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Pasta Bends To Suit Any Menu

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@tampatrib.com

Published: March 28, 2009

Pasta is nutritious, easy to make and satisfies vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. There's a growing demand for beneficial whole-grain and whole-wheat pastas. There's also quinoa, spelt, corn and rice flour noodles, great wheat-free options.

Standard semolina pasta cooks very differently from these other pastas, as it's filled with enough gluten to hold shape through the toughest boiling.

Pastas from other grains tend to fall apart and must be watched carefully as they cook. But there are several varieties of whole-wheat pasta more similar to semolina but are more healthful.
Pasta shape should be chosen depending on what's being served with it. Some short shapes such as orecchiette or "little ears," penne, bow ties or rigatoni, soak up sauce well and are easier to eat than long varieties. They also are best for parties, as it is easier to eat with a fork.

You don't need to add oil to pasta-cooking water. If you boil enough water to cover the pasta and return it to a rapid boil after adding the pasta, adding salt is enough. If you stir the pasta initially when the water returns to a boil, it will not stick together.

If cooking pasta to be served immediately, you don't have to rinse it when it is cooked al dente. Chefs typically cook pasta al dente and immediately rinse it in ice-cold water only when the pasta is being used later. This rinses excess starch from the pasta and stops the cooking process.

Cooked pasta can be stored after so-called "shocking," by lightly oiling it and placing it in a covered container or plastic bag in the refrigerator. At a later point or the next day, this pasta can be mixed in a hot pan with cooked vegetables, a protein source or favorite sauce.

Sun-Sentinel of South Florida

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