Buying and Cooking Pasta

Buying

When buying either fresh or dried pasta, look for a well made brand that uses the best ingredients:  fresh eggs, clean water, and semolina flour. The pasta should have a rough surface and not be too smooth, smooth pasta will not hold onto your sauce. The noodles should be compact and heavy for their size in order to stay together when cooking. Remember to stay away from mass-produced cheap pasta, you will just be disappointed come dinnertime and you’ll throw it away and thoughts of your mother yelling “children are starving in Africa” will take over your brain. For fresh pasta look for the expiration date on the package and take a good look at the pasta. If it looks cheap then it probably is, if the pasta feels heavy in the package and has a nice color and texture it is worth buying.

Cooking

It cannot be stressed enough; cook pasta until it is al dente, firm to the tooth yet tender. Many of us cook pasta until it is too soft, a minute or two less of cooking time will give you authentic Italian pasta. There’s no going back if you overcook pasta and no amount of yummy sauce will hide a mouthful of mush.  Another key to perfect pasta is to use a large cooking pot and plenty of water; this will stop the pasta from sticking and will also ensure every inch of pasta will be cooked through. Don't forget to add plenty of salt to the cooking water before adding the pasta, good pasta almost never has salt in it so this is the only time it can be seasoned. Some people add a little olive oil to the cooking water to stop the pasta from sticking and while that works for larger pasta like lasagna it’s not necessary if you use a large enough pot, plenty of water and remember to stir the pasta. When draining pasta remember to save about a cup of the water in the pot, this starchy water will add a little body to whatever sauce you choose. Never, ever rinse off the pasta after cooking unless you're making pasta salad. Washing off all that starch and salt will kill any flavor your pasta once had.

Keep in mind:  One of the first rules of Italian cooking is to look at the pasta you have, only then can you decide what sauce you can make, the shape of the pasta dictates the sauce.  Thin, delicate pastas like angel hair or thin spaghetti, should be served with light, thin sauces. Thicker pasta shapes, like fettuccine, work well with heavier sauces. Pasta shapes with holes or ridges like mostaccioli or radiatore are perfect for chunkier sauces.  Take a hint from the Italians and match your sauce to the season.  In June, all the beautiful heirloom tomatoes will be ripe and wonderful here in California, a perfect time for a fresh tomato sauce with fresh basil. In the fall, when the weather gets chilly, make an oxtail ragu with pappardelle.  A long braise in the oven will fill your house with an amazing aroma and keep you snuggly while cold wind blows.