A few words about Pasta

A Few Words About Pasta

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.

The different shapes and meanings of the most
popular pastas readily available:

Spaghetti (America's favorite pasta shape and probably the oldest) means "little strings or threads"

Linguine "little tongues"

Cappellini "little or fine hairs"

Fettuccine "little ribbons"

Penne "quills, feathers"

Ziti "bridegrooms" this is an oddball

Manicotti "little muffs"

Cannelloni "large tubes"

Rigatoni "large ribbed or grooved"

Lasagna Latin for "cooking pot"

Tortellini "little tarts or cakes"

Ravioli from "Ravvolgere" to wrap or roll up

Rotini "spirals or twists"

Farfalle "butterflies"

Ditalini "little thimbles

Vermicelli "little worms"

Fusilli "little spindles"

Mostaccioli "mustaches"

Radiatore "radiators"

Acini de Pepe "peppercorns"

Gemelli "Twins"

Gnocchi Italian potato dumplings

Orechiette "little ears"

Orzo Italian for barley

Note: All recipes using pasta in my cookbook, presumes that the reader will cook all pasta as described in this chapter, that is "al dente". Most string pasta don't have to be pre-cooked, since cooking times are five minutes or less, however, when sautéing, I recommend pre-cooking and setting aside until needed. (They can also be portioned ahead and stored in a fridge for later use).

Precooking pasta:

Always undercook, but don't leave hard.
Cool it immediately in a strainer by running cold water throughout pasta.
Drain, but don't over drain.
You can coat pasta sparingly with light oils or cooking spray to prevent sticking if desired.
Portion pasta to desired amounts in plastic food wrap (if using immediately, you can set in a dish and have ready).
Do not store too much pasta on top of itself and never store cooked, warm pasta, it will continue to cook and become a sticky mess.

Note: When ready to reuse pasta, have a pot of hot or boiling water ready to quickly re-dip pasta before adding to sauté dishes. If serving it topped with a sauce, be sure to drain well before putting on dish.

Some approximate cooking times:

Cappellini - 1-2 minutes (al dente)
Linguine - 3-5 minutes (al dente)
Fettuccine - 5-7 minutes (al dente)

Chef Giuseppe & Leslie Lauretta
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