The origin of the pasta is interesting not only for the historical facts associated with it, but also for the many legends and myths that this product is shrouded in. Italy, as a trendsetter in pasta today, as well as the largest producer and "eater" of this product, insists that pasta is an original Italian invention.
One of the widespread alternative versions of the origin of pasta is its importation by the famous traveler Marco Polo from China in 1292, which is documented. However, the Italians claim that Marco Polo only shared with his contemporaries upon his return from the Far East the observation that "it turns out that the Chinese also eat noodles and pasta."
In confirmation of the earlier, or at least independent appearance of "the most Italian food» It is on the territory of modern Italy that quotes are given from Cicero and Horace, the great ancient Roman poets who praised various dishes made from flour and water, boiled in salty sea water. Found cookbooks one Appicius, who lived during the time of the emperor Tiberius in the first century AD, which describes dishes reminiscent of modern lasagna. And in 1000 AD, the cook of the powerful patriarch of Aquileia, a certain Martino Corno, had already written a book On the Culinary Art of Making Sicilian Pasta.
And although disputes among culinary experts and historians have not subsided so far, one thing is certain: already in the 12th century, pasta began to spread across Europe from the shores of Italy. Its spread, at first slow, then more and more victorious, is accompanied by the following main milestones:
- XII century- it is reliably known about the production of pasta on the island of Sicily, not without the participation of the Arabs who lived there
- XIII century- drying the paste in the sun, which allows it to be stored for 2-3 years and in large quantities be used as provisions on ships. Pasta is imported to Venice, Genoa, Pisa, Naples and other maritime city-states. In each of them, local varieties of pasta begin to appear.
- XV century- the first recipe for lasagna is recorded, long and hollow pasta are mentioned. Until the sixteenth century, pasta was not the most consumed food among the poor. Because the wheat durum varieties at that time grown only in Sicily and Apulia, pasta was not the cheapest food.
- XVI century - XVII century- Tomatoes are imported to Europe from America. This is becoming a real gastronomic revolution. The cultivation of durum wheat spreads throughout Southern Italy. Invented and widely used machines for making pasta: presses, cutters and dryers. Thus, pasta becomes cheaper and more and more distributed.
- In the XVIII - XIX Over the centuries, with the development and improvement of technology, pasta has already gained almost the same popularity in Italy that it still enjoys today.
At the same time, pasta began to spread widely in Europe and America and became one of the most
We have compiled this list of Italian pastas not for connoisseurs. national cuisine with its indispensable pasta, but for those who are not yet too versed in its types. After all, when buying it, you need to know not only how much it is cooked, but also for what dish it is intended, with what sauce it is better to cook and serve it.
In order not to create confusion, we place the Italian name next to the name of the pasta in Russian.
We do not pretend to be a complete list - the number of pastes has already exceeded three hundred. We talk about those that are the most popular and are usually on our shelves. So - look in the list for what interests you.
Alphabet - Alphabet - (alphabet)
Buy this paste for your children - those who are in elementary school are interested in recognizing familiar letters, and it even helps the younger ones remember them. It is also prepared for a side dish, boiled in soup. Anellini - Wikiwand Anellini
Anellini refers to small pasta, its rings are suitable for salads and soups. Agnolotti - Wikiwand Agnolotti
Small ones like small dumplings different shapes, the filling for which is and chopped meat, and, for example, spinach, and the famous ricotta. Sauces are selected according to the filling. Acini di pepe - Wikiwand Acini di pepe
Another paste that is used in salads and soups is very small, for which it got its name “pepper seeds”. Bucatini - Wikiwand Bucatini
Pasta got its name from bucato - full of holes. And all because, although the paste is very long and sufficiently thin (about 2.5 mm), it is hollow inside. It goes well with tomato sauces, as well as cheese and vegetable ones. But the classic is bucatini with Amatriciana sauce. Vermicelli - Vermicelli
"Worms" is what it means in the original language. Adapted to Russian - the well-known vermicelli. There is something in common with spaghetti, but vermicelli is both shorter and thinner. Suitable for vegetable salads, but then for cooking it is broken into small pieces. Sauces are preferably light. Gemelli - Wikiwand Gemelli
Gemelli means twins. Because two identical thin flagella from the dough are twisted into one. Good with any sauce - meat, fish, vegetable, creamy. Ditalini - Ditalini
Imagine pasta that has been chopped into short tubes - this is how ditalini look, and really look like thimbles - this is how their name is translated.
Ditalini is boiled and used in salads, added to thick soups and stews - vegetable, often bean. Ziti - Ziti
Small tubules, slightly bent, with a wide channel inside, which is why thick sauces are usually prepared for them. Ziti is suitable for salads and casseroles. Cavatappi - Cavatappi (corkscrew)
These spirals are often introduced into salads because of their picturesqueness. As an independent dish, they are accompanied by both simple and complex sauces. Campanelle - Wikiwand Campanelle
Either bells, or maybe flowers .. but beautiful. Dense sauces are prepared for them, with cheese or meat. They make a great addition to salads and soups. Cannelloni - Wikiwand Cannelloni
Large tubes with a large opening, which are convenient to stuff. Filled with meat, vegetables, cheese. Cannelloni are stuffed with filling, poured with a generous portion of Bechamel or tomato sauce and baked in the oven. Cappelletti - Wikiwand Cappelletti
These - in translation - "little hats" - are produced both with fillings and without them. They are boiled in broth, after which they can be served with a sauce of your choice or - in the easiest way - sprinkled with grated cheese. Capellini - Wikiwand Capellini
Capellino - hair. It is round in cross section, long-long and very thin paste - less than 1 mm. Sauces she requires tender and light. An even thinner paste is called "capelli d'angelo", that is, "angels' hair." Conchigli - Conchiglie
Mollusk shells in translation. They have long been known to us as "shells". The shape allows conchigli to keep even very thick sauce in their cavities. Salads are prepared with them, they are often baked. Conchiglioni - Wikiwand Conchiglioni
Larger shells. They are good in salads, and baked - stuffed - with sauce. Lasagne - Lasagne or lasagna
Lasagna sheets are like bread, flat plates, thin, they are good to bake with different fillings. It is very popular at home, as well as in other countries. Toppings range from meat to seafood, plus sauce, usually bolognese or bechamel. Wikiwand Lanterne
The pasta is medium-sized, but twisted-twisted and the ribs on the surface just call for a thick sauce. Lanterne looks spectacular in a salad. Linguine - Wikiwand Linguine (linguini)
Ligvini - "tongues" - longer spaghetti, in shape - flat, good with thick sauces, usually based on tomatoes or fish. The best choice linguine sauces are marinara, pesto,. Macaroni - Maccheroni
Thick tubes with wide holes, thin sauce easily penetrates into them, impregnating the pasta and giving it a wonderful taste. Manicotti - Wikiwand Manicotti
Large short tubes, the surface is often corrugated. They are usually boiled a little, stuffed and baked with sauce. Gnocchi - Gnocchi
These are dumplings, which are served as the first course in the homeland. The dough for them may include semolina, cheeses, spinach, potatoes, there are even dumplings of their crumbs. The classic serving of gnocchi is tomato sauce, cheese, butter, pre-melted. Smaller dumplings are called "gnocchetti". Orecchiette - Wikiwand Orecchiette
These "ears" (in translation) are indeed similar in shape to small - less than 20 mm - ears.
They cook a lot with them. different dishes, boiled in soups and for salads. Orzo - Wikiwand Orzo
At first, orzo can be mistaken for rice - the shape and size are almost the same. One of the few types of pasta that is cooked as a side dish. Good also in soups and salads. Pappardelle - Wikiwand Pappardelle
Curiously, "pappare" means "to devour". Pappardelle are rolled long noodles that are wider than fettuccine noodles. Good with saturated thick sauces and also baked. Pasta color - Pasta colorata
This designation is not one paste, but all those that are produced in color. Moreover, dyes are only natural, mainly vegetable juices. For the method of preparation, in fact, it is not the color of the paste that is important, but what shape it is. Pastina - Pastina
Indeed, beads (this is how the translation sounds in Russian) are perhaps the smallest of the pastes. Like other small ones, pastina is best suited for salads and soups. Penne - Penne
Penna is a feather in translation, and, of course, the name is given to it because of the similarity of its shape with a writing pen. Quite large tubes up to 40 mm and up to 10 mm wide, which are conveniently cooked, seasoned with delicious hot sauce or made into a salad ingredient, or even casseroles. In our country - as in many countries - it is among our favorite pastas. Peciutelli - Perciatelli
Another kind of long pasta, which at first glance can be mistaken for spaghetti, but it is thicker and just as hollow inside. Therefore, the same cooking methods are usually used for them. Perfectly harmonizes with any meat sauce. Ravioli - Ravioli
An analogue of our dumplings, with the differences that the filling for them is ready-made, and not raw, like our meat, and they are also dessert, that is, sweet. The shape of the ravioli can be different, but usually - with a figuratively cut edge. They can be boiled, baked, fried. The sauce is preferably uncomplicated, tomato, and almost certainly basil. Radiatori - Radiatori (Radiators)
The shape helps the pasta hold the thick sauce in it, and is usually used in creamy sauces. It is also often baked, put in salads, which it decorates, as well as soups. Rigatoni - Rigatoni
Corrugated, thick short tubes of rigatoni with spacious holes by their very shape are designed to be served with a thick sauce, they are convenient to bake and use in salads. Rotelli - Wikiwand Rotelli (Ruote)
Rotelli - that is, the wheels. They need dense sauces - fish, meat, vegetable. The wheels look great in any salad, suitable for goulash and soups. Rotini - Wikiwand Rotini
Real springs. Once upon a time, Italian housewives made them by wrapping a thin rope of dough around a knitting needle. Rotini look great in a salad, and the sauce for pasta is always very thick, in which there are meat and vegetables in tangible pieces. Rocchetti - Wikiwand Rocchetti
In translation - coils. They are short, used in stews and salads, thick sauces are needed for it. Spaghetti - Spaghetti
Spaghetto in Italian - thin twine, rope, so the name is right on point. Why exactly this pasta has become the most, perhaps, famous and often bought is a mystery. Served with any of the many tomato sauces, you can also cook casseroles with it. No pasta can be compared with the number of recipes with it. Stellini - Wikiwand Stelliny
Small stars, good in light soups, as well as in salads. Name Tagliatelle
Pasta tape differs from fettuccine similar to it in a smaller width. It has a very porous structure, which requires
Actually, under the Italian word "pasta" pasta is well known to you!
The word "pasta" is translated from Latin as "dough." That's what a lot of people are called flour products Italian cuisine Except, perhaps, pizza. Pasta is one of the most consumed foods in Italy! But at the same time, for Italians, this is not just food, but also a way of life and national traditions.
Real pasta is made only from durum wheat, so it is well digested and very healthy for the body.
Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian sailor, brought a special variety of durum wheat from the Crimea to Italy, from which the first pasta was made. This pasta was distinguished by its unique taste and amber color. But, unfortunately, this variety of wheat was forever lost to mankind. Nevertheless, even modern pasta is very tasty, especially if it is cooked correctly.
According to the classic recipe, each kilogram of pasta is supposed to be boiled in 10 liters of salted boiling water.
But at home, it is not necessary to observe such an exact proportion. Although, of course, it must be remembered that pasta loves a large number of water! And it is also very important not to digest the pasta, otherwise they lose their taste and nutrients.
The harder the pasta, the longer it takes to cook. Italians prefer to cook pasta to the state of “al dente”, which means “to the tooth”, that is, it is slightly hard, tight, unboiled pasta. It is also recommended to add a little to the water when cooking. vegetable oil, then the cooling pasta will not stick together in the pan. Or, to avoid sticking, after the water is drained, you can add butter or vegetable oil to the pasta, better, of course, olive oil.
And, of course, one of the most wonderful additions to pasta is cheese! Italians add their famous cheese Parmesan in almost any pasta, except pasta with fish sauce. But instead of parmesan, you can add pasta and any other cheese to taste.
What makes pasta not just pasta, but a real unique dish? Sauce! Usually, Italian chefs prepare the sauce and pasta separately, and only then mix it in a saucepan or directly on a plate. At the same time, it turns out very tasty, and it’s even hard to believe that this is just ordinary pasta.
In Italy, pasta is produced by more than two thousand enterprises, and, of course, many Italians make it themselves at home.
The best pasta is considered to be handmade in small workshops. In production, making pasta on average takes several hours, but such “homemade” pasta takes longer to cook - about a day. Expensive Italian restaurants buy only hand-made pasta and wait for their orders for 2-3 months. And all over Italy homemade pasta sold in the markets or in special shops.
In modern production, pasta is also made multi-colored with the help of food coloring.
Spinach gets green beetroot juice- purple, carrot - red, pumpkin - orange, and squid or cuttlefish ink - black.
If you ever try black paste, don't be surprised, it can stain your teeth and tongue black.
Exists great amount- more than 700 - types of pasta!
And this diversity has existed since ancient times. Pasta is different appearance, texture and shape, and each type has its own name.
Here are the main types of Italian pasta:
Spaghetti
These are long round pasta. Their diameter is about 2 millimeters, and the length is usually a little more than 15 centimeters. Thinner spaghetti is called "spaghettini" and thicker spaghetti is called "spaghettini".
The birthplace of spaghetti is the Italian city of Genoa. Not far from Genoa, there is even a spaghetti museum, which contains hundreds of recipes for seasonings and sauces.
Many Italian dishes are based on spaghetti. For example, spaghetti in Neapolitan style - with tomato sauce, spaghetti bolognese popular all over the world - with tomato sauce and minced meat, spaghetti carbonara- with ham and cream, there are even spaghetti with garlic and butter,and various others...
Spaghetti and other long, thin pasta are eaten with a fork and spoon: the spoon is held in the left hand, and a portion of pasta is pierced with a fork and wrapped around the teeth without tearing. Then they take the seasoning with a spoon and eat spaghetti with it. According to etiquette, it is not recommended to cut off pasta that hangs from the fork with a knife. But it is quite possible to rest with a fork on a spoon or vertically on the bottom of the plate and rotate the fork around its axis, wrapping pasta on it.
And there are also special forks for convenient eating of long pasta. But real heroes do without it!
And also by Italian traditions spaghetti is not supposed to break when cooked. It should be like putting long pasta in boiling water, and when this part becomes a little soft, omit the dry part.
capellini
- long, round and very, very thin pasta.
Capellini are similar to spaghetti, but they are much thinner. They are sometimes also called "angel hair". main feature capellini, for which they are very popular - they are prepared very quickly, literally 2-3 minutes. Serve capellini with light sauces, broths, or simply mixed with olive oil and boiled vegetables.
Penne
- straight, medium length tubes, often with lateral grooves.
Rigatoni
- long, short tubes, wider than penne, also with grooves. The tastiest thing is rigatonis with various thick sauces.
Manicotti - longer and wider than penne, can be grooved. Manicotti is also called the dish itself when this particular pasta is used. Served with stuffed meat or cheese fillings.
Cannelloni
- large long tubes. Translated from Italian name of this paste means "large cane". Typically, cannelloni are stuffed with meat or cheese fillings and baked with sauce.
Lasagna
- a traditional dish Italian cuisine, one of the most famous and widespread throughout the world. Lasagna is prepared from layers of dough mixed with layers of filling, poured with sauce and baked in the oven. Lasagna is not only a dish, but also the sheets of dough that are used in its preparation.
The most common types of lasagna toppings are minced meat with tomatoes, or salmon fish with spinach, onions and cream. And there is also a completely vegetarian lasagna - stuffed with vegetables. And, of course, any lasagna is sure to be generously sprinkled with grated cheese! Classic lasagna must have 5 layers. Lasagna sheets can be prepared at home, or you can buy ready-made dry sheets in the store.
The first lasagna was cooked in the oven in special pans without a handle, where they put a certain number of layers. thin dough, alternating with filling and parmesan cheese. Sometimes lasagna dough was dyed bright green by adding mashed spinach.
Linguini - slightly flattened pasta, slightly longer than spaghetti.
Linguine is cooked like spaghetti and any other long thin pasta - without breaking. One of the most popular Italian recipes is linguine with seafood.
Fettuccine
-
long not very wide pasta.
Usually fettuccine is sold in stores in the form of twisted nests.
Tortellini
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resemble small dumplings or dumplings in shape. Inside the tortellini- filling, and the ends of the dough are connected together.
The filling is made from cottage cheese, cheese, meat or vegetables. The cook, with a skillful laconic movement, puts the filling on even squares of pasta, folds them into triangles and pinches the edges. It turns out tiny dumplings, which romantic Italians once called "the navel of Venus."
Gnocchi
- the name of this pasta is translated from Italian as"small dumplings", usually made from dough with cheese, semolina, potatoes or spinach.
Eggs and cheese are sometimes added to the dough, as well as finely chopped spinach or greens. These dumplings in the form of small balls are boiled in boiling water. They are usually served with butter and Parmesan cheese or with hot sauce for pasta.
Ravioli
- a popular Italian dish - dough squares with various fillings (meat, vegetables, cheese, etc.).
Ravioli are boiled and served immediately or additionally baked in the oven with the addition of cream, cheese or tomato sauce.
Agnolotti
- small pasta, usually crescent-shaped, but sometimes square, then they become like ravioli. Agnolotti being stuffed various fillings- meat, cottage cheese, spinach, cheese.
Agnolotti is always eaten hot with various sauces.
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1. Rotini
(spirals) - very short spirals, similar to springs. Served with very thick sauces, good in pasta salads.
2. Fusilli
(also spirals) - longer and more twisted than rotini. Fusilli is served with almost all sauces, in soups or in pasta salads.
3. Papardelle
- wide long noodles. Sometimes dry pappardelles are rolled into "nests". Used in baked dishes, with thick sauces.
4. Tagliatelli
- the same width as fettuccine or linguine, but not as flat. Used in casseroles and soups.
5. Ditalini
- small horns. Used cold in soups or pasta salads.
6. Elbow
- curved hollow horns, larger than ditalini. Elbow is traditionally served with cheese. It is also used in baked dishes or in pasta salads.
7. Peciutelli
- long, thin and straight tubes, superior in thickness to spaghetti. And you can eat them like spaghetti, in any form, except, perhaps, soups.
8. Ziti
- arched tubes, wider and longer than elbow. Served baked, in pasta salads and with thick sauces.
9. Alphabet
- small pasta in the form of letters of the alphabet. They are mainly used for making soups.
10. Anelli
- small rings Also used in soups.
11. Farfalle
- the name of this pasta is translated from Italian as "butterflies".
12. conchille
- shells with a long and narrow cavity, the name of this paste is translated from Italian as "mollusk shell".
Conchilles come in different sizes. Served hot and cold. Used in soups, baked and in pasta salads, depending on size.
13. Conciloni
(big shells) - similar to conchilla, but noticeably larger. They are served in different types, but almost always cumshots look very impressive. They are stuffed, for example, with a mixture soft cheese ricotta, spinach and pine nuts, and baked.
14. Orzo
(pasta rice) - very unusual pasta, which is very, very similar in appearance to ordinary rice. Most often used in soups.
15. Radiators
- pasta, reminiscent of their appearance conventional radiators. Each pasta has grooves and grooves, like on a radiator. Can be served both cold and hot with thick creamy sauces, in soups and salads.
16. Ruote
- round pasta, similar to cart wheels. Used in soups and salads.
Italians stubbornly call pasta their invention. Maybe it is. But dough products that look like pasta are found in images in Egyptian tombs, in Greek mythology, and Chinese culinary descriptions.
It doesn't matter who invented pasta, but only in Italy did pasta become a favorite national dish!
In high-quality, properly cooked and served pasta, according to the Italians, there is nothing harmful, they do not get fat from it. And eating pasta with cheese, a person gets almost all required composition nutrients, because cheese contains proteins and fats that are not found in wheat.
In the capital of Italy, the city of Rome, next to one of the main attractions of the city - the Trevi Fountain - there is the only pasta museum in the world.
The entire history of the favorite Italian dish is presented in the halls of the museum.The museum also tells about the reflection of pasta in films, plays, works of art, as well as about the most famous pasta lovers.In addition, tools for making pasta are collected there - from millstones, which used to grind wheat grains into flour a long time ago, to the most modern machines.
By the way, for some time now, in ordinary stores, anyone can buy a small machine for making simple pasta at home!
Or here is such a more advanced version with nozzles for making curly paste.
Here it is, tasty and varied, pasta!
By the way, in addition to pasta made from wheat, there are also pasta made from rice flour which are especially common in Asian countries. They are not even called pasta, and in Europe they are not as popular as regular wheat pasta. Distinguishes rice noodles and rice pasta characteristic white or light beige color, sometimes rice noodles it can even be transparent, this option is called "glass noodles".
Some people find unusual uses for pasta. For example, if you glue pasta of different shapes in a certain order with each other, and then paint it with paint, you can get an interesting Christmas tree toy! There is no limit to fantasy!
In Russia, pasta is usually not cooked, what we eat is more correctly called just pasta. One of the most delicious and widespread dishes with pasta in Russia is "navy-style pasta". To prepare this dish ready-made pasta mixed with minced meat fried in advance and with a fried mixture of onions and carrots. And it's no worse than some Bolognese spaghetti.
And you can someday surprise your family by preparing a very simple and funny dish - "hairy sausage"!
Take a sausage or sausage, whole or cut into pieces.
Pierce her long pasta. If you have pasta, then it is better to pierce the sausage with bunches of pasta, otherwise they will break. And if you have thicker pasta, then you can pierce not with bunches, but with individual pasta.
Throw this piece of art into boiling water and cook until pasta is done! Do you remember that pasta is the best way to retain its taste and beneficial features, if you cook them to the state of "al dente", that is, make sure that the pasta is not overcooked, but slightly elastic! As a result of these simple actions, you will get a "hairy sausage"!
Enjoy your meal! The main thing is not to rush and do not overeat, because overeating any food, even very tasty, is harmful.
And if you're in Italy, don't forget to visit the pasta museum in Rome, the spaghetti museum in Genoa, and just eat plenty of real Italian pasta - feel the difference!
Why do Italians call our pasta pasta? What is the difference? And are they different at all? Many people ask similar questions, but the answer is often heard alone: pasta is independent dish very tasty and healthy. But pasta ... it's just useless calories and an incomprehensible taste. What is true here and what is not, let's try to figure it out together with the site Delishis.ru.
A bit of history
I will not go into the intricacies of the origin of the words "pasta" and "pasta" - a lot has been written on this topic. Let me just say that for the first time thin tubes of rice flour came to Europe from China, from where they were brought by the notorious Venetian Marco Polo. But, nevertheless, today many consider Italy to be the birthplace of pasta, and pasta itself is the national dish of Italians. You can't argue with the latter. After all, no other country has such a rich culture of consumption and such a number of recipes for preparing this dish.
Now let's figure out how pasta differs from pasta. In most countries of the world, including Italy, the term “pasta” (from Italian pasta - “dough”) is used to refer to ANY pasta. But "pasta" is just a type of pasta. More precisely - thin and long hollow tubes of dry dough. However, a much more important difference between pasta and pasta, which is familiar to us, is the composition of these products. Italian dry pasta is made exclusively from durum wheat and water. Therefore, it is easily digestible, and fiber, active carbohydrates and useful minerals only improve digestion and metabolism, and therefore have the best effect on health. But "our" pasta is most often made from soft varieties wheat, so they are completely useless and are the main culprits of the well-known myth that pasta spoils the figure. Yes, pasta spoils. Pasta - no. And slender Italians are a vivid proof of this.
By the way, to avoid confusion, I also note that, in addition to hard pasta, there is also the so-called fresh pasta, which is made from soft flour with the addition of eggs. Such a paste is not dried, but boiled immediately, therefore it has more delicate taste. In any case, pasta, as a rule, is really an independent dish, which is served with sauce. And pasta is just a side dish.
Types of pasta
To dwell on the varieties of pasta in detail is a laborious and somewhat meaningless task. After all, the Italians themselves distinguish more than 500 varieties of pasta, while assuring that "pasta is the architecture of taste." And it is really impossible to know all the subtleties of working with this creative material in an instant. After all, each individual type of pasta requires a special approach to cooking and a specific sauce that emphasizes all the nuances of taste. So, for example, long pasta (lunga) needs to be cooked in in large numbers water, so that for every 225 g of pasta there are 1.7 liters of water, half a teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of olive oil. But leafy pasta (lasagna or cannelloni) does not require boiling in boiling water at all before filling with filling. Such pasta is saturated with sauce already in the process of baking, so the sauce for it should be more liquid. So, perhaps, the only universal rule for combining sauces with pasta is that the thicker and shorter the product, the thicker the sauce should be.
As for the cooking time of the pasta, it is important to take into account the varieties of wheat that were used to make it. In particular, flour from the South of Italy gives the pasta softness, so it cooks quickly - in 5-7 minutes. On the contrary, wheat pasta from the North of Italy gives the dough elasticity, and such pasta is cooked longer - up to 17 minutes. But much more often they use different varieties flour, and in order not to be mistaken with the exact cooking time, you just need to carefully read the label on the package. The finished paste should remain elastic inside. And, to avoid sticking, during cooking, you need to add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil (preferably olive oil). And never rinse with cold water.
Sauce Recipes
Now about the main thing - sauces. After all, it is these irreplaceable helpers that turn pasta into a masterpiece of gastronomic art. To start, a few general rules. 1. You need to add components when preparing the sauce, depending on the time of their heat treatment. That is, at first more solid products, and at the very end - spices, spices and thickeners. 2. The sauce does not need to be brought to a boil. And you can't reheat. 3. To make the dish perfectly salty, the sauce should seem a bit salty. And one more thing: there are certain products that are used to make almost all pasta sauces. It: olive oil, grated parmesan cheese, finely chopped garlic (it is not advisable to crush it) and spices: black pepper and chili, nutmeg, basil and oregano.
Creamy mushroom sauce
Ideal for foam - short, obliquely cut pasta
Option 1: Pour 50 g of olive oil into the pan and fry 100 g of chopped champignons or porcini mushrooms in it for 5 minutes with the addition of a clove of garlic. Then add 150 g of cream and 50 g of dry wine. Salt and pepper - to taste. Add grated cheese to the finished pasta with sauce.
Option 2: 200 gr. dried champignons need to pour a glass of CLEAN boiled water for five minutes, and then put on low heat and cook for 5-7 minutes. After that, the water must be drained and add 3 tbsp to it. tablespoons of thick sour cream and mayonnaise, as well as salt and pepper. Cooked mushrooms should be mixed with chopped garlic and herbs and put in a dry frying pan, where add 50 g of cognac. All this should be boiled over low heat for 7-10 minutes. Then the mushrooms are mixed with sauce and pasta, sprinkled with cheese and herbs.
Broccoli sauce
Suitable for oriketti - products in the form of "ears".
While the pasta (150 grams) is being cooked, fry the onions (50 grams) and carrots (60 grams) in a deep frying pan in olive oil (50 grams). After 5 minutes, add broccoli rosettes (200 g), 1 beef cube and a glass of decoction from the pan with pasta. Salt, pepper - to taste. The sauce is stewed for 15 minutes over low heat under the lid. Then mixed with ready-made pasta and cheese.
Sauce with eggplant
It is ideally combined with fusilli - products twisted in the form of a spiral.
2 fresh tomatoes Grind in a blender to a puree consistency and transfer to a saucepan. Add 40 gr. tomato paste, 50 gr. butter, salt and pepper to taste. We cover everything with a lid and cook for 15 minutes on low heat. We cook eggplant separately. Cut into cubes, roll in flour and deep-fry. Ready pasta put in a pan, add sauce, eggplant and cheese. We fry for exactly one minute.
Carbonara sauce
Pairs well with long spaghetti.
200 g of bacon or bacon, cut into strips and fried until golden brown in a small amount olive oil. At the very end, add finely chopped garlic to the meat - 2 cloves. While the pasta is cooking, beat 6 egg yolks and add 4 tbsp. spoons of 10% cream. Drain the cooked pasta into a colander and return to the pot. Immediately pour the yolk with cream there - the eggs should curl up. Then add the sauce and sprinkle generously with pepper and parmesan.
Bolognese sauce
This is a thick sauce ground beef and tomatoes are also served with spaghetti.
8 fresh tomatoes cut into cubes (pre-scald with boiling water and remove the skin). Separately, fry 250 g of ground beef in olive oil with the addition of 100 g of red wine. After the liquid evaporates, mix the minced meat with tomatoes, salt and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes. At the end, add pepper, crushed garlic (2 large cloves), oregano and basil. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes. Mix with pasta and cheese.
The "ancestors" of modern Italian pasta appeared in the 1st century and were wide noodles made from durum wheat, which were not boiled, but baked in an oven. A little later, under the influence of Arabic cuisine, the Italians began to add spices to the dough, and in the 14th century, pasta finally got its current name “pasta” (“dough”). Thanks to the opportunity long-term storage pasta became a popular food for travelers and sailors, although it was eaten with the hands, so this dish was considered food for commoners.
After the invention of a special four-pronged fork, which made it possible to deal with long pasta in an elegant way, the dish became part of the diet of the upper class, while the methods of preparing and serving it were improved.
Soon they began to cook in milk with sugar and serve with butter and cheese, but only wealthy people could afford this delicacy, and the poor were limited to pasta with garlic and vegetables. Since the 19th century, after the invention of the pasta machine, it began to be produced in industrial scale, although the first recipes for the dish were published already in the 10th century by the Italian chef Martin Corno in the culinary collection The Art of Cooking Sicilian Pasta and Vermicelli. Now pasta is considered national Italian dish, there are dozens of its types, although the term "pasta" is used to refer to all types of dough products. Italians love pasta and eat 25-30 kg of it a year, because it is not easy for them the National dish but also an exquisite delicacy and the best delicacy in the world.
Types of Italian pasta and the secrets of their preparation
Many Russians call any kind of pasta pasta, and this is not entirely correct. Macaroni, which are hollow tubes, is a type of Neapolitan pasta, and they include soft wheat flour. Pasta can also be dry and fresh - fresh pasta is prepared immediately before cooking from eggs and white flour, and dry pasta is made for future use from water and durum wheat flour so that it can be stored longer and not fall apart during cooking.
And now let's try to figure out what types of pasta exist, how they differ from each other and how to cook them correctly.
Straight and long types of pasta
Spaghetti- paste, which is the basis for other types of pastes, and this word is translated as “small ropes”, their diameter is 1.8–2 mm, and the length reaches 15 cm or more. Thin spaghetti is known in cooking as spaghettini, and thick - like spaghettoni. They are served with thick tomato and cheese sauces flavored with spices and garlic. The same group includes capellini- thin spaghetti with a diameter of just over 1 mm, intertwined in the form of balls resembling nests, which are called "angel hair". Usually this paste is used to season soups and broths, and as a second course it is served with hot light sauces and vegetables. Vermicelli, called "little worms", is somewhat similar to capellini and is prepared in a similar way, but is served both cold and hot. Name of narrow, flat and long paste linguini translates as "little tongues". This pasta is considered versatile and delicious with any dressing, especially pesto, seafood sauce, ham, cheese and cream.
Fettuccine, a 1 cm wide ribbon pasta that is sold in rolled nests, is especially fond of cream sauces and olive oil gravies. A popular type of tape paste is lasagna, which is made from rectangular sheets with straight or curly edges. When ready, lasagna resembles an oven-baked pasta layered cake with meat, fish, vegetable and cheese fillings, poured with thick tomato and cream sauces. Pappardelle, long egg noodles 2 cm wide, very similar to fettuccine, and in translation the name sounds like “eager to eat”, because this pasta is very tasty and sometimes it is difficult to stop in the process of tasting. Parpadelle is cooked for only two minutes, used to make casseroles or served with meat with thick and spicy sauces. Another tape paste, tagliatelle, 5-8 mm wide, does not look as flat as fettuccine, has a porous structure that absorbs various ingredients well, and it is customary to serve it in casseroles, with soups, meat and thick bolognese sauces. Pasta in the form of a long ribbon with wavy edges reginette(mafaldina), invented in Naples, served with Neapolitan sauce, seafood and curry, which must include saffron, ginger and horseradish.
Curly and curly pasta
Spiral-shaped paste is called fusilli spiral("small wheels") - they can be short and long, thin and thick. Colorful fusilli are ideal for salads and soups, they are served as a side dish with pesto sauce and give dishes a bright unusual look. There are the following types of dough spirals: mini fusilli(small spirals) fusilli bukati corti(hollow spirals), fusilli rigati- pasta with grooves for better absorption of the sauce. Short spirals, equal in thickness to spaghetti, rotini, served both cold and hot, in salads or with very thick sauces.
hollow pasta
Small short tubes in Italian are called ditalini("thimbles") - they are very popular in Sicily, where they are served with mushroom, tomato, garlic sauce, ricotta cheese and broccoli. Elbow macaroni(horns) are used for cooking dishes with cheese, in soups and vegetable salads and hollow spaghetti pechutelle incomparably delicious with eggplant and meat sauces. wedding pasta ziti 20 cm long is broken into several pieces before cooking, and the pasta penne("feathers") with oblique cuts and grooves and meze penne rigate(twice as long as penne) easily hold the sauce inside and out, pairing amazingly with any food. Meze manike are a wider variety of penne and are paired with onions and zucchini. Cannelloni- large medium-length tubes with a smooth surface, served hot, with minced meat and thick sauce. Cavatappi, hollow "worms" of medium size, served both cold and hot, with various sauces.
Unusual pasta of various shapes
Children's paste alphabet, made from selected wheat, filtered water and natural supplements, has the shape of letters and is designed specifically for baby food. Graceful rings anelli, squares quadretti, asterisks stelline, original pasta farfalle in the form of butterflies-bows, shells familiar to us in their shape conchile, pasta orzo, like rice, pasta in the form of wheels rotelle and radiators radiators used in the preparation of soups, salads and gourmet side dishes,. pasta castellane, reminiscent of bell skirts, was first cooked in the Italian city of Parma, and is traditionally served with cauliflower sauce. Among pasta unusual shape also distinguished: perlini- small pearl shells, lumakoni- big snails kiffery- small snails orecchiette- resemble halves walnut, grattoni- small balls merletti- round medallions with an ornament.
stuffed pasta
In Italy, pasta is very popular for stuffing. Pasta angelotti in the form of a crescent, they are stuffed with cottage cheese, meat, cheese and spinach. Gnocchi("small dumplings") are ideally combined with semolina and vegetables. Tortellinni, dumplings in the form of rings, stuffed with vegetables, cheese, squid, and served with thick sauces or with olive oil, parmesan, pepper and garlic. square dumplings ravioli cooked with meat, fish, cheese, vegetable and sweet fillings, and watered exclusively simple sauces, not interrupting the main taste of the dish.
How to cook pasta
The main way to prepare pasta is to boil it in a large amount of water. Italian pasta does not contain salt, so it is necessary to salt the water before laying the product.
Pasta must be dipped only in boiling water, and most importantly - do not cover with a lid! Long types of pasta do not need to be broken, just wait for the softening of the lower part and press down upper part. When the pasta is ready, you need to quickly drain the water and immediately season the pasta with olive oil or sauce so that their flavors mix together.
The cooking time of the pasta depends on its size and thickness. For example, thin "angel hair" will be ready in 2-3 minutes, large snails and all kinds of pipes are boiled for about 15 minutes. In any case, pay attention to the packaging. Do not forget that pasta for salads and for garnish is usually cooked "al dente" - not until completely softened, but so that there is a hard core inside. Pasta cooked "al dente" has been shown to contain fewer calories than fully cooked pasta. Italians don't always boil pasta in water. If pasta is boiled in meat or chicken broth, pasta is obtained - light soup from broth and pasta.
Carbonara sauce and Neapolitano
Cooking pasta sauce is considered the highest culinary art in Italy, it is no coincidence that Italian chefs say: "Pasta is the body, and the sauce is the soul." Often the sauce is mixed with other products for piquancy and richness of the dish. Pasta carbonara is one of such national masterpieces, which is spaghetti with slices of bacon or raw smoked ham, filled with cream-based egg and cheese sauce, to which other ingredients are added depending on the recipe - cognac, white wine, chicken bouillon, basil, parsley, parmesan, zucchini, garlic, pecorino cheese, olive oil and black pepper.
If you season penne pasta with a Neapolitano sauce made from stewed tomatoes and carrots, parmesan, celery, basil and onions and garlic fried in olive oil, you get a dish that adorned the royal table in past centuries.
How to serve pasta? The most important rule: it is not customary to serve pasta without sauce - meat, fish, cream, mushroom, vegetable, cheese, nut or tomato. The sauce can be tender, light, airy, thick, spicy, fatty, sour or sweet, but whatever sauce you choose, it will almost always contain parmesan, olive oil, garlic, fragrant herbs and spices. Short types of pasta are best combined with sauces, which include pieces of meat, fish and vegetables, and long pasta is in harmony with homogeneous sauces. The sauce transforms the taste of the pasta, saturates it with new shades and turns it into royal delicacy- it is no coincidence that this dish is considered one of the most popular and beloved in world cuisine. An Italian proverb states: "If you want to live forever, eat pasta."
