L'amore Italian Restaurant

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How To Make The Perfect Italian Pasta Sauce

If you are looking for the best way to make Italian pasta, then it is important for you not to overlook the sauce. When people think about Italian pasta, they usually think about Al Dente perfection. Even though this is incredibly important for your pasta dish, the sauce is just as important. Italian pasta sauce usually has a strong base with a bit of bite at the end of it. The secret is in the ingredients. 

Select Fresh Ingredients For Your Foundation

First, you need to make sure that you select fresh ingredients as the foundation of your pasta sauce. Even though you can certainly purchase something out of a jar, this is not going to create authentic Italian pasta sauce. Make sure that you select high-quality, extra virgin olive oil. Try to find an olive oil that comes in a dark bottle instead of a clear bottle. If the light strikes the clear bottle, is going to ruin the olive oil quickly. Then, make sure that you go with fresh garlic cloves instead of garlic powder. This is going to dramatically improve the quality of your sauce. Finally, don’t skimp on the air. Oregano, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes are going to go well with fresh tomatoes to create the body of your sauce. 

Allow The Sauce Time To Mix

When you put all of the ingredients together in the pot, make sure that you do not rush the process. You need to provide the sauce with plenty of time to sit. Do not hesitate to taste it along the way. Even though you might be worried about overpowering some of the flavors with your herbs and spices, this is also an incredibly important part of making perfect Italian pasta sauce. Spices and herbs are going to go a long way toward creating the authentic thing. 

Select The Right Pairing

Depending on what you are planning on serving with the pasta sauce, there are plenty of sauces from which to choose. Some of the most popular examples include marinara, arrabbiata, and vodka sauce. Do not hesitate to mix and match your meat, noodles, and vegetables with these various sauces. This can go a long way toward helping you figure out how to make the perfect Italian pasta sauce. After a few attempts, you should be able to bring Italy right to your kitchen!

 

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How Many Different Pasta Shapes are There?

We all know about spaghetti, penne, rigatoni and other pasta shapes, but did you know there are over 350 different pasta shapes?

That’s right. You can choose from hundreds of different types of pasta for your next authentic Italian meal – whether dining in or out. Read on to learn more about the fascinating world of pasta.

Pasta Groups

Overall, pasta is classified into different groups. For example there is the long pasta group, the tube pasta group, the soup pasta group, the stuffed pasta group, and the special shapes pasta group. Each group has a number of different kinds of pasta attributed to it.

Spaghetti and angel hair fit into the long group, while penne is considered a tube pasta, orzo and alphabet are soup pastas, ravioli and tortellini are stuffed pasta, and fusilli and farfalle are considered special shape pasta. Not only are there many different shapes, but many types of pasta have more than one name. For example, farfalle is also called bowtie or butterfly pasta.

Pasta Shapes

So why are there so many different pasta shapes?

The answer is simple. Texture and sauce.

The way pasta holds a sauce is paramount to Italian cooking. In general, chefs use different pasta shapes and sizes depending upon what kind of sauce they want to cook. For example, if a chef makes a superior thin sauce, he’ll want to pair it with thin pasta like angel hair.

On the other hand, if he prepares a thick sauce, he will serve it with a thick pasta, such as rigatoni whose grooves will hold the thick sauce for optimum flavor.  A cream sauce goes best with flat pasta, such as linguine while a traditional tomato sauce goes best with round shaped pasta like shells.

When it comes to stuffed pasta, ravioli, manicotti, and large shells are just some options. For soups, pastine, which means little pasta, is another great choice.

Why not make an effort to try a pasta shape you’ve never had before? Either choose something new from the menu at your favorite Italian restaurant or try your hand at cooking with a pasta shape you’ve never used.

There are multiple recipe books on the market that focus strictly on pasta shapes, how to cook them, and what sauces to pair with them. By experimenting with different pasta shapes, you’ll open a whole new world of Italian cuisine that you never even knew existed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tips for Making the Perfect Al Dente Pasta

How many times each week are you eating pasta?

If you are like other people throughout the country, this is likely a staple in your diet.

It’s easy, quick and filling. Also, you can prepare it a number of ways. However, to cook the perfect pasta, you have to know how to cook something al dente.

This means that it is still firm to the bite, but delicious and perfect for multiple meals a week. Al dente means the pasta isn’t hard, chalky, too soft, etc. After all, there isn’t anything quite as bad as overcooked pasta – it will ruin the entire meal.

Some tips to help you cook perfect al dente pasta can be found here.

The Al Dente Pasta Preparation

One of the biggest pasta “fouls” is just grabbing a pot, filling it with water, and dumping pasta in before the water even boils. Not only that but using a pot that is too small for the past you are cooking.

To make perfect al dente pasta, you need to start with a large pot so that your pasta can move freely. A general rule of thumb to follow is to use five to six quarts of water per pound of pasta you are cooking.

Boil the water. Don’t try to jump ahead. You need to make sure the water is at a hard boil, at which point you will add approximately two tablespoons of salt. Once the salt is added, add your pasta and allow the water to reach a hard boil once again.

General Tips for Cooking

When you add the pasta, you can add a lid to the pot to help it reach a boil faster; however, you should remove it as soon as it begins to boil again. This will prevent it from boiling over.

Another tip you can use is to stir the pasta constantly for the initial one to two minutes – but just the initial few minutes. This will help prevent sticking.

When the cooking process is done, you should taste your pasta. It should have an al dente bite if you cooked it properly. If the pasta is undercooked it will have a chalky and stiff center, but if it is overcooked, the noodles are going to be soggy and limp.

What You Should Never Do When Cooking Pasta

When cooking pasta, if you want to make sure it reaches that al dente cooked level, make sure to avoid doing the following things:

  • Never add oil
  • Don’t wait for the pasta to completely cool to add the sauce
  • Don’t rinse the pasta unless you are making a cold dish

Now you have the knowledge to make perfectly al dente pasta every time. You will find that once you get the hang of what to do, it is actually easy to achieve this cooked perfection each time you make pasta.

 

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Fun and Interesting Facts About Italian Food That You Probably Didn’t Know

Italian food receives more fanfare than any other ethnic cuisine for good reason. From pizza to pasta, gelato and wine, Italian food simply can’t be beat. Let’s take a look at some facts about these popular culinary creations that most people are unaware of.

Real Italian Pasta is Cooked al Dente

Traditional Italian pasta is rather rigid compared to American versions. Italians cook pasta “al dente”, meaning that it is removed from the cooking pan and served once it has reached its ideal texture. Plenty of Italian chefs will throw a few pieces of cooked pasta against the wall to see if they stick. Once sticking occurs, the pasta is ready to eat. Aside from tasting better, al dente pasta is also significantly easier for the digestive system to process than the overcooked pasta that most amateur chefs make.

Traditional Italian Pizza Features Thin Crust

The average American thinks that authentic pizza has medium to thick crust. This is the result of American cooks manipulating the traditional pizza recipe into their own unique versions. The truth is that the vast majority of pizzas served in the United States are nowhere near authentic. Real Italian pizza is distinguished from most American versions by its comparatively thin crust.

Speaking of Pizza, Italians Like it Simple

Authentic Italian pizza is referred to as pizza margherita. It is quite basic, featuring dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil. Countries across the globe have altered this simple recipe into fancy versions that betray the food’s roots. Foodies will also find it interesting to know that pepperoni pizza is an American twist on traditional Italian pizza. In Italy, “peperoni” as they spell it, actually means bell pepper.

Fettuccine Alfredo is not Authentic Italian Fare

Contrary to popular opinion, Fettuccine Alfredo does not represent traditional Italian food. Legitimate examples of Italian pasta dishes are lasagna, ravioli and spaghetti with meatballs. Those creamy and cheesy Alfredo dishes certainly taste good yet they are primarily served in Italian restaurants in the United states rather than Italy. Few know that this dish debuted in 1914 when Alfredo di Lelio trademarked it. The dish exploded in popularity at his New York restaurant and was soon copied by chefs throughout the United States. Yet few Italian chefs in the homeland added it to their menus.

Italy’s Espresso is Quite Simple

A considerable percentage of Italy’s population consumes espresso. Many drink it for breakfast and after lunch/dinner. Yet true espresso does not contain flavor shots like those added to most American versions of the coffee. Real espresso does not contain milk either. If you order a latte version of anything in Italy, you would likely be served with a glass of plain milk.

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Credit for most photos: Kay W. Eskridge: Images By Kay

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