Pasta Category

Pasta

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A staple of Italian cuisine, pasta is made with a dough that's kneaded and then fashioned into hundreds of different shapes and sizes. The tiniest shapes are often used in soups, long ribbons or strands with sauces, and tubes and fanciful shapes in casseroles and pasta salads. Some shapes are large enough to be stuffed and baked, and others, like ravioli, come already stuffed.


Most pasta is made with semolina, a hard wheat flour, but some producers make corn pasta, rice pasta, spelt pasta, and kamut pasta. These alternative grains yield a mushier pasta, but they're a boon to people with wheat allergies.


While dried pasta is usually vegan, egg pasta, along with many fresh pastas, are made with eggs, which gives the finished dish a richer flavor, a softer texture, and a lovely yellow color. Dried pasta is sturdier than egg pasta or fresh pasta, and is the best choice for heavy sauces, pasta salads, and casseroles. Fresh pasta works best with cream or cheese sauces. One pound dried pasta yields the same amount of cooked pasta as 1 1/2 pounds fresh pasta.



Italian for pasta lovers


The Italian suffixes "ini," "elli," "illi," or "etti" mean smaller (e.g., spaghettini is a thin version of spaghetti), while "oni," "one," or "otti" mean larger.


Ribbed pasta sometimes has a "rigate" or "rigati" adjective behind the pasta name (e.g., penne rigate or rigatoni rigati).


Smooth pasta sometimes has a "lisce" or "lisci" adjective behind the pasta name (e.g., penne lisce or ditali lisci).


Fresca means fresh. All' uovo means the pasta is made with eggs.



How to cook pasta


Different kinds of pasta cook at different rates, so select shapes of similar sizes if you're combining them. If you use a low-quality pasta, be sure to cook it in plenty of water to prevent it from getting gummy.


Use lots of water when cooking pasta, at least a gallon per pound. You can add salt to the water if you wish, but don't add oil. Bring the water to a rolling boil before adding the pasta. When the water returns to a boil, lower the heat to maintain a low boil. Stir occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking together. Don't cover the pot.


Pasta is ready when it's "al dente" ("to the tooth"), which means it should be cooked completely through, yet firm enough to offer some resistance to your bite. Drain the pasta in a colander, but don't rinse it unless you plan to use it in a casserole or pasta salad. Reserve a small amount of the flavorful cooking liquid in case the pasta becomes too dry and needs to be moistened. Serve it as soon as possible.


Don't freeze cooked pasta unless it's in a baked casserole.



How to select pasta:


Pasta salads: Use short, thick pasta tubes or pasta shapes. Common choices include penne, macaroni, fusilli, ruote, rotini, cavatelli, conchigliette, or gemelli. Don't use egg pasta or fresh pasta.


Casseroles: Use pasta tubes with thick walls, like macaroni or penne, or sturdy pasta shapes, like rigatoni, fusilli, or gemelli, or lasagne. Cook them for two-thirds of the recommended time in water, then let them finish cooking in the oven.


For stuffing: Choose large pasta tubes like cannelloni, manicotti, or tufoli.


Heavy sauces: Choose thick pasta ribbons, like fettuccine or linguine, or sturdy pasta rods, like perciatelli.


Light, smooth sauces: Choose slender pasta rods, like spaghetti or vermicelli.


Cream or butter sauces: Choose fresh pasta ribbons, like fresh fettuccine or fresh pappardelle.


Dishes with chunky, bite-sized ingredients: Choose pasta tubes or pasta shapes that can capture and retain bits of meat, cheese, and vegetables, like farfalle, radiatore, fusilli, penne rigate, macaroni, rigatoni, ziti, ruote, conchiglie, rotini, or cavatelli.


Soups: Choose a soup pasta, like orzo, acini di pepe, orecchiette, tubettini, conchiglette, or ditalini.



Varieties:

tortelli, anolini
tortelli
These are circles of 2-inch diameter pasta that are stuffed and then folded over.
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tortellini
tortellini
These are circles of pasta that are stuffed with a meat or cheese filling, and then folded into little hats. A larger version is called tortelloni.
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tortelloni
tortelloni
These are circles of pasta that are stuffed with a meat or cheese filling, and then folded into little hats. A smaller version is called tortellini.
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tortiglioni
tortiglioni
This is a tubular Italian pasta that's often served with chunky sauces or in casseroles.
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trenette, trinette
trenette
This is a type of Italian ribbon pasta that's thinner than fettuccine and linguine. It's traditionally served with a pesto sauce. Don't confuse it with trennette, a small rod with a triangular cross-section.
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trenne
trenne
This Italian pasta is triangular, and cut into short lengths. It's good with chunky sauces or in casseroles.
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trennette
trennette
This triangular Italian pasta is similar to trenne, only smaller. Don't confuse this with trenette, which is a long ribbon of pasta.
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tripolini, little bows
tripolini
Some pasta producers use the name tripolini to describe tiny bows which commemorate the Italian conquest of Tripoli. Some use it to describe long ribbons that are similar to fettuccine, but ruffled along one edge.
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troffiette
troffiette
A Ligurian specialty, these are small, twisted bits of pasta. They're often served with pesto.
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truffle pasta
This is an egg pasta that's flavored with truffles. It's normally served with a cheese sauce.
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tubetti
tubetti
These small pasta tubes work well in minestrone and other Italian soups. It's also one of the shapes used to make Spaghetti-Os.
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tubettini
tubettini
This is a tiny version of tubetti ("little tubes"), a short, tubular Italian pasta shape. It's usually served in broths and light soups. It's also one of the shapes used to make Spaghetti-Os.
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tufoli
This large, tubular pasta is often stuffed and baked. It also goes well with hearty sauces.
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vermicelli
vermicelli
Vermicelli (Italian for "little worms") is similar to spaghetti, only with very thin strands. Serve it with very light sauces, or break up the rods and serve the pieces in a broth.
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vermicelloni
vermicelloni
This Italian pasta is a thick version of vermicelli, that's often served with hearty meat sauces. It's hard to find in the United States.
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whole wheat pasta
whole wheat pasta
Several varieties of pasta are made with whole wheat instead of a more refined flour. This makes the pasta darker but more nutritious.
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ziti, cut ziti, zitti
ziti
These come either as long, hollow rods or as short tubes, called cut ziti. They're often baked in casseroles.
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