Ten Steps to Perfect Pasta by Skip Lombardi I'm amazed at how often I get e-mail from a disgruntled home cook, lamenting the
fact that, once again, a dish of pasta has turned into a culinary disaster. I hear stories of overcooked, undercooked, tasteless
pasta that may also be stuck together, or otherwise inedible. In fact, I recently had the experience where I was shopping
with a friend and I suggested that she buy some pasta. Her response was that it was too unpredictable to cook. It needn't be that way. First of all, 90% of cooking is being there. That is, letting
the telephone ring through to voice-mail; perhaps leaving guests in the living room sipping their Chardonnay and simply keeping
your focus on the task at hand. And by being there-that is, tending the pasta-you'll be able to do the only test available
to judge its doneness: to taste. Those two tips alone will improve your pasta-cooking skills, but I offer here, ten
little steps that, taken together, will guarantee a perfect dish of pasta every time. Follow these steps, and you'll prepare
pasta that will consistently impress your family, your friends, and your harshest critic; you. 1. All pasta is not created equal. Choose a brand with a solid reputation in the
marketplace. De Cecco and Barilla are two fine brands readily available in supermarkets. 2. Use a pot that's large enough to accommodate the pasta without crowding. For one
pound of pasta, an eight-quart pot is good; a ten- quart pot is better. Pasta needs room to move freely as it cooks. At a
minimum, use nothing smaller than a six-quart pot. 3. Use plenty of water. For one pound of pasta, you should use at least six quarts
of water. 4. Add salt to the water. About 1 Tbs. per gallon. Salt adds flavor to the pasta
that helps to create a well-seasoned dish. Often, a perfectly seasoned sauce will still taste like it needs "something" because
the pasta is unseasoned. 5. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil before adding the pasta. One of the prime
causes for pasta sticking together is that the water had not yet come to a full boil. When you add pasta to water that has
not yet reached the boiling point, it releases natural starches, which act like glue. Since the pasta is simply sitting in
the water at the time, the strands stick together. 6. Bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible after adding the pasta.
In the case of pasta strands, like spaghetti or linguine, stir the pasta until it has wilted and become submerged in the cooking
water, then cover the pot until the water returns to the boil. When the water has boiled, though, uncover the pot, and finish
cooking uncovered. 7. Stir the pasta two or three times throughout the cooking process. Pasta cooks
in eight to ten minutes. The brief time you spend attending to it away from family or guests will reap huge rewards at the
dinner table. 8. Never add olive oil to the pasta cooking water. The olive oil coats the pasta,
and prevents sauce from adhering to it when you've put the entire dish together. 9. Cook the pasta to the 'al dente' state. The only way to judge this is by tasting.
Manufacturer's cooking times are mere guidelines. Begin tasting the pasta about two minutes before the manufacturer says it
should be done. Also, there will be a small amount of carryover cooking between the time you remove the pasta from the stove,
drain in the sink, and combine with the sauce. 10. Never rinse pasta. When you rinse pasta, you're washing away most of the starches
and nutrients that you were seeking to enjoy in the first place. So be there. Be attentive. Taste, and learn when pasta has cooked to the consistency
that you like. Follow these ten little steps, and you'll develop a reputation as a miracle worker with pasta. And with the
myriad of sauces in the Italian and Italian-American cuisines, you will have expanded your cooking repertoire beyond your
wildest dreams. Skip Lombardi is the author of two cookbooks: "La Cucina dei Poveri: Recipes from my Sicilian Grandparents," and "Almost
Italian: Recipes from America's Little Italys." He has been a Broadway musician, high- school math teacher, software engineer,
and a fledgeling blogger. But he has never let any of those pursuits get in the way of his passion for cooking and eating.
Visit his Web site to learn more about his cookbooks. http://www.skiplombardi.com |
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Rice Casserole
1 package chopped frozen brocolli
1 cup Minute Rice
1 small can water chestnuts,
sliced
1 8 oz jar Cheez Whiz
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
1/2 - 3/4 Cup Milk
3 T. margarine
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
Mix all ingredients. Bake
350* 40 minutes until hot and bubbly
Anna's Lasagna
1# ground beef
3 1/2 cup (32oz.) spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 cup water
16 oz. cottage cheese
12 oz. shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated cheese
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. pepper
tsp. salt
8 oz. uncooked las. noodles
Brown beef. Add sauce and water. Simmer. Combine remaining ingredients. Layer in 13x9 pan.......Sauce,
noodles, 1 1/2 cup sauce, 1/2 cheese mixture, sauce, noodles, 1 1/2 cup sauce, 1/2 cheese mixture. Top layer: noodles
then remainder of sauce. Cover with foil, bake 350* 60 minutes. Remove foil. Bake 10 minutes longer.
Creamy Ham n Bowties
8 oz. bowties
1 cup frozen peas
8oz. diced ham
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
Cook pasta. Add peas last few minutes. Add ham. Drain. Return to pan. In small bowl combine
cr. cheese and milk. Beat. Stir into hot pasta. cook 1-2 minutes
Spaghetti Sauce 1 Tbs olive oil 1/2 med onion chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 lb spicy Italian sausage 1 14.5 oz can Del Monte flavored diced tomatoes, Basil, garlic and oregano 1 14.5 oz can Contadina flavored diced tomatoes, Roasted garlic 1 small can tomato paste 4 cups water Salt and pepper to taste In a large pot, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30-45 seconds - DO NOT LET THE GARLIC TURN BROWN! Immediately add sausage and sauté until cooked all the way. Throw in the 2 cans of diced tomatoes and turn the heat down to med-hi heat and bring to a simmer. Reconstitute the tomato paste in the water and add to the pot. Taste sauce and season with Salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered until it cooks down about 30-40 minutes, or until it reaches the thickness you like and cook an entire 16 oz package of Linguini to go with it Triple Cheesy Macaroni
2 cups macaroni; cooked, drained 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese 1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 cup cooked ham, cubed 1 Tbsp. parsley 1 tsp. garlic powder 2-3 Tbsp. flour 1/2 cup milk Combine all ingredients, except macaroni, in medium-large sauce pan. Heat over low heat until cheese is completely melted and mixture is mostly smooth. Pour cooked macaroni into casserole dish. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir to coat. Cover; bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Uncover, bake an addtional 15 minutes or until top is lightly browned. |