The pasta basics.

 

I often cook to the wrong amount pasta. When cooked too much, cold leftover pasta can be used in cold dishes such as salad or broths.  Also, I always wonder if I am serving the right sauce with the right pasta.  Therefore here is some basics of pasta:

Pasta is an ingredient like no other. It is cheap to buy, easy to cook, delicious to eat and highly versatile. Available in a wide variety of shapes and textures, this simple food made from durum wheat can form the basis of limitless range of dishes.

Durum wheat

Durum wheat makes the best flour for commercial pasta. Majority of pasta making industry are grown in Italy or imported from North America. The flour from durum wheat is called semola in Italian, makes high-quality pasta that holds its shape well. Pasta made with 100% durum are usually more expensive than regular range however it is generally better quality combining flavours.

Nutritional values

Pasta is a completely natural complex carbohydrate food that contains no additives.  Pasta with egg contains most nutrients, while wholewheat pasta has the highest percentage of vitamins and fibre. Rich in protein, pasta provides as much energy as a pure protein like steak, but with little or o fat.  As it contains six or eight amino acids essential to make up a complete protein, it only needs a small quantity of cheese, meat, fish pulses or sauces to make it complete.  

In Italian cooking, ingredients such as extra virgin oil, fresh and canned tomatoes, garlic, onion, red peppers and fresh parsley are used all the time. For ease of use, pasta is also used in soups and broths, dishes in tomato sauces, cream sauces or in tasty salads.

How much pasta to serve?

Serving pasta as first course is 65g-90g (2.5 to 3.5 oz.) uncooked per person. If serving as main course simply increase the weight of uncooked pasta to 115g-175g (4 to 6 oz.) per person.

Source: J. Wright, ‘Classic Pasta’, Annes Publishing Ltd., 2009