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Buon giornio. Contrary to popular mythology back in the States, dry pasta
is not inferior to fresh pasta. It's just, well, different. See, fresh pasta
tends to soak up sauce while dry factory-made pastas carry it, kind of like a
nice Armani blazer. Now in Italy, pasta shapes are like little league teams.
Every town's got one, or several. |
![]() Picture Courtesy Means Street |
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But, it basically breaks down into five groups: strings, ribbons, tubes, shapes, and what I call micro pasta. Now, I believe in having a delegate from each group in my pantry at all times. |
Strings |
Now the string family: vermicelli, capellini and the like. Spaghetti is my favorite just because it's a really versatile size. This is the pasta I reach for when I'm dealing with olive oil based sauces. |
Strings |
Now, of the ribbons, linguini, fettucini, tagliatelle, again, I default to the middle ground, fettucini. It's my choice for butter and cream sauces. And yes, a little Alfredo every now and then is good for the soul. |
Ribbons |
Now, the huge tube family it's tough what with all the pennes, tubettis and zittis to choose from. But since this is the group I look to for heavy sauces like Mac and Cheese, I go with the penne rigata. |
Tubes |
Now, when it comes to shapes, I'm a sucker for a whimsical name. With all the dischettis, fusilis, farfalles and the like I tell you, it's a tough choice, but I got to go with the radiatore. Maybe the idea of eating little radiators is just too appealing to me. Now, most of these shapes are kind of wild card when it comes to sauce. But remember, the deeper the groove and recesses that the noodle has, the better it's going to be at holding on to heavier sauces like cream sauces. |
Shapes
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Now, when it comes to the micro pastas like orzo or this pastina, this stuff is strictly for broths and soup.
Ironically, with the exception of coloring and flouring agents like spinach and squid ink, most of these hundreds of different pasta shapes all come from the same dough, a simple concoction of water and a flour called semolina which comes from a wheat called durum. |
Semolina Durum |
Now for centuries, this was
the heart of the durum wheat world, the heel of the boot [of Italy]. But
in the last half of the 20th century, another durum power has emerged.
That's right. Sunny South Dakota. American durum is now as good if not out-and-out better than
Italy's. So before you shell out big bucks for an expensive import,
you might just buy American. Of course, since many Italian pasta
houses have switched to Dakota durum, you're probably already buying
American. You're just paying extra for an Italian box.
Rigata means "stripe." Dozens of different pasta styles are Rigatas.
Durum flour, or semolina, is crucial to
pasta making. Its higher protein content and the shape of its
unusually large grains helps to prevent the release of starch from the
pasta into the cooking water. Now, this protein also makes durum
dough—called macaroni in Italy—very tough. I've seen a home
machine actually fall apart trying to roll out the stuff. Don't try
this at home.
So, how is factory pasta made? Well, ribbons like
tagliatelle or fettucini are usually cut from large sheets like this one
that's being rolled up. But, strands, shapes, tubes, all made from
extrusion. And most American kids, at least, have first hand
knowledge of extrusion.
Used to be, pasta manufacturers were always having to replace the bronze dies that their extruders pushed the dough through. You see, semolina is so abrasive that it actually will etch the soft metal. It can even wear it out. Now, the noodles that come out of dies like this have a texture to them which can be anything from a matte finish to a downright rough surface. |
Tortiglioni
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Now when Teflon became available in the
latter half of this century, a lot of manufacturers decided to coat their dies
with the super hard material. Not only could the dies stand up to the
abrasive semolina, but the manufacturers found they could run their extruders at
a much, much higher speed. But, these new noodles, they were different. See, they had a smooth exterior which looked great but they
didn't grab hold of sauce quite the way the old, rougher noodles did. So, some smaller manufacturers like this one in San Francisco have actually gone
back to the more fragile, persnickety bronze dies.
So, this is Luigi Martinelli. He's been making pasta
here in San Francisco ...
AB: ... for what, 30 years?
LM: No, no. 1949. Fifty years, right now.
AB: Fifty years. And he was just telling me a secret recipe for marinara
which you can't have because it's a secret. Sorry, but
that's another episode. Ha.
LM: [says something to another pasta maker] Many kinds of flour ...
AB: Heh, heh. That's power. Okay, flour.
LM: ... you can have many kinds of flour. We use the hard durum flour. In fact, you see is yellow. It's not white.
AB: No, it's yellow. Yeah.
LM: It's the best flour money can buy. And then we combine that with
semolina, pure, homemade semolina with 60% semolina 40%
flour.
AB: Of regular flour. That gives you just enough hardness, just
enough protein ...
LM: It's a beautiful combination ... [?]
AB: Now, what would happen if you used just all semolina. What would
happen? It would fall apart?
LM: No. It won't come out. Two minutes in the hot, boiling water. That's
it. It's all done. Two minutes.
AB: Two minutes because you guys don't dry it all the way.
LM: Yes.
AB: If you were to dry it in the drying cabinet it might take five
minutes.
LM: [???]
AB: You're not going to retire anytime soon, are you?
LM: No, no.
AB: Okay.
LM: I'm only 74.
AB: 74? That's like nothing. It's like you're a teenager.
LM: Yeah, by 80.
AB & LM: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
Life is a combination of magic and pasta. -Federico Fellini
Contrary to the back of many a box of pasta, pasta needs a lot of water. A single 3 to 4 ounce portion can squeeze by on 3 quarts, but as a rule, I never cook any amount of pasta in less than a gallon of water.
That's 4 quarts, 8 pints, or 16 cups, or 256 tablespoons, or 768 teaspoons which is to say 128 ounces. Not a drop less. |
1G =4Qts =8Pts =16C
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![]() Photo Courtesy Means Street |
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A pound of pasta, roughly enough for four adults, I go six quarts. Two pounds and I get another pot. Now, this much aqua demands a vessel of considerable volume, no? |
1 lb Pasta 6 Qts H2O |
All I want from a pasta pot is volume. Of course, since it's going to be home to anywhere from 8 to 14 pounds of
boiling water, light would be a plus, too. My choice: commercial grade aluminum.
It's light, it's strong, it's versatile and if you buy it in a restaurant
supply store, it's pretty cheap to boot.
And a pot like this is going to have a life well beyond pasta.
Truth is, you can cook almost anything in it. But, beware of
foods that are high in acid like, say, tomatoes. They don't get along real
well with aluminum. But anything that cooks in water—pasta, potatoes,
large batches of stock—this is your vessel of choice. But remember, in a
place like this everything is a la carte. So, you'll need to pick
up a lid separately.
Start with hot tap water and put it
over high heat. Now is the time to add salt and I'm afraid that this
is not an optional step. It's required. See, the pasta is
going to take up a lot of water and this is the only chance you're going
to have to get seasoning inside the noodles. Now, a lot of recipes
suggest that you add salt depending on the amount of pasta. That just
doesn't make sense to me. The salt should be a function of the water. I go with about a teaspoon per
quart. Once it's
dissolved it should taste kind of like seawater which is my general rule
of thumb for all starches.
Now, slap on the lid to speed up heating. This
tankard should be up to a rolling boil in about 20 minutes. And do
not add oil to the water, ever. It just floats on top like an oil slick. It doesn't do any good
whatsoever. What does end up on
the pasta will only make it harder for cheese, oil or sauce to stick.
The two hallmarks of all pantry knighthood are versatility and longevity. Now with its near indefinite shelf life, dry pasta certainly fits the bill. It does have three enemies though: air, light and wee little creatures. You can avoid all three by keeping pasta not in its original package but in a tin like this canister or some other airtight container. |
Air |
For a plate of spaghetti, he'd leave
home.
For a woman? Never. --Mrs. Pavarotti
GUEST: Anti-Alton
![]() Photo Courtesy Means Street |
Now that we've got a big pot full of lots of boiling water take a spoon or tongs or some kind of implement in one hand and the pasta in the other. Now, I'm going with my favorite, spaghetti. Three ounces per diner, it's a good size average entree. I've got four servings here. Okay, pasta into the boiling water. Now, fan it out. AB: Don't drop it in like a log. Immediately push the strands down into the water gently. AB: Go easy or you'll break them.
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Now all this water is inflicting major changes on the proteins and starch on the outside of the strand. Now, my pet theory is that stirring at this stage is smart. I figure that all the bending around somehow affects the way the pasta takes water. So, stir for 30 or 40 seconds. Now we want the water to come back to a boil as quickly as possible so cover the pot at least part way until it's rolling again. Now, at that point you might want to turn it down just a little bit to avoid boil-overs. |
Stir for the first 30 Seconds Cover the Pot Return to boil |
Now, the reason that boil-overs happen is that, you see when the pasta goes into the water starch just floats off and starch allows the water to make and hold on to bigger bubbles. The bubbles stack up and bingo, boil-over. It's just another in a long list of reasons to use a big pot and a lot of water. |
Boil Over |
Okay, total cooking time will, of course, depend on the shape and size of the pasta you're cooking.
Italian for "to the tooth" al
dente describes pasta
cooked until it offers slight resistance.
Now, you can safely walk away from your
average long noodle, spaghetti, linguini, fettuccini for 3 maybe 4 minutes. But after that, you'd better stick around.
Okay, 4 minutes has gone by. Time to start tasting. Now, there's no mystery to
getting pasta
right. We're not
going to employ a medium or break out a Ouija board. We're not going
to throw it against a wall or smash it under a chair leg. We're going to
taste it. The way we see it, pasta is like chicken. It's either raw,
done or overcooked. It's that simple.
Now, fish out one strand and hold it by both ends. Kind
of tug it a little. Does it stretch and bounce back like a rubber band? Then it's getting
close. Give it a taste. If it's
springy then you're past the crunchy stage but you still could be in the
unappealingly chewy stage, the primary symptom of which is that it kind of sticks in your
back teeth. These have a couple more minutes to go. Give them a
stir.
Oh, geez. I'm late for a party.
GUEST: Tupperware Party
Ladies #1 & #2
So, you've found the perfect pot for
your pasta but say your colander looks like a hard hat with 6 holes
drilled in the bottom. Ain't gonna work. See, it
actually matters how the pasta drains. And believe me, I have gone to the
ends of the earth to find the perfect colander. But, I finally did
find it—at a party, no less. |
![]() Photo Courtesy Means Street |
Check it out. Beautiful. See these slots? They actually allow water to drain away faster than holes do
which is great. Look for something that's got a nice, wide bottom so
it will sit stable in a sink and if you're lucky, you'll find something
with a perforated lid. Look at this. Snaps right on for easy
shaking, no mess no worries. Perfect.
AB: Okay, ladies. Got to go. [continues to try and get up] Need to go ladies. Excuse me, ladies ... got to ... got to go.
Well, I can't speak for Cervantes but my favorite sauces aren't really sauces at all. They're more anti-sauces. Just thrown together combinations of other pantry favorites: capers, sundried tomatoes, red peppers, anchovies, every olive imaginable, nuts, hard cheeses like asiago, veined cheeses like gorgonzola, garlic, canned artichokes, little tins of smoked oysters, you name it, all held together by the stuff that, well I think holds the universe together, olive oil.
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Capers
Sundried Tomatoes Olive Oil |
Now, the finest cold pressed oils are extracted by pressure alone. Extra virgin comes from the very first cold press and contains only 1% acid, which explains not only its fruity aroma and verdant color but its price. Now, this one is not for any high heat cooking, just salad dressings and dipping. |
Extra Virgin |
Now, virgin olive oil is also made from the first press and has a slightly higher acid content. |
Virgin |
Regular straight olive oil usually contains a blend of refined olive oil and virgin olive oil. |
Olive Oil |
Light olive oil has the same number of calories as other olive oils but due to additional refinement it's got a lighter flavor. Another result of that refinement is a higher smoke point. Unlike virgin olive oils which burn at a relatively low temperature, light olive oil can be used for pan frying, even sautéing. |
Light
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Now, light speeds up
oxidation of oil so, either keep your bottle in a cabinet away from heat
or store it in a can. This will keep it firmly in the dark.
The greener the oil, the fruitier the flavor
[takes a bite of the hot pasta] Umm, there's still a little resistance left, something for the teeth to get into. Yields, but only after a little bit of a fight. In short, it's neither a piano wire or baby food.
ANTI
ALTON: [looks at ruined pasta]
AB: Aww, that's too bad. [snicker]
Italians call this ethereal state, al
dente. I call it 'done' ... a few minutes underdone, actually,
which is what we want because its going to finish cooking in our shiny,
new colander. Just slap on the lid and shake. Now, you don't
have to shake it bone dry. A little surface water is going to help
hold on to whatever we decide to add to it. Now unless you plan to
refrigerate this for later use, don't rinse it. Washing will only
remove the traces of starch that are waiting, Velcro-like, to adhere to
whatever sauce walks by.
Now, I want to coat my pasta, not smother it. So,
I'm going to add a little bit of olive oil to the bottom of a large,
warmed bowl along with about a teaspoon of raw garlic and then just toss
it like a salad. The point is to coat every strand while it's hot
and receptive to your advances. It's plenty hot to cook this garlic.
Now as the pasta cools down really quickly.
So, have some
warm serving bowls waiting nearby. I'm going to add in some cheese,
maybe some sundried tomatoes, a few nuts, a few grinds of black pepper. Now, how do you know if you have sauced
successfully? Well, take a look. You don't see any oil in the bottom of the
bowl. Pasta soaked it all up.
You know, it's funny. Unlike other foods that
wisely assume that we know how to eat, every book written on pasta seems
compelled to give us eating instructions. There's fork only, spoon
and knife, fork only ... I don't know. As far as we're concerned,
the fewer the rules the better. You know, sometimes late at night I
even eat pasta with my fingers. It's fun, too.
You know, we hope the last half hour has changed
forever the way you think of dried pasta. But, we'll settle for your
promise not to ever let your pantry run out again.
We close with a quote tossed out by a young, Italian
actress named Sophia Loren to a group of photographers who were
questioning her on her figure. She said, "Everything you see I
owe to pasta."** Clearly, Sophia knows a thing or two about good
eats.
Visit us on the web at www.foodtv.com.
*literally it says, "The best of the world is hunger."
**my sources quote her as saying, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti."
Last Edited on 08/27/2010