How do you cook Pasta?

I use a WIFE

mista h,

Do you mean how to cook pasta itself or what are our favourite recipes for pasta?

Cooking pasta is simple and depends on whether it's fresh or dried. For both you need a large pan of boiling salted water. Some put a dash of olive oil into the pan to stop the pasta sticking together. Fresh pasta only takes 2 to 3 minutes and most dried pasta 9 to 11 minutes. The important thing is to keep it on a fairly high boil. Cook until al dente.

One favourite recipe is with prawns and porcini mushrooms (these can be bought dried if you can't get fresh). Whilst the pasta (linguini/spaghetti) is cooking fry sliced garlic, halved cherry tomatoes,the (soaked) mushrooms before adding the raw prawns. Season and add ripped basil. Toss into the pasta. It's called Monte e Mare. Squid can also be added if required. It only takes about 20 minutes including preparation.

Steve

I have a couple of tips for dried pasta:

Try to get pasta that has been extruded with bronze dies not teflon. These are often marked as "al bronzo" on the package and usually cost a bit more.  The cheaper brands are extruded through teflon dies which run smoother and don't clog as often during the extrusion process.  As a result they are cheaper to make but the pasta produced has a smooth surface which will not absorb the sauce as well as pasta produced with bronze dies.  If the package isn't marked the pasta from bronze dies is easily spotted because of its rough appearance.

For the same reason you should boil the pasta in salted water only - no oil please - and don't skimp on the salt.  Use a good handful in a large pot.  It should be roughly equivalent to seawater.  (Don't worry most of that salt is going down the drain anyway).  Any added oil will coat the pasta which, while it will prevent sticking, will also prevent the pasta from absorbing the sauce.

It's a good idea to take out a cup of the pasta water just before you drain it.  This starchy water can be added to your sauce if it is a bit dry just before mixing if with the pasta - works a treat.

Finally - no rinsing the pasta after cooking.

Good points Digger. I don't use oil myself. Thanks for the tip on the Bronze pasta.

If you have left over Pasta coat that with Olive Oil as it stops it sticking. Sometimes it is best if before you incorporate pasta into a main dish and mix together just coat it in a little butter. It gives it a rich flavour and also adds a little sheen to the sauce.

Can you find me one of those please CBR,one that can cook,and no older than 40

Mista h(very happily single)

Am i a fireman yet?? Large animals on the way!!

My rule with Pasta is never to skimp on the pasta itself; always avoid the cheap stuff.  Also be wary of fresh pasta.  It's sublime when done well but so often the stuff you buy in a supermarket is pretty awful.  Better to buy a really good dried pasta if you don't have access to a really good Italian market.

Always remember that Pasta is about the...  pasta.  Don't drown it in sauce.  Just a little bit of sauce is always best, that way you get to properly taste the pasta (obviously if you've bought cheap pasta then drowning it may be the best course of action).

My favourite pasta is tortellini.  Sadly it's usually not a patch on what you'll find somewhere like Bologna.  But there's hope; Barilla dried pasta is probably best of the dried stuff and good enough that it's often used by Italian restaurants.  You won't find it in supermarkets in the UK but you can get it from Italian markets and by mail order.  It's a great thing to have standing by in the store cupboard.

Not sure if I'm doing things properly ... but here are my thoughts (many are already commented on)...

To MAKE pasta from scratch - I tend to use approx 50/50 double O (pasta) flour / tapioca flour with around 100g to each egg (fresh from the hen house preferable if not at least free range!).  Mix with your hands in a large bowl then once mostly combined kneed briefly.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes up to a few hours.  Then starting with the machine on it's widest setting, flatten the ball of dough a little and run it through the machine before folding the sheet in two and run it through again.  Repeat this folding and running through the machine 3 or 4 times in total.

Now reduce the machine to next setting, run the pasta through repeating till you get to about 8 on my machine.  Cut the pasta into strips as you desire.

Fresh pasta made this way just needs 1 or 2 minutes in boiling very salty water.  No oil (as commented above) but once you drain the water off it then tip a spoon of good olive oil over it.  A cup of the cooking liquor added to your pasta sauce is good for thickening the juices.

Now if you're buying pasta, then as Richard said, buy good dried pasta.  I was once told (and it makes sense) that except for stuffed pasta, "fresh" pasta from the supermarket is pointless - either buy dried or make your own.

And remember, the Italians will have a pasta dish as PART of the meal, not the whole meal.

Now don't get me started on risotto!!

I'm not disagreeing that good pasta in UK is hard to find. 

I prefer to DIY - & Eloise,  your method is much like mine

Problem is with just 2 of us we only make it if we have a few more than 2 around the table.

My normal shop buy dry pasta brand is Lucio Garofalo.  It was the preferred shop buy brand when I stayed with Italian work colleagues & they were very fussy over all things pasta so I have not looked elsewhere.  I get it from Sainsbury's,  but not always in stock.

It absorbs sauce better than most & it has a good consistent al dente that is more uniform thru the whole bite & better than most other brands I've tried.

Garlic!!!!   Trust you dont breathe all over the nurses the next day at work. Will try this one next week minus you know what.

Mista h

Sounds like you know your pasta Digger. A chef by anychance??

Mista h

CBR.......If ever Kate leaves me(not much hope) this is the girl for me....makes fresh Pasta all from scratch.

Mista H

Hello Richard

Before i retired we dealt with a m/cycle shop in Greenwich high rd,a few doors along from them was a proper Italian deli where i always used to get the coffee n cakes for the lads. They must have sold 40 types of pasta and i always used to buy a few packets,sadly that is to far to drive now.

Mista h

Completely agree with Digger628 and Mike-B for his advice of Garofalo's Pasta:IMHO that's the best.Mista,if you like mussels,why don't give them a try with spaghetti?Here's a simple recipe often used as base for cooking pasta with different kind of fishes:you first have to clean the mussels in a cold water then  put some olive oil(no problem if it's a very,very good one &nbspinto a frying-pan with minced garlic,very few cherry tomatoes, a little chili.Garlic must get golden,then add the mussels and a little bit of white wine(as for the oil,no problem if it's a good one...)Increase the fire until the wine evaporates,then decrease it.Add the mussels.Take some of the blue-black empty shells away,in reason to have more pasta in your dish instead of a lot of shells.Boil your pasta very  "al dente"then put it into the fryin-pan and end pasta's cooking there.

Put a bottle of chilled Vermentino di Gallura on your table and good appetite.

Ciao

I usually make dry pasta, cooking time varys between 9-11 mins.. The key secret if im making it with a red sauce is to boil it for 2 mins less than the recommended time, then finish it in the sauce. After its finished let it sit covered for 10 mins to really absorb the sauce. 

Chaps

I get Mrs Mick to cook the stuff, she gets it right every time.

Regards

Mick

Dear Mick,

Nicely to the point!

ATB from George

And go cold.

Here in the Netherlands, it's very simple..

Decide, ie link

Buy

Boil

Eat

There are 150+ packages, all labeled 'fresh' (approx. 5-10, stored in the refrigerator) are good. Costs a bit more, but so much more taste..