It has undeniable versatility, it's nutritious, inexpensive and quick to prepare. Pasta is made with a combination of flour, water and sometimes eggs and oil. Durham wheat is found in many dried pastas and is sometimes considered the better quality pasta. If you keep your dried pasta in an airtight container it will last 6 months unless it is a whole wheat variety, in which case the shelf life is about one month. Fresh pasta works well with rich sauces like an Alfredo Sauce because it tends to soak up the sauce. Dried pastas are a better match for full-bodied sauces like a tomato based sauce that incorporates meat or other hearty ingredients.
Cooking pasta is easy. Just figure out how much you'll need and use a measure of about 5 oz per person although you could get by with only 4 oz. That means you'll need 16 oz or a pound of pasta to feed a family of four like mine. Then just bring a large pot of cold water to boil. I like to use filtered water to prevent any change to the taste of pasta.
A tablespoon or so as you want your water salty like the ocean (salting prior to your water boiling may pit your pan). Some people add a few teaspoons of oil to the boiling water, so the pasta doesn't stick, but I find that I generally do not need to do that. Be sure to stir your pasta a few times as it cooks. Cook your pasta to the al dente stage. Meaning still firm to the tooth. Once your pasta is cooked, drain it, but don't shake all the water out or you'll have a sticky mess. Add a little butter to your cooked pasta to keep it from getting gummy, and place it on a plate or platter and cover it with sauce. You can simply slide the pasta into the pan of sauce and turn to coat and serve from there.
Think about what pasta shape will work well with your sauce. Tube shape pasta such as Penne or Rigatoni holds thick sauces well. Smooth sauces complement flat or long pastas like Vermicelli or Linguine. F.Y.Ipasta names can vary by manufacturer. If the name of pasta ends in: oni. This indicates larger size pasta like Conchiglioni or Macaroni. The opposite of this would be pasta names that end in: ini or ette meaning smaller pasta like Capellini (Angel Hair).
There is also a ton of variety in pasta sauces. You can start with a basic white sauce made with cream as a base or a red sauce that starts with tomatoes as a base. But there are so many variants. And then there are pestos which is just garlic, an herb (Basil is the most widely used) and olive oil.
No matter how you decide to pair your pasta, sauce and extra ingredients you almost can't loose. No one will walk away hungry. Don't forget you eat with your eyes first, so garnish your pasta with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese, chopped parsley or something else that will taste and look fantastic. - 30241
Cooking pasta is easy. Just figure out how much you'll need and use a measure of about 5 oz per person although you could get by with only 4 oz. That means you'll need 16 oz or a pound of pasta to feed a family of four like mine. Then just bring a large pot of cold water to boil. I like to use filtered water to prevent any change to the taste of pasta.
A tablespoon or so as you want your water salty like the ocean (salting prior to your water boiling may pit your pan). Some people add a few teaspoons of oil to the boiling water, so the pasta doesn't stick, but I find that I generally do not need to do that. Be sure to stir your pasta a few times as it cooks. Cook your pasta to the al dente stage. Meaning still firm to the tooth. Once your pasta is cooked, drain it, but don't shake all the water out or you'll have a sticky mess. Add a little butter to your cooked pasta to keep it from getting gummy, and place it on a plate or platter and cover it with sauce. You can simply slide the pasta into the pan of sauce and turn to coat and serve from there.
Think about what pasta shape will work well with your sauce. Tube shape pasta such as Penne or Rigatoni holds thick sauces well. Smooth sauces complement flat or long pastas like Vermicelli or Linguine. F.Y.Ipasta names can vary by manufacturer. If the name of pasta ends in: oni. This indicates larger size pasta like Conchiglioni or Macaroni. The opposite of this would be pasta names that end in: ini or ette meaning smaller pasta like Capellini (Angel Hair).
There is also a ton of variety in pasta sauces. You can start with a basic white sauce made with cream as a base or a red sauce that starts with tomatoes as a base. But there are so many variants. And then there are pestos which is just garlic, an herb (Basil is the most widely used) and olive oil.
No matter how you decide to pair your pasta, sauce and extra ingredients you almost can't loose. No one will walk away hungry. Don't forget you eat with your eyes first, so garnish your pasta with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese, chopped parsley or something else that will taste and look fantastic. - 30241
About the Author:
Learn how to cook healthy recipes at home. Stop by Lisa Andrews site where you can find fun and easy tailgating recipes and much more.
