L'amore Italian Restaurant

Pasta Shapes

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Comparing Linguini and Fettuccine: What You Need To Know

If you take a trip to Italy, you will probably eat a lot of pasta. Italians are known for their pasta, and there are plenty of pasta styles from which to choose. Generally, the only difference between pasta will be the shape of the noodle. It might seem like a relatively small difference, but the shape of the pasta is very important for the meal. Two of the most popular types of pasta are linguine and fettuccine. What are some of the biggest differences between them? 

The Shape

First, we need to take a look at the shape of the noodles. Linguine noodles are significantly narrower than fettuccine noodles. In general, fettuccine noodles are about twice as wide as linguine noodles. This means that fettuccine noodles should have an easier time holding on to the sauce as you roll them up. In contrast, linguine noodles are going to be a bit lighter. Because linguine noodles are thinner, the shape will hold up better if you are eating something with seafood, such as mussels, shrimp, and other types of shellfish.

The Ingredients

Linguine noodles have significantly fewer ingredients when compared to fettuccine. Linguine noodles are usually made with water and semolina flour. In contrast, fettuccine is made with semolina flour, eggs, and some durum wheat. This also means that fettuccine tends to have a heavier, fuller body than linguine.

The Dishes

With a general overview of the differences between linguine and fettuccine, what you really care about is when you should choose specific types of noodles. If you are eating a dish where the sauce has to coat the pasta and stick to it, you should go with fettuccine. If you are eating a dish that is lighter, or with a sauce that is meant to be a thin coating, you should go with linguine noodles instead. Fettuccini is typically used with heavier sauces, such as cream and cheese sauces. Linguine noodles are typically used with lighter sauces, such as seafood dishes.

Enjoy Your Pasta Properly

You must make sure you choose the right pasta for your Italian dish. If you plan on visiting Italy, make sure you try as many different types of pasta as possible!

 

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What Is The Best Pasta For Grabbing Sauce With Every Bite?

There are many people who love Italian cuisine, particularly because of the quality of the pasta. At the same time, a lot of the flavor of the dish comes from the sauce. Therefore, when you bite into pasta, you want to get plenty of sauce as well. The shape of the pasta plays a tremendous role in the amount of sauce you can capture. There are several factors to consider if you want to grab as much pasta sauce as possible with every bite.

Tubular Pasta With Ridges Is The Best Option

If you want to grab as much sauce as possible, you should go with tubular pasta with ridges. Two of the most common examples include penne pasta and ziti. The sauce can fill the tubular shape, allowing you to capture a tremendous amount of sauce with each bite. Then, you can grab additional sauce with the ridges on the outside, which will give you an extra flavor boost. If you are interested in saucy pasta, you should select a tubular pasta with ridges.

Long, Flat Noodles Are Also A Great Option

If your pasta has a cream sauce, you might also be interested in long, flat noodles. The longer and wider than noodles are, the more sauce you will be able to capture. Creamy sauce tends to be sticky, so it should stick to the pasta well. One of the best options is pappardelle. It is a great way to stop up all of the sauce in the dish. If the noodle is too thin, you won’t be able to get a lot of pasta sauce, and there could be a lot of sauce left over in the dish when you are done.

Choose The Pasta Carefully And Get As Much Sauce As Possible

If you want an authentic Italian experience, you must enjoy the sauce as well. The shape of the pasta can have a tremendous impact on the amount of sauce you can scoop up with each bite. No matter how perfect the pasta is, there will probably be some sauce leftover. Therefore, you may want to grab some fresh Italian bread to soak up anything that might have been left behind. 

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The Top Tips for Making Perfect Italian Pasta

If you want to truly eat Italian pasta, and you have to be able to make it from scratch. Some people might be shocked at the idea of making their own pasta instead of simply buying it at the store. At the same time, there is something special about homemade pasta. Take a look at some of the top tips for making homemade pasta below. 

Consider The Sauce

First, you have to consider the sauce that is going to go with the pasta. There are different shapes of pasta and the shapes are important because they are meant to grab the sauce. For example, shorter pasta, such as penne and cavatelli are going to be better at grabbing onto the sauce than longer types of pasta. Furthermore, pasta that has ridges, such as rigatoni, is going to grab sauce better than pasta that is smooth. Therefore, you should consider this when you are thinking about what type of pasta you want to make. 

Start With Less Flour

Remember that it is easier to add more ingredients than to take it out. With this in mind, always start with less flour. Good pasta is usually going to be somewhere around 50 percent water by weight. It is better to start by making the dough a bit wetter because it is always easier to add more flour than it is to add more water. At the same time, you don’t want the final pasta to be caked in flour. Therefore, be sparing with a flower and add more if needed. 

Knead The Dough Thoroughly

Finally, the longer you knead the pasta dough, the easier it is going to be to roll out later. Therefore, try to knead it for at least 10 minutes at the start. Once the surface is no longer sticky, it will be good to go. This will help you create pasta that is uniform in color and smooth with those perfect dimples on the surface. 

Make Italian Pasta From Scratch

Once you are done with this process, let the dough rest. Try to rest it for at least a half-hour before shaping it. Following these tips will help you create the perfect Italian pasta. Don’t hesitate to try to make several different shapes! Some shapes of pasta are better are certain types of sauces than others.

 

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7 Interesting Italian Food Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Italian food is often discussed yet rarely understood.  There are plenty of half-truths and myths surrounding Italian cooking and food.  Let’s take a look at some intriguing Italian food facts you might not have known.

Garlic is not Used in Italian Food as Frequently as Most Assume
Though garlic bread is quite popular in Italian restaurants, garlic is not used in Italian food to the extent that most imagine.  Just about everyone agrees garlic bread tastes amazing yet real Italians typically eat plain bread, possibly with olive oil.  Contrary to popular opinion, real Italian bread is not to be soaked in garlic and butter.

There is no Italian Wedding Soup in Italy
No one is quite sure where the “Italian” part of Italian Wedding Soup originated.  It is likely Italian wedding soup resulted from the combination of American and Italian cuisine.  Though this soup, comprised of meat, veggies, and stock, tastes quite scrumptious, it is unavailable in the vast majority of restaurants in Italy.

Real Italians do not Order Pepperoni Pizza
Pepperoni pizza is certainly popular in America yet it is not a top-seller in Italy.  In fact, pepperoni, spelled with a single “P” after the initial “E” actually means bell pepper in Italian.  As a result, you could easily order pepperoni pizza in Italy and end up with pizza topped with peppers.

Italian Coffee is Different Than Most Imagine
Coffee with milk is typically consumed in the morning hours throughout Italy.  Espresso is the coffee of choice enjoyed after meals.

Bread is More Than an Appetizer
Bread is best used to soak up the additional sauce remaining on the plate after a dish of pasta.  Therefore, it is a mistake to strictly eat bread prior to beginning the meal.  Rather, bread should be saved until the final third of the dining experience of even the very end of the meal to mop up any leftover sauce.

Authentic Italian Pizza has Thin Crust
Pizza originated in Italy yet most are unaware the authentic version of this tasty delight does not have a thick crust.  Rather, real pizza has a thin crust.  So don’t be surprised if you are served up a pizza pie with smaller crust than expected – it is the Italian way.

Hundreds of Pasta Shapes Exist
All in all, more than 600 varieties of pasta are available across the globe.  This means there are all different pasta shapes available for myriad Italian dishes.  From curly spiral pasta to straight spaghetti, tubes/penne, ravioli pockets, and beyond, the list of pasta variations are seemingly endless.