WHAZHOT · MADE IN FLO' · ONLY IN FLO' · DISCOUNT COUPONS
sections
Booking
.
culture
.
The art of matching pasta and sauces Shapes and Tastes
[Maddalena Delli]
When making delicious pasta dishes, be sure to choose a pasta shape and sauce that complement each other. There are no shapes whose sole purpose is to be pleasing to the eye - each shape produces a particular sensation on the palate and is best suited to a particular type of sauce.A good rule of thumb is whether the ingredients of the sauce will cling to the pasta when travelling on a fork from plate to mouth. Also, ribbed pasta normally holds more sauce than smooth shapes. On some occasions you may also want to take into account that short pasta shapes are easier to eat than long pasta, so they're a good choice if you're serving kids or crowds, and even more so at a standing buffet or party.
Thin, long pasta shapes should be served with light, thin sauces like olive and tomato rather than sauces with large chunks of meat or vegetables; yet the ubiquitous spaghetti go perfectly well both with simple seasonings such as the more than basic "aglio, olio e peperoncino" (garlic, oil and chili) and with richer sauces such as the "carbonara" (with eggs and pancetta cubes) or "allo scoglio” with shellfish. Broader long shapes like fettuccine or pappardelle - also referred to as ribbon pasta - can handle heavier cheese, meat or tomato
sauces. Long pasta is also more often sprinkled with grated parmeasan cheese which acts as a binder with the sauce.
Tubular pasta and other shapes with holes or ridges (like penne, ruote or fusilli) are perfect for chunkier sauces. Their cavities, especially the larger tubes, are ideal for trapping toothsome bits like peas or shrimps or pancetta cubes. Fusilli, penne, farfalle and other similar varities are also excellent for cold pasta salads, while jumbo shells, cannelloni and manicotti – as well as lasagne of course – are terrific for baked pasta casseroles. If you are cooking pasta for a bake, boil it for a couple of minutes less than the recommended
cooking time stated on the packet, or it will become too soggy once cooked in the oven as well.
Stuffed pasta like ravioli or tortelli make some of the most elegant and delicious pasta dishes. It is important that the quantity and type of stuffing complement the shape of pasta: a common mistake when making home-made stuffed pasta is to overpower it with stuffing. On the other hand, the risk when serving it is to choose a sauce that doesn't match (or even 'kills') the taste of the stuffing.
One last piece of advice: pasta producers big and small offer an ever-increasing range of colored pasta. Bright red, dazzling yellow penne, deep green, woodland brown and then again orange, mauve, pink and even black pasta: what is the secret of this enigmatic rainbow? The green reveals the presence of spinach or basil, the red of tomatoes or red peppers, the blurred brown of mushrooms, and so on. If you want to try this novelty varities, you are advised not to combine them with complicated sauces, or both the enjoyment of their hue and their often subtle taste will go lost: in this case, simple oil or butter or sometimes plain cream are by far your best bets.
MORE