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Tips and hints to help you make the most of pasta

Pasta is a versatile product, which is very filling and is a great source of energy. Its nearly worldwide acceptance is attributed to a unique combination of properties, namely low cost, long shelf life, palatability, versatility and desired nutritional properties. It is quick and easy to prepare and can be served with almost any kind of sauce e.g. meat, fish or vegetable sauces.

Guidelines for the best results in cooking pasta

  • The correct amount of water for boiling pasta is important to ensure evenly cooked pasta, which will not stick together.
    (A guideline is 4 litres of water for every 500 g of pasta.)
  • Bring the water to a boil and add the salt. (The recommended amount of salt for pasta is 22,5 - 30 ml for every 500 g of pasta.)
  • While the water returns to boiling point stir the pasta well with a wooden spoon or fork to prevent the pasta strands or shapes from sticking together.
  • Pasta should be cooked until “Al Dente”.This means the pasta is tender on the outside but firm and resistant to the bite on the inside.Testing should be done frequently toward the end of the cooking time.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and drain the pasta thoroughly through a colander.
  • For salads and side dishes rinse the pasta in cold water to remove the starchy layer and to prevent the pasta from sticking together. For hot meals do not rinse the pasta in water.The starchiness in the pasta water helps the pasta sauce to adhere better to the cooked pasta.

 

 

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Guide to quantity of dried pasta per serving

Starter: 50 - 75 g per serving / Main Course: 100 - 175 g per serving

Which pasta shape with which sauce?

Certain pasta shapes and sauces compliment each other.Thin delicate pastas like angel hair or thin spaghetti, should be served with light, thin sauces or soups. Thicker pasta shapes, like fettuccine or boloroni and cavatappi work well with heavier sauces and for pre-packed meals. Pasta shapes with holes or ridges are perfect for chunkier sauces.

General tips:

  • Unsalted water will reach boiling point faster than salted water. Therefore, add salt to your boiling water just before you add the pasta.
  • To help prevent the water from boiling over, rub some vegetable oil around the inside top of the pot. Sticky pasta like large sheets of lasagne and fresh pasta might need some oil in the cooking water to help prevent the pasta from sticking together.
  • Always pre-heat the pasta serving bowl and plates because pasta loses heat quickly.
  • To reheat pasta, do not microwave, but poor boiling water with a little oil added, over pasta in a colander.
  • Left over pasta can be used to prepare delicious meals. Layer cooked pasta in a casserole dish with fried vegetables, a sauce of your choice and grated cheese. Sprinkle grated cheese and/or breadcrumbs on the top and bake in the oven at 180°C until crisp and golden brown.

 

 

 
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Pastas for soup

These go under the generic term pastina; many are miniature of larger shapes; most names are self-explanatory. They include anellini (“little rings”), conchigliette (“little shells”), nocchette (“little lumps”), semini de melo (“little melon seeds”), perlini (“little pearls”), ruotellini (“little wheels”) and vermicelli (“little strings”).

Pastas for boiling

These are unstuffed pastas, sometimes flavoured with vegetable extracts, squid ink or herbs, or enriched with eggs.
Bignoli - A long, thin tubular pasta, popular in the Venice region.  
Bucatini - A large macaroni.

Capelli d’angello - “Angel hair”; thin, delicate strings.
Conchiglie - “Conch shells”
Ditali - Very small macaroni.

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Farfalle - “Bows”
Fettucine - Long ribbon noodles, the Roman version of tagliatelle.

Fusilli - “Little spindles”; spirals

Linguine - “Little tongues”; slightly thicker ribbon noodles.
Macaroni - Pasta tubes of many sizes.
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Orechiette - “Little ears”
Paglia e fieno - “Straw and hay”; very thin ribbons of plain and spinach pasta cooked, and sometimes sold, together.

Penne - “Quills”; tubular pasta with pointed ends; particularly popular in northern Italy.)
Rigatoni - Large “ridged” tubes, also called grosso rigato.
Ruote - Spoked “wheel”; shaped pasta
Spaghetti - “Little strips”; comes in several thicknesses.
Tagliatelle - “Little ribbons”; slightly wider than fettucine.
Trenette - Long, thin straight noodles, like flattened spaghetti.
Zite - Long, thick tubular pasta; zitone is even thicker. Serve with a Mediterranean Pasta

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Stuffed pasta for boiling

There are many regional variations, but these are the most widely encountered. The most common traditional fillings are meat, pumpkin or spinach and cheese mixture, but today there are many imaginative alternatives including smoked salmon, mushrooms or puréed artichokes.
Agnolini - Much the same shape as a ravioli.

Agnelotti - Said to resemble a “little fat lamb”, nose between hooves - more like a tortellini, from Tuscany, Liguria and Piedmont.
Capellini - Stuffed “little hats”.
Ravioli - Usually square, with a crenellated edge; originally from the Genoa area.
Tortellini - Bolognese specialty now widely popular. Crescent-shaped with ends twisted to meet.
Tortellone are even larger, usually two or three to a serving.


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