Italian Pasta Recipes
General rules for cooking and serving pasta
Allow 25 g dried pasta per person as a garnish and 60 g dried pasta for a main course. Use 35 g and 85 g fresh pasta respectively.
All pastas are cooked in boiling salted water. Cooking times are 5 minutes for very fine types, 9-12 minutes for those of medium size, 12-15 minutes for thick and filled types. Some products are labelled as quick-cooking pastas and need a minute or so less cooking time.
Baking or full gratination is the term applied to pastas which are placed in a serving dish and barely covered with a sauce, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and melted butter and placed in an oven at 170°C until the cheese melts and forms a soft crust. Light gratination is the term applied to pastas mixed with Sauce Mornay, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and melted butter and placed under a salamander grill until an even golden colour. Another way of serving freshly cooked pastas to order in quick time is to put individual packets of frozen cooked pastas into a machine that regenerates them in just 60 seconds; filled pastas such as ravioli, require
half a minute longer. Adjuncts of butter, cheese and sauce are kept ready at hand.
Most pastas are boiled before being baked and should be put into a pan of plenty of boiling salted water, without overfilling it. Stir from time to time to prevent the pasta from sticking together or to the pan. Boil steadily until it is soft but still retains a degree of chewiness, then drain, wash under hot water and continue according to the particular recipe.
Using a shallow pan helps prevent ravioli from breaking during the finishing process. The addition of oil to the water when cooking prevents all kinds of pasta from sticking together. Ravioli may also be served with any of the sauces and garnishes associated with spaghetti dishes.
Pastas, especially those mixed with a sauce or pesto, can be reheated in a microwave oven but must be covered with clingfilm.
Pasta may be served directly into a soup plate or entree dish. Parmesan cheese is generally served separately, grated or shaved or it can be sprinkled over in the kitchen. It may be served with the sauce in the centre, mixed into it or in a sauceboat to be added at table. Cannelloni and lasagne should be served in the dish in which they were baked.
Allow 25 g dried pasta per person as a garnish and 60 g dried pasta for a main course. Use 35 g and 85 g fresh pasta respectively.
All pastas are cooked in boiling salted water. Cooking times are 5 minutes for very fine types, 9-12 minutes for those of medium size, 12-15 minutes for thick and filled types. Some products are labelled as quick-cooking pastas and need a minute or so less cooking time.
Baking or full gratination is the term applied to pastas which are placed in a serving dish and barely covered with a sauce, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and melted butter and placed in an oven at 170°C until the cheese melts and forms a soft crust. Light gratination is the term applied to pastas mixed with Sauce Mornay, sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese and melted butter and placed under a salamander grill until an even golden colour. Another way of serving freshly cooked pastas to order in quick time is to put individual packets of frozen cooked pastas into a machine that regenerates them in just 60 seconds; filled pastas such as ravioli, require
half a minute longer. Adjuncts of butter, cheese and sauce are kept ready at hand.
Most pastas are boiled before being baked and should be put into a pan of plenty of boiling salted water, without overfilling it. Stir from time to time to prevent the pasta from sticking together or to the pan. Boil steadily until it is soft but still retains a degree of chewiness, then drain, wash under hot water and continue according to the particular recipe.
Using a shallow pan helps prevent ravioli from breaking during the finishing process. The addition of oil to the water when cooking prevents all kinds of pasta from sticking together. Ravioli may also be served with any of the sauces and garnishes associated with spaghetti dishes.
Pastas, especially those mixed with a sauce or pesto, can be reheated in a microwave oven but must be covered with clingfilm.
Pasta may be served directly into a soup plate or entree dish. Parmesan cheese is generally served separately, grated or shaved or it can be sprinkled over in the kitchen. It may be served with the sauce in the centre, mixed into it or in a sauceboat to be added at table. Cannelloni and lasagne should be served in the dish in which they were baked.
