__How to Cook Dried Pasta


Serves: 5

Ingredients

Directions:

HOW TO COOK DRIED PASTA

1 Use a large pot with a 6-quart capacity for 1 pound of pasta. Fill with at least 4 quarts of cold water and cover. Over high heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. If you are cooking more than 1 pound of pasta, use two pots instead of one large one.

2 Add at least 2 tablespoons of salt to the pot. This may seem like a lot, but most of it gets drained off with the water when the pasta is done. It is difficult to salt pasta properly after it is cooked.

3 Add the pasta all at once. Stir it immediately. Stir often until the water comes back to a boil. Long, thin pasta may not fit completely under the water level. Gently push it down until it becomes pliable enough to be completely immersed.

4 Do not cover the pot, or the water will boil over when it returns to the boiling point. To speed things up, you can partially cover until the water is again boiling. Watch the pot carefully. Continue to stir the pasta occasionally as it cooks.

5 Have ready a large colander or mesh strainer. Place a heatproof serving bowl in the sink. Place the colander in the bowl.

6 Cooking time varies with the type of pasta. Ideally, the pasta should cook until it is tender, but still keeps its shape firmly. The best way to judge is by tasting a piece. The cooking times on the package are just guidelines. When you bite the pasta, the pieces should be cooked through and not chalky white in the center. The pasta should be firm, not mushy, perhaps a little firmer than you want it, as the residual heat will continue to soften the pasta before it is served. The Italians call this al dente, meaning to the tooth.

7 When the pasta is done, scoop out a little of the water with a cup and set it aside to thin the sauce if needed. Bring the pot to the sink and pour it into the colander. Lift the colander and allow the water to drain off into the serving bowl. (This also heats the bowl.) Set aside the colander with the pasta. If you forgot to save some of the cooking water, you have another opportunity to do so here. Set it aside. Carefully tip the bowl to remove the remaining cooking water.

8 Add the pasta and sauce to the warmed bowl and toss well. Add a little of the cooking water if it is needed and toss again. Serve immediately.

DRIED PASTA TIPS

* Do not add oil to the water. It will not help to prevent it from sticking. The only way to prevent the pasta from sticking is to use a large amount of water, stir it frequently, and sauce the pasta immediately after it is drained.

* Do not rinse cooked pasta. This cools it and removes the surface starch, and as a result sauces will not adhere.

* Heat a serving bowl as described above, or place a bowl in the oven on low to heat. Some cooks place the serving bowl over the pasta pot, but this is tricky, as the pot can boil over.

* Heat the serving dishes.

* Immediately toss the pasta and sauce together. The longer the pasta stands without the sauce, the more likely that it will stick together.

* Many pastas are finished in the skillet in which the sauce is cooked, so be sure to have a 10- to 12-inch skillet for this purpose. After the pasta is drained, it is added to the skillet where the sauce is ready and waiting. The two are then tossed together for a minute or so, so that the pasta can absorb the flavor of the sauce. A little of the pasta water can help to liquify dry sauces.

* Many Italian cooks like to drizzle a finished pasta made with an oil-based sauce with a stream of extra-virgin olive oil just before serving. It adds smoothness and good flavor.

From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This __How to Cook Dried Pasta recipe is from the Cook'n in Italy Cookbook. Download this Cookbook today.


More Recipes from the Cook'n in Italy Cookbook:
01- Introduction
02- The Italian Pantry
03- Kitchen Equipment
04- Italian Wines
05- Glossary
06- Sources
07- Bibliography
_* An Antipasto Platter
_* Artichokes
_* Asparagus
_* Beans
_* Broths
_* Bruschetta and Crostini
_* Brussels Sprouts and Cabbage
_* Calamari, Octopus, and Conch
_* Cannelloni
_* Carrots
_* Chicken Cutlets (Scaloppine)
_* Clams and Mussels
_* Cornmeal
_* Dried Pasta
_* Eggplant
_* Farro and Barley
_* Fennel
_* Frittatas
_* Fruit Desserts
_* Gnocchi
_* Green and Wax Beans
_* Ice Cream (Gelato)
_* Italian Ices
_* Italian Sandwiches (Panini)
_* Lamb Chops
_* Leafy Greens
_* Meat Sauces (Ragù)
_* Mushrooms
_* Onions
_* Peas
_* Peppers
_* Pork Ribs and Chops
_* Pork Sausages
_* Pork Tenderloins and Roasts
_* Potatoes
_* Quail
_* Rabbit
_* Ravioli and Other Stuffed Pasta
_* Rice
_* Rollatini or Involtini
_* Shrimp, Lobster, and Scallops
_* Spoon Desserts
_* Tomatoes
_* Tramezzini
_* Veal Chops
_* Veal Cutlets (Scaloppine)
_* Veal Shanks
_* Zucchini and Winter Squash
__About Cake Flour
__Bread-Making Tips
__Choosing Beef Cuts
__Cleaning Calamari (Squid)
__Cookie-Making Tips
__Eleven Pastas with Uncooked Sauces
__Fresh Egg Pasta: Making Dough with a Food Processor or Heavy-Duty Mixer
__Fresh Egg Pasta: Making Pasta Noodles
__Fresh Egg Pasta: Preparing Dough by Hand
__Fresh Egg Pasta: Rolling Out the Dough By Hand
__Fresh Egg Pasta: Rolling Out the Dough with a Pasta Machine
__Fresh Egg Pasta: Storing Pasta
__Grating Cheese for Pasta
__How To Melt Chocolate
__How To Toast and Skin Nuts
__How to Cook Dried Pasta
__How to Soak Salted and Dried Fish
__Pizza Variations
__Preparing Gnocchi Dumplings
__Preparing Ravioli Pasta
__Risotto Tips
__Ten Quick Crostini
__Ten Toppings for Hot Polenta Crostini
__Ten Ways to Vary Tomato Bruschetta
__Tips For Making Fresh Pasta
__Tips on Making Cakes
__Tips on Making Granitas
__Tips on Making Pastry Dough
__To Drain Ricotta
__Tramezzini Fillings
__When Is Fish "Done"?




"I must say this is the best recipe software I have ever owned."
-Rob

"Your DVO cookbook software saves me time and money!"
-Mary Ann

"Call it nutrition software, meal planning software, cooking software, recipe manager, or whatever you want. It is the software I use to stay healthy!"
-David

"Your software is the best recipe organizer and menu planner out there!"
-Toni

"Thank you so very much for creating such a wonderful cooking recipe program. I think this is the best recipe program there is!"
-Sarah

"I saw lots of recipe software for PC computers but I was having a hard time finding really good mac recipe software. I'm so glad I discovered Cook'n! It's so nice to have all my recipes in a computer recipe organizer. Cook'n has saved me so much time with meal planning and the recipe nutrition calculator is amazing!!!
-Jill

My favorite is the Cook'n Recipe App.
-Tom