A Pasta Primer
As I was getting ready to leave the office last Tuesday, after a long day's toil no less (hey, Wikipedia doesn't read itself...), my colleague Matt that said he was looking forward to his "spaghetti sauce".
Stop the presses! Not only is "spaghetti sauce" horribly vague, its colloquial usage in North America illustrates a widespread ignorance of true Italian cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a meaty tomato sauce loaded with meat balls and other tasty additions, it's just the term "spaghetti sauce". It turns my blood. In my mind, its akin to "interweb" or "faceblog".
It got me to thinking that it might be time to present a little pasta education for the masses (Matt's already heard this...that'll teach him...). I thought that I would keep it simple. First, a quick lesson on cooking pasta (yes, there is a right way), and then a little blurb on pairing sauces with pastas. Any further discussion on the intricacies of sauces with have to wait for my five part mini-series on CTV prime-time.
Right. Cooking Pasta 101. Most importantly, use lots of water. For one pound of pasta (A typical 450g box of pasta is one pound. Those no-name/primo bags of spaghetti are two pounds. But you're all buying premium, bronze-cut pasta for the better taste and better sauce-stickiness anyways, right? Of course you are...), I would use at least 4 litres of water. That's probably your biggest pot. Before I get the bleeding heart liberal-right greenies on my case for wasting a precious natural resource, there is good reason for this. Firstly, the large volume of water reduces the chances of sticking by giving the pasta lots of room to move around. Also, the large volume of water has a higher heat capacity which will allow the water to come back to a boil faster once the pasta goes in, also reducing sticking and reducing cooking time. So, lots of water at the boil and in goes the pasta. Gently stir for approximately 30 seconds to insure non-sticking, replace the lid to bring the water back to a boil as fast as possible. Once returned to a boil, uncover and cook until the pasta is done. Drain and don't rinse.
If you've ever talked to me for more than, say, five minutes, you might notice that I didn't mention salt. This is because although I feel that adding at least 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the cooking water ensures that the pasta will be properly seasoned (of even greater importance for whole-wheat pastas, in my opinion), others argue that this is only due to my pallet being "seasoned" to the taste of salty (I say properly seasoned) food. So, contrary to everything that I hold dear, I'll refrain from a rant. But if you choose no salt, you're wrong and horrible things will happen to you and you family. Also, Emeril will kick a small puppy. It's up to you.
You might also notice that I was a little vague on the description of "done". That's because, really, you'll have to feel it. It'll probably be around 9 minutes for spaghetti, 14 for penne, but those are probably only good to +/-30% at best. Altitude, pasta brand, how much water and how long it takes to resume the boil will all affect the cooking time. Ideally, you're looking for a little short of "al dente". The pasta will continue to cook a little once removed from the pot. So, try. Pasta is cheap, and eating slightly overcooked or undercooked pasta won't kill you.
Lastly, I think I must explain the absence of the rinse. When pasta is only drained, a small amount of the starch released from the pasta into the cooking water will remain on the surface of the pasta. This starch helps sauces to stick. If you rinse the pasta, you rinse away the starch. On a related note, this is also the reason you don't add oil to the pasta water if you are going to sauce the pasta. The oil will coat the pasta and prevent the sauce from sticking.
This tirade is getting on the long side, so I think I'll put the part about sauce into another edition, forthcoming soon! That way I can include a couple quick and easy sauces to go along with, what should be now, your perfectly cooked pasta.
Stop the presses! Not only is "spaghetti sauce" horribly vague, its colloquial usage in North America illustrates a widespread ignorance of true Italian cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for a meaty tomato sauce loaded with meat balls and other tasty additions, it's just the term "spaghetti sauce". It turns my blood. In my mind, its akin to "interweb" or "faceblog".
It got me to thinking that it might be time to present a little pasta education for the masses (Matt's already heard this...that'll teach him...). I thought that I would keep it simple. First, a quick lesson on cooking pasta (yes, there is a right way), and then a little blurb on pairing sauces with pastas. Any further discussion on the intricacies of sauces with have to wait for my five part mini-series on CTV prime-time.
Right. Cooking Pasta 101. Most importantly, use lots of water. For one pound of pasta (A typical 450g box of pasta is one pound. Those no-name/primo bags of spaghetti are two pounds. But you're all buying premium, bronze-cut pasta for the better taste and better sauce-stickiness anyways, right? Of course you are...), I would use at least 4 litres of water. That's probably your biggest pot. Before I get the bleeding heart liberal-right greenies on my case for wasting a precious natural resource, there is good reason for this. Firstly, the large volume of water reduces the chances of sticking by giving the pasta lots of room to move around. Also, the large volume of water has a higher heat capacity which will allow the water to come back to a boil faster once the pasta goes in, also reducing sticking and reducing cooking time. So, lots of water at the boil and in goes the pasta. Gently stir for approximately 30 seconds to insure non-sticking, replace the lid to bring the water back to a boil as fast as possible. Once returned to a boil, uncover and cook until the pasta is done. Drain and don't rinse.
If you've ever talked to me for more than, say, five minutes, you might notice that I didn't mention salt. This is because although I feel that adding at least 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the cooking water ensures that the pasta will be properly seasoned (of even greater importance for whole-wheat pastas, in my opinion), others argue that this is only due to my pallet being "seasoned" to the taste of salty (I say properly seasoned) food. So, contrary to everything that I hold dear, I'll refrain from a rant. But if you choose no salt, you're wrong and horrible things will happen to you and you family. Also, Emeril will kick a small puppy. It's up to you.
You might also notice that I was a little vague on the description of "done". That's because, really, you'll have to feel it. It'll probably be around 9 minutes for spaghetti, 14 for penne, but those are probably only good to +/-30% at best. Altitude, pasta brand, how much water and how long it takes to resume the boil will all affect the cooking time. Ideally, you're looking for a little short of "al dente". The pasta will continue to cook a little once removed from the pot. So, try. Pasta is cheap, and eating slightly overcooked or undercooked pasta won't kill you.
Lastly, I think I must explain the absence of the rinse. When pasta is only drained, a small amount of the starch released from the pasta into the cooking water will remain on the surface of the pasta. This starch helps sauces to stick. If you rinse the pasta, you rinse away the starch. On a related note, this is also the reason you don't add oil to the pasta water if you are going to sauce the pasta. The oil will coat the pasta and prevent the sauce from sticking.
This tirade is getting on the long side, so I think I'll put the part about sauce into another edition, forthcoming soon! That way I can include a couple quick and easy sauces to go along with, what should be now, your perfectly cooked pasta.
I still maintain that I make a pretty good spaghetti sauce. Though with deference to your blood pressure, I might call it Ragu . . . if you're within earshot. Though I can't promise to pile it on a proper meat-holding pasta (See? I was listening. I just LIKE my improperly prepared sauce . . . Ragu).
ReplyDeleteCheers,
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I suppose you're entitled to your own opinion, no matter how wrong it might be...
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