2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Italian food is incredibly popular around the world. In general, Italy itself is associated in our minds with pasta. It is probably difficult to find any other concept that would be so inextricably linked with the country. In our article, we want to talk about what types of pasta exist, where this dish came from and how it is prepared.
A bit of history
There is a legend that the first pasta was invented in China, because it was in this country that the first noodles appeared more than 4000 years ago. They say that in the thirteenth century, the famous traveler Marco Polo, having visited the East, brought with him an unusual, completely new recipe for the dish. This is how pasta appeared in Italy. Then, over time, each region of the country began to invent their own types of pasta. Such a beautiful legend was invented by one of the American magazines. This was done only to promote the product in the US markets.
However, many scientists believe that the history of pasta begins when the first durum wheat noodles appeared. And it was in the first century. CertainlyThe pasta recipe was different back then. Over time, European cuisine was greatly influenced by the Arabs during their invasion. Perhaps the noodles they introduced became the forerunner of pasta. By the way, in Sicily they still put an incredible amount of spices in pasta dough.
In the beginning only fresh pasta was prepared. But in the thirteenth century, the first dry pasta appeared. The culinary experts of that time came up with the idea that sun-dried dough can be stored and used in the future. Moreover, this in no way affected the taste properties of the dish.
Pasta Ingredients
What is Italian pasta made of? For its preparation, water and flour are needed. But the quality of the resulting product naturally depends on the quality of the initial products. An interesting fact is that in Italy, by law, pasta is only allowed to be made from durum wheat. She has nothing to do with ordinary pasta that sticks together.
Fresh dry pasta
Real Italian pasta is sometimes found in our stores. However, of course, there is no such choice as in Italy. In any Italian supermarket you will see two types of pasta: dry and fresh. The first is stored on ordinary shelves, and the second is stored in refrigerators. The difference between dry and fresh lies in the nuances of cooking.
Fresh pasta is packaged after cooking and is not dried. The shelf life of the product is short. Opened packaging must be used up in just two to three days. Although this pasta is more expensive, it is worth tasting. It cooks faster and has a special taste.
Dry pasta after cooking is dried and then packed. Its shelf life is great. There is also egg paste. It is made from eggs and flour. This pasta can be both dry and fresh.
Types of pasta
There are an incredible number of types of real Italian pasta. If you are going to Italy, then you need to know at least some of them in order not to get into trouble in local cafes.
First of all, you should know that there is a long, short, pasta for baking, small for soups, curly and stuffed pasta. In turn, each variety is divided into a number of types. Of course, we simply don’t have the opportunity to mention all of them in the article, so we’ll only remember a few.
Long pasta is represented by the following types: capellini, bavette, vermicelli, spaghetti, spaghettoni, spaghettini, maccheronchini, bucatini, fettuccine, mafaldine and others. As you can see, among the given names there are well-known ones.
But short pasta is fusilli, girandole, penne, pipe rigate, tortiglioni, maccheroni, cellentani and others. All varieties differ in shape. All of them have their own characteristics of origin and preparation.
Baking pasta is cannelloni (tubes) and lasagne (baking plates).
Products for soups - stelline, anelli, filini.
Figured paste fully corresponds to its name. Such products can be in the form of butterflies, bows, shells, etc. Among them, it is worth highlighting:farfalle, conchile, gemelli, Casarecce, Campanelle.
Well, and the last kind is pasta stuffed: ravioli, cappelletti, agnolotti, tortellini.
Cheese variant
Cheese pasta can be a great lunch or breakfast. It is very easy to cook it. You can use spaghetti as a base. The most suitable sauce for the dish is tomato sauce. Although you can use any. For pasta, you can choose one of 10 thousand sauces. And how many more there are all kinds of additives! Pasta with cheese is a very simple dish made from high quality macaroni. Which are mixed with any cheese. The ease of preparation of the dish has made it the most common among housewives.
By the way, for cooking, you can take not only spaghetti, but fettuccine pasta, capellini, etc.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti (270 g);
- olive oil (three tablespoons);
- garlic (three cloves);
- gathering greens (dill, basil, parsley);
- black pepper.
Spaghetti can be cooked with any quality Italian cheese. You can take sheep pecorino, which has a pleasant aroma and granular structure, parmesan, etc. Very good for pasta is Grano Served cheese. It has a pronounced granular structure and a spicy taste. It is often served with red wine.
To make pasta, hard cheese must be peeled, then grated. Pour two liters of water into the pan, add a little s alt (five grams per liter of water). Place pasta in boiling water and boil until tender. Need to followpackage instructions. Pasta cannot be overcooked.
Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and then add garlic to it. Fry it lightly. This is done in order to flavor the oil. Once the garlic has darkened, remove it from the pan. Drain the boiled spaghetti in a colander. After putting them in a pan and mix with oil. Next, fry the pasta over low heat for five minutes. Arrange spaghetti on plates and top with cheese. Pasta should be served immediately. After it cools down, it becomes not tasty. Now you know how to cook pasta.
Spaghetti with minced meat
Pasta with minced meat is a very tasty and satisfying dish. It is prepared quite simply, which is probably why many housewives adopted it.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti (430 g);
- tomatoes (240 g);
- carrot (190 g);
- onion (140 g);
- minced meat (390 g);
- s alt;
- vegetable oil;
- pepper.
Chop the onion finely enough, chop the tomatoes into cubes, and grate the carrots. In a saucepan in vegetable oil, first fry the onion, then gradually add the carrots and tomatoes. Fry the vegetables for about five minutes, then add the minced meat. S alt and pepper to your liking. We cook the mass for about twenty minutes.
Boil water in a saucepan and boil any pasta in it until tender. Then we throw it in a colander and transfer it to a saucepan with vegetables and minced meat, mix and after a couple of minutesturn off the fire. Serve pasta with minced meat on the table along with greens.
Pasta in cream sauce
Farfalle pasta in creamy sauce is delicious. Outwardly, such pasta resembles butterflies or bows.
Ingredients:
- glass of milk;
- paste (245g);
- bow;
- three cloves of garlic;
- cream (at least 20 percent fat, 145 ml);
- royal prawns (950 g);
- olive oil;
- one yolk;
- flour (1.5-2 tablespoons).
How to cook pasta with shrimp in a creamy sauce? The recipe is very simple. First you need to boil the shrimp. To do this, put the pan on the fire and bring the liquid to a boil. We throw frozen shrimp into s alted water and cook them for about twenty minutes. After we drain the water and clean the seafood from the shells.
Pour olive oil into a frying pan and fry the garlic cloves in it until golden brown. Next, remove it and fry the onion, then add the shrimp and cook for no more than three minutes, not forgetting to stir.
Put a pot of water on the fire and pour a spoonful of olive oil. After we fall asleep pasta.
In a glass of milk beat the yolk and add the flour. Stir the mass and pour it into a saucepan with shrimp. Next, simmer and pour the cream, gradually the sauce should thicken and become a pale pink color. After the pasta is ready, drain the water and transfer the mass from the pan to it. Mix the ingredients and serve the dish on the table.
Linguine pasta
Ligvini or she is also called linguine isflattened paste. It is slightly longer than spaghetti, but it is cooked in exactly the same way - without breaking. As a rule, such a paste is often used for cooking dishes with seafood.
Ingredients:
- royal prawns (17 pcs.);
- cherry tomatoes (270 g);
- lemon, paste (380g);
- garlic;
- parsley;
- basil;
- olive oil;
- black pepper.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the garlic and lay out the peeled shrimp. Fry the food for about three to four minutes. Reduce heat and add cherry tomatoes, cut in halves. Cook the dish for a couple of minutes, after which we remove the pan from the heat. Next, mix the pasta with shrimp and vegetables, let them brew a little and serve.
Pappardelle with mushrooms and turkey meat
Pappardelle is a pasta that belongs to a wide variety of egg pasta. The width of the finished fresh product can reach three centimeters, and when dried - 1.5 cm. This paste is used to prepare various dishes, including soups.
Ingredients:
- pappardelle (230 g);
- mushrooms (ten pieces);
- boiled turkey (280 g);
- four tomatoes;
- bulb;
- mozzarella (115g);
- heavy cream (115 ml);
- a quarter glass of wine (dry white is better);
- chicken broth (3/4 cup);
- oilolive;
- Parmesan (45g);
- flour (tbsp);
- nutmeg;
- white bread in the form of crumbs (a small meal);
- st. l. butter.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. Cut the turkey into pieces. Mushrooms and tomatoes are divided into four parts. Chop the onion too. Take a deep frying pan or saucepan, pour olive oil and add butter. First, fry the onion for a couple of minutes, and then add the mushrooms. After five to seven minutes, pour the wine and wait until it evaporates a little. Then pour the flour and mix the ingredients, pour in the broth and cream, bring the mass to a boil, without ceasing to stir. You can also add tomatoes and nutmeg.
For further cooking, we need a baking dish. Lubricate it with oil. Mix half of the pasta with the prepared sauce and spread in a mold. Next, add the turkey and mozzarella. Pour the dish with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan. Next, send the form to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
Pasta in cream sauce
Fettuccine pasta looks like thick pasta. Of course, they have nothing to do with our products.
Ingredients:
- paste (240g);
- cream (240g);
- chicken fillet (210 g);
- s alt;
- pepper.
Fettuccine prepared according to instructions. In the meantime, heat heavy cream in a frying pan and add chopped chicken, pepper and s alt to them. The meat must first go through someprocessing, it can be boiled or baked. We simmer the chicken on the fire. Until the sauce starts bubbling. Next, mix the pasta with meat and sauce and serve.
Spaghetti carbonara
Pasta is a pasta that can be used to make many wonderful dishes. We offer a recipe for the famous dish - spaghetti carbonara.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti (390 g);
- bacon or raw smoked ham (340 g);
- olive oil;
- four yolks;
- parmesan (65g);
- sour cream (230 g);
- garlic;
- s alt.
Boil spaghetti according to the instructions. Fry the garlic in a frying pan until golden brown in olive oil, then add the pieces of ham and cook them for about three minutes. In a bowl, mix the yolks and cream, add Parmesan pepper and s alt. Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the pan and pour over the sauce. After five to seven minutes, remove the dish from the heat and serve.
Pasta Bolognese
Pasta bolognese is known all over the world. It is not so difficult to prepare, so you can please your relatives with this dish.
Ingredients:
- paste (295g);
- one stalk of celery;
- bow;
- carrot;
- pork and ground beef (430g);
- garlic;
- tomato juice (jar).
Chop carrots, celery, onions and fry vegetables in olive oil. You should start with onions, and then add celery and carrots. Fry minced meat untilcomplete evaporation of excess liquid. Next, mix the meat and vegetables, add the tomatoes and cook for another ten minutes. Mix pasta with minced meat and serve.
Farfalle with chicken
Cute butterflies or farfalle with chicken and honey is an incredibly delicious dish.
Ingredients:
- paste (430g);
- chicken drumsticks (650g);
- 4 tbsp. l. butter;
- soy sauce (three tablespoons);
- s alt;
- butter (25 g);
- olive oil.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions. Cut the meat into portions and fry in a mixture of olive and butter. Five minutes after the start of cooking, add honey and soy sauce, mix the ingredients and fry until cooked. Add s alt if necessary. The amount of honey and sauce can also be adjusted. Add the prepared pasta and 50 ml of water to the pan. Stew the mass for about five minutes, after which we serve the dish on the table.
Lasagna
When talking about pasta, it's impossible to think of climbing. The dish is very tasty and appetizing. It is prepared on the basis of pasta in the form of rectangular sheets. Usually minced meat, tomatoes and bechamel sauce are used for the dish. For the first time, lasagna began to be made in Emilia-Romagna, and later the whole world learned about it. Now it is difficult to find at least one Italian institution where you would not be offered such a dish.
Ingredients:
- bulb;
- garlic;
- olive oil;
- ground beef;
- tomato paste (quarter cup);
- mushrooms (120 g);
- tomatoes (380g)4
- red wine (1/2 cup);
- parmesan (1/2 cup);
- lasagna plates (380 g);
- parsley;
- a glass of grated hard cheese;
- glass of cream;
- ricotta (120 g);
- milk (two glasses).
For cooking, prepare the form in advance by lubricating it with oil. Next, traditionally fry the garlic and onion in a pan, then add the minced meat and cook for another 15 minutes. And only then add chopped mushroom slices and tomato paste.
Separately mix tomatoes with wine. Bring them to a boil and cook for ten minutes. The liquid should partially evaporate. Add s alt, pepper and parsley to the mass.
Now let's start making the white sauce. We melt the butter and add flour to it, cook for no more than a minute on low heat, without ceasing to stir. Take the bowl off the heat and pour in the milk. Mix everything well and return to the fire again. Boil the mass until thick, add ricotta.
Put a sheet of lasagna in a baking dish, spread half of the minced meat on top, pouring everything with white sauce. Sprinkle the dish with some of the prepared grated cheese. Repeat all layers again. Top with a sheet of lasagna. In a bowl, beat eggs with cream. Pour this mass over the lasagna and fall asleep again with cheese. Bake the dish for at least 30 minutes. A golden crust should definitely appear on top. Let the lasagna rest for about five to ten minutes before serving.
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