Tag: pasta101
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Pasta: Maccheroni, Macaroni
Macaroni is a short, hollow pasta shape. The curved version is also know as elbow pasta outside Italy. It is great in soups, salads and pairs well with both heavy and light sauces.
It is primarily sold dried (pasta secca) but I like to make it using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker.
Like most people, I love ‘mac and cheese’ and you can see my recipe here.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Pasta: Penne
Penne, Italian for pens, is a relatively new pasta shape but is popular world-wide. They are tubular in shape and hold sauce like no other.
It is primarily sold dried (pasta secca) and available everywhere.
Here I am making Penne al Baffo. It is a saucy delight of cream and tomato paste.
Enjoy and sorry if it gets in your moustache (hehehehe),
PK
Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Pasta: Conchigliette, Conchiglie and Conchiglioni
I find conchigliette (aka small shell pasta) perfect for thin sauces/emulsions, soups and salads. This includes light meat sauces such as the slow cooked lamb shank and vegetable broth I show below.
Their ridges and shell shape grip and hold the sauce for that perfect mouthful.
The next size up is called conchiglie and is great for heavier sauces.
Last but not least, the jumbo shells are called Conchiglioni and are perfect for stuffing with vegetables, cheese and meats.
Dried conchigliette:
Here I have served the shells with a a light lamb shank broth, shaved Parmesan and sage:
Enjoy,
PK
Here are some more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Pasta: Orecchiette
Italian for ‘little ears’, the pasta shape called Orecchiette does indeed look like little ears. They are a heartier pasta shape being smaller and thicker than some others.
Their shape and rough inner side make them perfect for grabbing sauce and small bits of meat and vegetable. Capers for example fit perfectly.
I like to make my own by kneading my egg pasta dough into long thick noodle shapes.
I then use this technique:
TIme consuming to make but fittingly rewarding 🙂
You can serve Orecchiette so many ways. From bacon, cheese and onion to carbonara to tomato based sauces to white wine and mushrooms and back.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are a few more pasta shape and recipe posts.
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Pasta: Pappardelle
Pappardelle is a long flat pasta shape that is perfect for twisting around your fork, trapping sauce as you go. Its narrower cousin Tagliatelle is similar in length and use.
I like to make my own, about 55cm long and 1.8cm wide, using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker.
The machine imparts a roughness perfect for holding thicker sauces and meat. Tagliatelle is also perfect for lighter sauces showcasing eggs, cheese, nuts and vegetables.
My favourite way to prepare it however is by drowning it in a brown butter and sage sauce.
Or perhaps in a richer Crème Fraîche and cheese sauce.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are a couple more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Pasta: Farfalle
Farfalle is an amazing versitile pasta shape. It is perfect for cream, light tomato sauces and even soup.
I like to make my own by rolling out freshly made pasta sheets and cutting them into small rectangles. Then I roughen the sides with a knife and pinch them in the middle to get that classic butterfly/bowtie shape.
Here I have sautéed shallots, garlic and mushrooms in some white wine. I then added the cooked pasta and some of the pasta water to the pan with some Crème Fraîche. Once mixed I added a large handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano and some baby spinach.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are a few more pasta shape and recipe posts.
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Pasta: Tagliatelle
Tagliatelle is a long flat pasta shape that is perfect for twisting around your fork, trapping sauce as you go. Its wider cousin Pappardelle is similar in length and use.
I like to make my own, about 55cm long and 1cm wide, using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker. The machine imparts a roughness perfect for holding thicker sauces and meat. Tagliatelle is also perfect for lighter sauces showcasing eggs, cheese, nuts and vegetables.
Here I am serving it with 12 hour slow-cooked lamb shank in a white wine sauce with Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil. My other favourite way to serve Tagliatelle is simply cooked Al dente and drowned in browned butter sauce.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are a couple of more pasta shape and recipe ideas.
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Pasta: Fusilli
Fusilli is an excellent pasta shape for light sauces. It’s helix shape sucks in and holds the sauce.
I like to make my own using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker.
Here is a 15 minute ready meal if you make a simple tomato sauce using passata, before hand and freeze it. Boil the pasta as you heat the sauce and bring the two together with some Parmigiano-Reggiano and basil.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are a couple of more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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Pasta: Spaghetti, Spaghettoni, Capellini And Bucatini
Spaghetti is my favourite type of pasta, especially the hollow version (called bucatini) as I find the texture nicer and it holds the sauce better.
For most of us, spaghetti is the convenient form of long circular strands of dried pasta (pasta secca) made from wheat and water. Home-made raw pasta (pasta fresca) can have the addition of eggs and or fresh herbs to add colour/taste.
I like to make my own using my Philips Pasta And Noodle Maker:
Very thick spaghetti is called spaghettoni. Very thin spaghetti is called capellini and is perfect in salads and soups.
To cook dried spaghetti I bring a large pot of water to the boil adding a slug of olive oil and a generous dash of salt.
I then add the pasta and cook until the pasta sticks to the splash back when you throw a piece at it. I do this to test if the pasta is al dente. This simply means that the pasta is almost cooked and still a little firm. This state is desirable because the pasta will keep cooking after you drain it and even as it is served. You don’t want over cooked pasta. 🙂
Drain (reserving some pasta water to make your sauces) and then cover in a light red or white sauce or simply fold in a raw whisked egg and olive oil. Indeed, Spaghetti Aglio E Olio is one of my favourite comfort foods.
Enjoy,
PK
Here are a couple of more pasta shape and pasta recipe posts.
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