Day 37 - A word about pasta

I was born in a town that is so close to the border with Italy, that you can actually see Italy when you look out of the window. I've spent my teenage years shopping in the italian shops, buying Italian clothes and Italian food.

That said, I was raised on the Italian diet. We only ate a few of the typical Slovenian dishes, the rest were various minestrones or rice or pasta. Full stop.

photo by topfer

While the rest of our country used butter, we used olive oil. While they were making potica, we were making tiramisu'. And while my fellow citizens were cooking potatoes, we were cooking pasta.

So I am a bit sensitive, when it comes to pasta.

Not every brand makes good pasta. I prefer Barilla, but I also found some organic brands that make decent products. The rest is mediocre. I take it if I must and have no other option.

Rule number one: never overcook your pasta. Like, never! The perfect way to eat your pasta is "al-dente" which means "to the tooth". Simply said, when you bite into the pasta, it should still be firm in the middle. You need to chew the pasta, not just swallow down a mush. This way the pasta also maintains a lower glycemic index (= will release the sugars to the blood more slowly and keep you fed longer). The instructions on the pasta package should say how long to cook the pasta, but never ever take it as granted. Always do a double check a few minutes prior to cooking termination. Remove some pasta from the pot and taste it. If's it's tough to bite, it's not done yet. If it's a mush, you overcooked it. If you can bite into a firm, semi-tender consistency, drain it - your pasta is cooked!

Also a note about cooking. You should always, no exception, cook the pasta in a really huge amount of water. The rule should be: 1 liter of water per every 100 g of pasta, but more is better. While cooking, the pasta will soak up the water and double the size, so you always need a big pot 3/4 full of water! Also, always use cold water, salt it, and bring to boil. Then, add the pasta. For comparison: when I cook for two (200 - 250 g pasta) I always use at least 3 - 4 liters of water.

And a word about shapes of pasta. As you may have noticed, I use a ridicolous variety of pasta shapes. It's not just about spaghetti and penne. Just the spaghetti family consists of a wide variety of shapes: capellini, bavettine, linguine, tagliatelle, bucatini,... you get the idea. I always choose my pasta depending on the sauce. Regular spaghetti need a big amount of sauce, but bavettine may require just a bit of it to keep it moist. It's all about the shape, you see. If you have a special topping that includes bits of food, you might want to consider conchiglie, if you're making a tomato sauce, spaghetti or penne would be better. Then there's also the diference between liscie (smooth) or rigate, which allow the sauce to stick to the pasta better.

But don't be frightened about the choice and variety. In the end, it all comes down to your own imagination. Be creative and great recipes will come your way, but remember just one simple rule: cook your pasta correctly and half of the work will be done.