Pasta is a versatile word in Italian cuisine, used to describe any kind of dough, from pastry to bread. For example, "Pasta Frolla" refers to pie crust dough, and "Pasta da Pane" means bread dough. However, when used on its own, "pasta" usually refers to the iconic Italian dish.
Traditionally, pasta was a staple of daily meals in southern Italy, often served as a first course at lunch. However, in the second half of the 20th century, pasta became the most popular start to a meal across northern Italy as well, even replacing the local risotto in many areas.
Today, a dish of pasta is often served as a "piatto unico" (one-course meal), but never with salad. This typical meal of southern Italians provides a healthy and well-balanced diet, consisting of pasta paired with a sauce that may include a small amount of meat, vegetables, legumes, cheese, or eggs.
In Italy, pasta generally refers to dried pasta, which is eaten far more frequently than fresh pasta. Fresh pasta is considered a different kind of food—neither better nor worse, just different, depending on how well it is made.
Fresh Pasta:
In Emilia-Romagna, fresh pasta is made using only eggs and Italian 00 flour. In other regions, one or two eggs might be replaced with water, producing a lighter and less flavorful pasta. In the south, the dough stage is called "sfoglia." Rolling pasta by hand is a challenging and time-consuming task, but there are many machines available for making fresh pasta at home. These machines not only roll but also cut the pasta. Egg-based pasta is sold fresh or dried, and often a good brand of Italian dried egg pasta is better than store-bought fresh pasta.
Dried Pasta:
Dried pasta is commercially produced, with its composition strictly regulated by law. It must be made only with durum wheat semolina and water. The drying process is equally important and must be gradual and lengthy. The best pasta is dried for up to 80 hours, compared to 32 hours for more mass-produced types. The dies used in extrusion also play a crucial role; the best pasta is made using bronze dies, which give the pasta a rough surface that is ideal for holding onto sauce.
Choosing the Right Pasta:
Dried pasta comes in many shapes and sizes, each best suited to a particular type of sauce. Generally, long pasta, such as spaghetti, pairs well with olive oil-based sauces, as this keeps the strands slippery and separate. Thicker long shapes are better suited to sauces based on butter, cream, and cheese, which also complement medium-sized tubular pasta. These shapes are also perfect for sauces with vegetables or legumes, while larger shapes like rigatoni and penne are better for baked dishes.
Cooking Pasta:
Cooking pasta may seem simple, but it should be done with great care. It must be cooked in a large saucepan with plenty of salted water—about 1 quart of water for every 3 1/2 ounces of pasta. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water when it begins to boil, but before adding the pasta. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, add the pasta and stir immediately. Cooking time varies depending on the shape and quality of the pasta and whether it is fresh or dried. When the pasta is "al dente," drain it using a colander, or for long pasta, lift it out with a long wooden fork or a spaghetti server.
A little of the cooking water is sometimes reserved to add at the end if the dish seems too dry. This is especially important when cooking fresh pasta, as it absorbs more liquid. Once drained, the pasta should be transferred to a heated bowl and immediately dressed—unlike oriental noodles, pasta should not sit in the colander or bowl without dressing. Pasta should be dressed with just enough sauce, and the sauce should not be watery. Colored or flavored pasta, such as yellow (saffron), brown (mushroom), red (tomato), or black (cuttlefish ink), has become as widely available as traditional green (spinach) pasta from Emilia.
Pasta Ripiena (Stuffed Pasta):
Under this heading, we find various types of ravioli. The wrapping is made of egg pasta, and the filling varies for each type of raviolo.
Pastina:
Pastina refers to tiny pasta shapes used in soups or "minestrina." These include "stelline" (little stars), "ave Marie" (Hail Marys), "risi" (grains of rice), "farfalline" (little butterflies), "alfabeto" (letters of the alphabet), "anellini" (little rings), and other small shapes.
Pastasciutta:
Pastasciutta is a term meaning pasta that, once cooked, is drained and served with a sauce.
Pasta in Brodo:
Pasta in Brodo is the opposite of pastasciutta, referring to pasta served with the liquid in which it was cooked.
Pasta alla Norma:
Pasta alla Norma is a dish from Catania, typically made with spaghetti dressed with a fruity tomato sauce, slices of fried eggplant, and grated salted ricotta. The dish is so named because it is considered as perfect as Bellini’s opera "Norma," which, in Catania (the composer’s birthplace), is synonymous with perfection.
Pici - A Thick Handmade Spaghetti:
Pici is a simple pasta to make. All-purpose flour is mixed with water, olive oil, and salt to form a dough. After resting for an hour, the dough is rolled and cut into long strips, then rolled under the palm of your hand to create thick, long spaghetti. This rustic pasta pairs well with Italian sausage sauce or simply with fresh crushed tomatoes, basil, and garlic—a perfect dish for a hot summer evening.
How to Make Spinach Pasta:
The key to vibrant green spinach pasta is to use natural color by blending raw spinach in your kitchen blender.
With the ingredients below, you can easily make up to 8 servings, with portions of 4 to 5 ounces each:
- 2 cups of "Mondako" flour
- 5 whole eggs
- 1 bunch of fresh, washed, and cleaned spinach
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of regular olive oil
Be sure to strain the blended spinach before adding the other ingredients. Then, mix everything in your mixer, adding the eggs and flour slowly until you achieve a dough.
Roll the dough with your pasta machine as thin as you like, depending on how you will use it. For example, you can make "Spinach Tagliatelle" or Prosciutto and Parmigiano-stuffed tortellini.
Once the tagliatelle is cooked, toss it with fresh ricotta, adding a couple of ladles of hot water from the pot, along with olive oil, chopped and peeled tomatoes. Garnish with a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar for a simple and delicious dish.
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