How to cook spaghetti: tips and recipes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Most fans of Italian cuisine have thought about how to cook spaghetti more than once. More specifically, how to cook them correctly. How to make sure that a hearty dinner does not turn into a shapeless lump of dough? In this article, we will talk about what types of pasta exist, how to cook spaghetti, as well as about the most common dishes and real masterpieces of culinary art.

A bit of history

Spaghetti is a special kind of pasta with a cross-sectional diameter of about two millimeters. In length, they can reach 15 cm. This product appeared back in 1842 in Italy, namely in Naples. For its resemblance to twine, pasta got its name. In Pontedassio there is a spaghetti museum, which contains about 600 unique recipes for their preparation. Separately, original methods of preparing various sauces and seasonings for them are presented. A tour of such a museum will help you learn not only how to cook spaghetti, but also what varieties of this product are.

Contrary to popular belief, spaghetti is a low-calorie food. This isit only means that it can be used by those who carefully monitor their figure. And really! Are there many obese Italians? Unlikely. Spaghetti made from durum wheat is high in fiber, as well as carbohydrates and vitamins, which maintain a person's optimal weight.

How to cook spaghetti?

This dish is loved equally by both adults and children. Spaghetti is popular not only at home, but also far beyond its borders. The main secret of properly cooked pasta lies in its cooking - spaghetti should be slightly undercooked or, as the Italians say, al dente.

Due to its structure, composition and high temperature of water, during the cooking process, pasta comes to readiness on its own when it is thrown into a colander. Undercooking spaghetti is far from the best option. In this case, they will crunch unpleasantly on the teeth. So how do you cook spaghetti the right way? It turns out that there are several nuances that need to be considered when preparing this product.

Correct water temperature and optimal amount of water

Italian chefs are sure that the main secret of perfect spaghetti is the right pan. She must be big. No, not just big, but very big. What should domestic housewives do who do not have dishes with a wide bottom? You need to take the largest saucepan, pour water into it (almost to the top) and bring to a boil. Precisely coolBoiling water is ideal for cooking pasta. So, for a standard pack of spaghetti (250 grams), you need at least 2.5 liters of water. Only in this case the pasta will be evenly distributed in the pan and cooked correctly.

Everyone lowers the spaghetti vertically, fanning out. That's right - no need to break them. After a few seconds, the bottom will become soft and the pasta will be completely submerged in water. Once this has happened, you can reduce the heat and s alt the spaghetti (10 grams of s alt per 100 grams of product).

Useful tricks

Many people put spaghetti in a colander and for some reason wash it with cold water. You don't need to do this. You can, but only when the pasta will be used to make a salad in the future.

To cook them properly, you need to put the pasta in a colander and quickly fill with olive or butter. This little trick will keep the spaghetti from sticking together. Moreover, this option is ideal for those who prefer to eat pasta without all sorts of sauces and dressings.

Don't throw away the water left after cooking - it can be useful for making the sauce. The most correct dish for serving pasta is a deep plate, preheated.

Having learned how to cook spaghetti, you can start learning a few recipes that are sure to take pride of place in any housewife's cookbook.

How to cook spaghettibolognese?

This recipe should be in the arsenal of any self-respecting housewife. Perhaps this is the most famous sauce that is used to season spaghetti. But here you need to make a small correction: many people mistakenly believe that bolognese is a liquid tomato sauce that is served with pasta. In fact, this is nothing more than a stew. Properly prepared sauce is homogeneous and seems dry, but this is only at first glance. Meeting with pasta, the sauce reveals its qualities, imbued with a persistent aroma, and only then the culinary extravaganza begins.

So, cooking spaghetti at home, namely bolognese. First you need to prepare the vegetables: finely chop the onion, carrot and celery (1 each). After that, they should be fried in a saucepan: first of all, onions, then celery, and only then add carrots. This trinity has its own name: in Italy, the vegetable mixture is called soffrito, in France - mirepois. Once the vegetables are ready, you can set them aside and proceed to the meat part of the carnival.

Keep cooking

Start preparing the meat part of the stew. It is best to take two types of meat: pork and beef in the same proportions (250 g each). You can’t just take and add minced meat to vegetables. To get a rich and rich taste, it is necessary to fry the meat separately so that it caramelizes. Minced meat should be well kneaded with a spatula to avoid lumps.

First, the meat will be stewed in its own juice. As soon as a characteristic sound is heard, it becomes clearthat the stuffing began to fry. The main thing here is not to overcook it. Now you can start cooking pasta. At the time when the spaghetti is done, you can mix vegetables and meat ingredients, add tomatoes and two cloves of garlic.

Spaghetti and stew served separately. Do not mix them all at once - it is better to do it separately in a bowl.

Milanese Pasta

Many people think about how to cook spaghetti. The recipe for this dish is worth considering, if only because rather unusual ingredients are combined in an amazing way:

• Spaghetti themselves - 300 grams.
• Butter - literally two tablespoons.
• Onion.
• Wheat flour of the highest grade - two tablespoons.
• Tomato puree or paste - 3 tbsp.
• Aromatic dried herb blend - a pinch will suffice.
• Pork ham - 200 grams.
• Mushrooms (it is better to use white ones, but champignons are quite suitable) - 100 grams.
• Spices.

Recipe for 2 persons. The dish is ready in less than an hour. This is a great option for a joint dinner at the end of the working day.

How to cook?

We already know how to cook spaghetti with minced meat. Now you can get acquainted with another, no less interesting recipe. So, first you need to melt the butter in a pan and fry the onion in it, then add the flour and continue to fry for another 2-3 minutes. After removing the pan from the heat and gradually pour water into it, watching the density of the sauce. You can return the dishes to the stove and add tomato puree and aromatic herbs, bring to a boil. At this time, you can cut the ham and mushrooms into thin slices, and then add them to the sauce.

This was basically the hardest part. It remains only to boil the spaghetti, put them in a colander, season with butter and serve with the prepared sauce.

Spaghetti Amatriciana

Why not use this recipe for a fancy dinner? Especially if everyone already knows how to cook spaghetti with cheese. Ingredients needed for cooking:

• Olive oil.
• A little over 100 grams of bacon.
• One medium onion.
• Two cloves of garlic.
• 800 grams of pelatti tomatoes.
• 30 grams of grated Parmesan cheese.
• Pinch of hot chili.
• Black freshly ground pepper and s alt.
• And of course, the spaghetti itself - 350 grams.

This recipe is for 4 people. The meal will take no more than one hour to prepare.

Cooking recipe

First of all, heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan. Cut the bacon into thin slices and fry it with freshly ground pepper and a pinch of s alt.

Chop onion and garlic finely, add to bacon (or pancetta, as they do in Rome). Saute until the onion is translucent and soft.

Tomatoes are then sent to the pan, which is desirableimmediately pour over boiling water and free from the peel. They need to be crushed with a spatula. The whole sauce remains on fire until it thickens, after which you should reduce the flame and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti until al dente, put them in a colander and leave a glass of water in which the pasta was cooked. Now you need to combine the pasta and sauce, diluting with broth. Sprinkle the whole dish with grated cheese and garnish with fresh herbs.

Ah, that carbonara

Speaking of Italy, it is impossible not to mention this dish. It's time to learn how to cook spaghetti carbonara. The ingredients needed for cooking can be found in almost every refrigerator:

• Bacon or ham - 10 grams.
• High Fat Cream - 200 ml.
• 3 egg yolks.
• Grated parmesan cheese - 50 grams.
• A few cloves of garlic.
• Vegetable or olive oil.
• Spaghetti - 200 grams.

First of all, you need to finely chop the garlic and bacon (thin slices), fry them together in olive oil. While they are in the pan, you can grate the cheese. Beat the egg yolks and season with s alt and pepper. Add cream to them and mix well.

Cook the spaghetti until half cooked, drain them in a colander, and then transfer them to the pan. Then add the creamy egg mass and mix quickly so that the eggs do not curdle. Then add bacon, mix and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bon appetit!

Pasta with beef and mozzarella - greetings from Italy

You will need the following ingredients:

• Spaghetti themselves - 400 grams.
• Same amount of ground beef.
• 4 small tomatoes.
• 1 medium onion.
• 2-3 garlic cloves.
• Olive or vegetable oil.
• 200 grams of mozzarella.
• S alt, pepper and basil.

Cut the onion into half rings and fry in a pan until golden brown. When it is almost ready, add chopped garlic, and after that - sliced tomato rings. The last component must be mashed with a spatula, but not mashed.

Separately fry the ground beef and mix it with the vegetable mixture. In parallel, boil the pasta until al dente, add it to the stewed vegetables and 1/2 of the mozzarella, mix thoroughly, then cover and leave on the stove. After half an hour, add the remaining mozzarella, mix and leave the dish for 5 minutes, after which it can be served to the table, sprinkled with grated cheese.

Everyone probably knows how to cook spaghetti with tomato paste, but even such a simple dish is fraught with little secrets that make it even more delicious and fragrant.