PASTA

LEARNING OBJECTIVES  After studying this chapter, students will be able to:  Define the term pasta.  Explain the manufacturing process of pasta.  Identify a variety of pasta shapes.  Pronounce correctly the names of pasta.

PASTA  Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, with the first reference dating back to 1154 it is also commonly used to refer to the variety of pasta dishes.  Typically pasta is made from unleavened dough of durum wheat flour mixed with water and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked and served in any number of dishes.  It can be made with flour from other cereals or grains and eggs may be used instead of water. Pastas may be divided into two broad categories, dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca).

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PASTA  Most dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion (forcing semi soft material through a mould or nuzzle) process. Traditionally fresh pasta was produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines, but today many varieties of fresh pasta are also commercially produced by large scale machines, and the products are broadly available in supermarkets.

PASTA  Both dried and fresh pasta come in a number of shapes and varieties, with 310 specific forms known variably by over 1300 names having been recently documented In Italy the names of specific pasta shapes or types often vary with locale

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 Pasta sauces vary in taste, color and texture. Simple sauces like pesto are ideal for long and thin strands of pasta while tomato sauce combines well with thicker pastas.

 Thicker and chunkier sauces have the better ability to cling onto the holes and cuts of short, tubular, twisted pastas. Sauce should be served equally with its pasta. It is important that the sauce does not overflow the pasta.

PASTA TUBE VARIETY  With their thick walls, tubular pasta like penne and macaroni are ideal for pasta salads, thick sauces, and casseroles.  Large, wide tubes like cannelloni and manicotti are stuffed and baked.

PASTA VARIETY  Calamaretti look like rings of squid ("calamari" in Italian). They're great withsauces.

PASTA VARIETY  Cannolicchi are short, grooved tubes of pasta. Substitutes: penne, ziti, canneroni

PASTA VARIETY  Macaroni is a tubular Italian pasta used to be made by wrapping pasta dough around knitting needles. The term now refers to any small tubular pasta, all of which go well with chunky sauces.  Elbow macaroni is curved, and is traditionally used to make macaroni and cheese.  Substitutes: farfalle OR conchiglie OR penne

Traditional Pastas and Their Sauces  Pasta Arrabiata

 Pasta Bolognese

 Lasagne/Lasagna

 Pasta Genovese

 Gnocchi

 Pasta Alfredo