2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14
Cooking pasta is not as easy as it seems at first glance. It would seem that you just need to throw the pasta into boiling water, stir and wait until they are ready. However, many housewives fail to cook them correctly. At first they are not ready, a little more - and that's it, the pasta is overcooked and hopelessly spoiled. But how to determine the readiness of the pasta? Are there any secrets to making delicious pasta? Of course yes! And they are quite affordable for an ordinary housewife.
"Proper" pasta
Before you start cooking pasta, you still need to learn how to choose it. After all, it is right to cook it to the state of al dente. It also depends on the quality of pasta used. The fact is that when they are cooked, starch is released into the water. For this reason, the pasta boils. The more it is in pasta, the harder it is to cook "undercooked" pasta.
What determines the quantitystarch in it? Of course, from the flour used. For real Italian pasta, they take only the one that is made from durum wheat. On domestic shelves you can find products of different quality. Only the paste that is marked with the letter "A" is suitable. It costs a little more, but after cooking it retains its shape better and does not boil soft.
Cooking pasta
Buying the "right" pasta is half the battle. They still need to be cooked to the desired degree of readiness. There is nothing complicated and intricate about this, but many people neglect simple rules. As a result, instead of a delicious dinner, you get some pasta porridge. So what's the secret to making al dente pasta? The most important thing is the observance of proportions. For every 100 grams of pasta, 1 liter of water, 10 grams of s alt and 20 ml of olive oil are taken.
First boil water in a large pot, then add s alt and pasta. Mix well several times so that they do not stick together, and cook until tender. But how long it takes depends on the type of pasta. Usually the time is indicated on the package. 1-2 minutes before the expected readiness of the pasta, you need to try it on the tooth. As soon as they seem a little undercooked, put them on a sieve and drain the water. Fill with olive oil. Pasta is ready!
Al dente is…
Many, of course, are familiar with this term. However, not everyone fully understands what it means. Literally translated from Italian as "to the tooth." Such a namedue to the fact that the degree of readiness of pasta is determined only by sampling. If the pasta feels a little springy when biting through, it's ready and it's time to drain the water.
However, despite this, many still manage to cook pasta incorrectly. Some of them are undercooked, others are digested. The fact is that the degree of readiness of al dente is a very thin line between raw, cooked and spoiled pasta. The account goes literally for seconds. Therefore, you need to try the pasta "by the tooth". They should break apart easily, but still be a little firm on the inside. Knowing how to choose and cook pasta correctly, you can try cooking it with various sauces.
Pasta carbonara
One of the favorite Italian pasta dishes is carbonara pasta. It is made from affordable products, but it turns out to be a very satisfying dinner. So, first you need to prepare the sauce. For him, chop 2-3 cloves of garlic, it is best to chop finely. 150g bacon or ham cut into thin strips Sauté the garlic in a little olive oil, add the bacon to it and continue frying until it is browned.
Cheese, ideally Parmesan, finely grated. It will need about 50 grams. Whisk 3 egg yolks together with s alt and ground pepper. No need to beat. Add 150 ml cream and grated parmesan. Mix everything well. Boil spaghetti until al dente. Pasta carbonara will be ready after all 3 ingredients are mixed: fried bacon, cream sauce and boiledspaghetti.
Macaroni with cheese and tomato
Perhaps this is the easiest recipe that uses pasta. A recipe with a photo of each step is not even needed to cook it. For 4 people you will need 300 grams of any pasta (penne, farfalle, etc.), 200 grams of cheese, 2-3 tomatoes, s alt, pepper and vegetable oil for frying.
Cook the pasta as directed on the package. Drain in a colander and drain well. Grate any hard cheese on a fine grater. Cut the tomatoes into cubes (if desired, you can remove the skin by dropping them into boiling water for a few seconds) and fry in olive oil. Add pasta, s alt, pepper and cheese at the end. Mix everything well and heat over low heat for another 3-4 minutes. What could be simpler and tastier than the classics? That's right, nothing.
Spaghetti bolognese
Another favorite recipe from Italy is spaghetti bolognese. It is very important that the pasta in this dish is exactly al dente. This greatly affects the final taste, as the meat sauce does not go well with overcooked pasta. It is with its preparation that you need to start.
Prepare the vegetables for the bolognese sauce. Grate the carrots, cut the onion and 2-3 stalks of celery into small cubes. Fry the onion in olive oil with 500 grams of ground beef, add 2-3 tablespoons of pureed tomatoes in their own juice. Then put the carrots and celery, fry everything together for another 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining tomatoes (you will need a total of 400grams) and simmer over low heat until tender. S alt and pepper only at the end of cooking, so as not to spoil the taste of the sauce.
Meanwhile boil the spaghetti. You can serve them mixed with sauce, or you can serve them separately, as you like this pasta. The recipe with a photo of this dish suggests a different serving. Although spaghetti nestled in the middle with meat sauce in the middle looks spectacular.
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