Next to pizza, I would guess that Italians are well associated with pasta. What a laundry list of pasta-based dishes that come to mind! There is spaghetti with meatballs, lasagna, ravioli, da da da. In short, the Italians have mastered the combination of shells and sauce. Perhaps, in an effort to chase away mundane meals, they have created a myriad varietal shapes for their beloved staple food. For example, there is the iconic spaghetti noodle that is long, round and thin, which differs from linguini that is long and thin, but also flat, which differs from bucatini that is long but thicker and hollow, which is different from the beloved round, small hollow tube macaroni noodle.
Use this link, posted by the National Pasta Association, which describes and illustrates a fairly comprehensive list of pasta shapes (which is very useful for hunting down a new pasta to try, or for visualizing one mentioned in a new recipe, before gawking at the grocery store noodle isle): http://www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html
Besides all of these crazy noodle shapes, there are actually only two categories of pasta: "wet" and "dry". They are both wheat based, however, the difference is that wet pasta uses a softer type of wheat flour and contains eggs, whereas dry pasta uses hard durum wheat semolina. How to choose which type to use for your recipe? In general, wet pasta is preferred for lasagna and stuffed pasta dishes; the "wet" quality allows for a dough that can be molded as needed for the stuffing. You can find these in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, or venture to make it yourself! By contrast, dry pasta is more versatile and provides for the "al dente" texture after boiling. I almost prefer dry pasta solely based by its long shelf life and quick prep time.
The following is a preview of some pasta dishes I have prepared recently. Cheers to noodles!
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| Bucatini amatriciana (p. 109) Before I had done research on pasta, I went to the grocery store and searched the pasta isle, head to toe, for "bucatini." No bingo. I substituted linguini for this recipe knowing that dry pasta is composed of the same basic ingredients, just different shapes. Looking back, I wasn't too far off with my substitution, considering the long noodle shape! |
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| Linguine pesto (p. 108) This recipe was whipped up in no time since I had pre-made the pesto. Just take the pesto out of the freezer and into the fridge the night before and stir into hot pasta. Try shaving your parmesan with a veggie peeler for a sophisticated garnish (this photo shows grated). |
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| Bucatini alla norma (p. 113) Perhaps my favorite pasta shape! This is true bucatini thanks to Super Target carrying the only bucatini in town. The noodles resemble tiny straws with a consistency that is thick and chewy. This recipe called for eggplant, yippee! Many would disagree, but I absolutely adore this mushy, purple vegetable. |
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| Using my thinking noodle to create my own pasta dish! I was craving a cold pasta salad, an American summer tradition. For this recipe I used "campenelle" pasta, which means "small bells". This recipe allowed me to make use of leftover sun-dried tomatoes and asparagus (blanching the asparagus in the boiling water that was heated for the pasta), all tossed in an olive oil, mustard, white wine, and parsley and lemon vinaigrette. |
Trivia for your thinking noodle:
Marco Polo, as popular legend has it, was the one to introduce pasta to Italy in the 13th century after visiting the Far East. However, its origin dates back to ancient Greek mythology, in which the Greek God, Vulcan, invented a device that made strings of dough... sounds like spaghetti. Even the Chinese were making a type of noodle since 3000 B.C. For more information, visit here.
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