Pasta Made Easy
Pasta is one of the most popular foods in the world today, ranging in thousands of shapes and flavors. It is quick & easy, versatile, low-cost, very customizable, used in the finest of restaurants and at home as well. Pasta is found in nearly all cuisines.
Origin of pasta
The origins of pasta are a widely disputed issue. While there is no argument that Marco Polo did indeed bring pasta to Italy from China in 1295, there is evidence that it was already being used there before that time.
Wall paintings have been found in one Etruscan tomb showing the same tools used in today’s pasta making. Evidence also shows that the Romans fried an unleavened dough and served it with sauce. Also, a famous 1st century Roman food expert wrote of a layered dish of pasta-like dough, early lasagne?
Who first boiled pasta
Regardless of where it originated, it was the Sicilians who first boiled it. Their use of irrigation systems gave them quantities of clean water to use in their cooking practices and they were eating spaghetti like pasta as early as the 12th century..
In these earlier days of pasta, it was made simply at home in a small variety of shapes. It was not until the mid-12th century that ravioli, vermicelli and tortelli came into popularity. By the time of the Renaissance, pasta was eaten on nearly all menus in Italy. It ranged from expensive sugar and spice-based sauces to simple garlic and vegetable dishes.
The climate of the Mediterranean area made it the perfect place for the production of pasta. The hardy durum wheat needed for making it grew well in the fertile soil; the sun and the wind necessary for drying also were present, a unique combination. This enabled commercial pasta production to really take off in the late 18th century. It began an evolutionary process that has not stopped to this day. People world-wide can now enjoy pastas in an endless array of shapes, flavors, colors and ingredients.
Fresh pasta making is also enjoying a strong comeback as people return to high quality, basic, natural foods. It is easy to make and all the ingredients are available to make excellent pasta in your own home. Pasta cutting machines are affordable to the general public and can be found in most quality kitchen supply stores. These are very useful in rolling the dough and cutting longer pasta shapes, a very wise investment if you are interested in making pasta on a regular basis.
All in all, pasta is probably one of the most perfect foods. It can be made flavored using various ingredients, including vegetable bases or even whole-wheat flour, to avoid eating processed white flours. Any sauce imaginable will work with it, considering the vast number of shapes and textures available. Recipes are too numerous to list, limited only by imagination of the cook. Finally, pasta is inexpensive enough to be afforded even by the lowest of incomes.
What is Pasta?
True pasta, at least in the traditional sense, is simply flour and water. There are no leaving agents used in the dough.
The best flour to use is semolina, produced from durum, a hard summer wheat. This flour is very high in gluten required for the strength to hold it’s form. Due to the high protein in the gluten, the dough kneads and shapes well. Always look for a high percentage of semolina flour when purchasing pasta, it will produce a quality product that is not as likely to stick together.
There are also egg pasta noodles, as well. Eggs are incorporated into the dough to strengthen it, however, it is harder to work with. Longer shapes such as spaghetti and linguini will break too easily if made with egg pasta dough. This product is used for filled doughs (ravioli, tortellini, etc.) and smaller shaped noodles.
Pasta is high in protein, vitamins and minerals……a complex carbohydrate food. It contains six of the eight essential amino acids necessary to make up a complete protein. All that is needed is a small amount of cheese, fish, eggs, meat or pulses (beans, etc.) to make it a complete meal. If using egg pasta, it needs even less additional protein. This is a powerful motive for eating pasta on a regular basis. Also, for anyone on a tight budget, it is good to know that we can still eat heathy for very little money.
How to Cook Pasta
Cooking pasta is one of the simplest tasks in the kitchen. However, it is also one that is done improperly by a large number of people. Here are some step-by-step guidelines to perfectly cooked pasta.
1. Use a large pot with a large amount of water, at least 4 quarts per pound of pasta. This is the most common mistake people make when cooking pasta (along with overcooking). The pasta needs lots of room to move around in the pot the release it’s starch and swell to the proper proportion.
2. After the water comes to a boil, add 1 ½ – 2 tablespoons of salt per pound of pasta. Insufficient salt will result in a bland pasta. It’s all too common to have a great sauce served with pasta that is tasteless.
3. Add the pasta all at once, stirring to keep from sticking together. Bring the water back to a boil quickly.
4. Stir the pasta frequently during cooking. Cook to the desired texture, don’t overcook. Proper pasta should be al dente, or , with a bite. Follow the package directions, this will vary according to the type and manufacturer.
5. Drain carefully and thoroughly. There will be a lot of steam, use oven mitts for protection. Also, shake the colander to remove all the water from hollow types of pasta. This will dilute your carefully prepared sauce.
6. If you are holding the pasta for any length of time, it’s a good idea to toss it with a very small quantity of olive or canola oil to keep it from sticking together. Don’t use so much that it will keep your sauce from adhering to the pasta. You can also save a bit of the pasta cooking water to re-moisten it.
Shapes of Pasta & Sauces
Proper pairing of the various pastas with sauces is a common sense approach, there are really no hard-and-fast rules other than some of the classic dishes (Fettuccine Alfredo, etc.).
Thick, chunky sauces will not stick well to thin pasta. These types of sauces are used with the thicker types such as fettuccine, tagliatelle, etc. Therefore, a meat sauce used with spaghetti should have smaller bits of ground beef so as not to have all the chunks left on your plate at the end of the meal. These thicker sauces also work well with small shapes such as rotini, penne, and fusilli pastas.
Thinner sauces are normally used with pastas like spaghetti, vermicelli, etc. Most places in Italy simply serve these kinds with olive oil, garlic and herbs as a nice light meal.
Pasta is one of the most economical, nutritious, versatile and delicious foods in the world. Using the proper guidelines, the only limitations are within the imagination of the cook that is preparing the meal. Experiment, create your own recipes and combinations, and above all, enjoy.
To get your hands on some delicious pasta, here are some sample recipes involving pasta, or you can try out our Greek Style Pasta Salad or Linguini in Baby Clam Garlic Sauce.
