Cooking Pasta
February 16, 2008
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One of the easiest meals to prepare for the family is undoubtedly, old faithful, pasta. One of the reasons I love to suggest pasta dishes is because pasta is enjoyed by adults and children, alike. Pasta offers so much versatility; you can create a really satisfying meal quickly and easily.The varieties of pasta are almost endless, but the most common ones, penne, linguine, fettuccine, angel hair work well with several kinds of sauces. My mother used to make pasta from scratch which is hard to imagine since there were four of us! She taught me to salt the water before boiling and add a few drops of olive oil to prevent sticking. In a pinch, vegetable oil will work just as well.
There is a debate as to whether the drops of oil in the water are necessary at all. Some believe stirring the pasta as it boils is sufficient to avoid the strands from sticking. I’m used to my mother’s method and it has always worked.
In cooking pasta, generally speaking the rule is to add about 8 oz. of pasta to three quarts of boiling water. It is important to follow the package instructions since cooking time will vary depending on whether the pasta is dry or fresh, and the shape also comes into play in terms of cooking time. In general, fresh pasta like my mother used to make cooks in one to three minutes and packaged dry pasta takes up to fifteen minutes, possibly a little less. You want to be cognizant of not overcooking the pasta since there is nothing more unappealing than soggy pasta- even the children will complain.
I learned while I was visiting Italy in my twenties that you can be pretty much assured the pasta is ready when it is “al dente”. In Italian, it means “to the tooth”, or simply put- firm versus soggy! While in Italy, I heard you can test if the pasta is “al dente” by throwing a few strands against a wall, and if the pasta sticks to the wall, it is definitely al dente! You may not want to bother with the test since by scooping out a few strands of pasta from the boiling water, you can also sample the pasta and tell if it is firm or not.
Pesto sauce makes a great companion to just about all varieties of pasta and is really easy to prepare. You will need a food processor where you would add all the basic ingredients:
¼ cup of pine nuts or walnuts
½ a cup of fresh basil
1-2 cloves of garlic
¼ cup of olive oil.
You can store pesto in a sealed jar and keep handy for a great sauce at any time with any shape pasta.
The rule of thumb for combining pasta shapes with the right sauces is as follows: Long pasta such as linguine, angel hair, and fettuccine requires keeping the thickness of the pasta in mind. Thicker pasta works best with chunkier sauces, while thinner pasta such as angel hair and linguine work well with more delicate sauces. It is also a matter of preference.
-Written by Jackie O’Neal (You may not reprint this article.)
To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk eBook’s Freezing It & Loving It!
Posted by Tishia | Filed Under Food & Drink
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