such as tomato, oil or butter based
sauces. Large ribbon pasta, tubular and other larger shapes are good for
catching thicker sauces such as meat or rich cream based sauces.
Pasta should always be
cooked in salted, boiling water. Amount of salt is determined by the size of
pot and amount of pasta used. The ideal way to cook pasta is "al dente",
anything more or less could ruin any meal. Real Italians are almost
fanatical about this and will not tolerate otherwise.
"Al dente" literally means
"to the tooth" (think dental). It should be firm to the bite, chewable and
never soft or mushy. This is especially important, since many recipes call
for pasta to be tossed back into sautéed dishes, further cooking it. The
best way to test this is to remove a strand of pasta and give it the bite
test. All recipes using pasta in my upcoming cookbook presumes that the
reader will cook all pasta as I described. When the pasta is al dente,
remove and drain in a colander or strainer, running cold water and tossing
pasta until it has completely cooled off.
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The different
shapes and meanings of the most
popular pastas readily available: |
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Spaghetti |
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(America's favorite pasta shape and probably the oldest) means "little
strings or threads" |
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Linguine |
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"little tongues" |
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Cappellini |
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"little or fine hairs" |
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Fettuccine |
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"little ribbons" |
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Penne |
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"quills, feathers" |
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Ziti |
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"bridegrooms" this is an oddball |
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Manicotti |
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"little muffs" |
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Cannelloni |
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"large tubes" |
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Rigatoni |
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"large ribbed or grooved" |
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Lasagna |
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Latin for "cooking pot" |
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Tortellini |
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"little tarts or cakes" |
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Ravioli |
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from "Ravvolgere" to wrap or roll up |
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Rotini |
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"spirals or twists" |
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Farfalle |
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"butterflies" |
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Ditalini |
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"little thimbles |
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Vermicelli |
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"little worms" |
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Fusilli |
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"little spindles" |
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Mostaccioli |
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"mustaches" |
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Radiatore |
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"radiators" |
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Acini de Pepe |
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"peppercorns" |
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Gemelli |
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"Twins" |
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Gnocchi |
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Italian potato dumplings |
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Orechiette |
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"little ears" |
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Orzo |
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Italian for barley |
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