I've read recently that Italian restaurants are the most popular in the United States. When you consider that their menus are filled with delicious pasta recipes, then it isn't very surprising that they are so popular. This delightful staple of so many dishes is actually very easy to make and cook. Pasta is basically just flour and water although in some cases eggs and oil may be added. Also there are some specialty pastas like spinach pasta where a little spinach may be added. If you don't have the time or talent to make pasta from scratch you can easily find fresh pasta or dried pasta at just about any grocery store.
When cooking pasta as the main dish, you will need to consider how much to cook. As a general guideline you will want to cook about 4 - 5 ounces of pasta per person. That means that a family of four will need to cook about a pound (16 ounces) or a little more depending on your appetites. Always bring the water you are using to a boil in a pan large enough for the pasta to expand. Once your water is boiling, add plenty of salt.
Sometimes cooks add a tablespoon of salt to the water before they add the pasta. Others like to add a tablespoon of oil. I tend to add both. I like to use Olive oil for my oil. Don't overcook your pasta! When fully cooked your pasta should still be firm. This may take anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes depending on how much pasta you cook at a time. Be sure to drain your pasta fully. If you didn't add any oil in the cooking water, then you can add a bit now so the pasta does not stick together. Then you can place it on a platter and cover it with sauce or you can pour the sauce over the pasta in the pan, mid thoroughly and then place on a platter or just serve it up on plates.
The fun thing about pasta is that there are so many interesting shapes you can buy it in. Almost everyone is familiar with Spaghetti and Linguine, but there are also bow tie, or Penne or Rigatoni just for starts. Change them up to keep your dinners interesting!
You can create a multitude of pasta sauces starting with a basic Marinara and adding meat, pepperoni, mushrooms, or olives. Add cup of vodka and you have a vodka sauce. Cream can be added for creamy tomato sauce. Use Pesto sauce for a pasta salad and add peas, grape tomatoes, and shaved Parmesan. Opt for rich and creamy sauces like Alfredo and add shrimp, scallops or chicken. A simple butter, garlic, parsley, lemon and caper sauce will do nicely with Capellini, and it's ready in 15 minutes.
And no matter what you select a little fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese is always a great finishing touch. Since pasta dinners are usually quite economical, be sure to include them as a staple in your family dinner repertoire. - 30289
When cooking pasta as the main dish, you will need to consider how much to cook. As a general guideline you will want to cook about 4 - 5 ounces of pasta per person. That means that a family of four will need to cook about a pound (16 ounces) or a little more depending on your appetites. Always bring the water you are using to a boil in a pan large enough for the pasta to expand. Once your water is boiling, add plenty of salt.
Sometimes cooks add a tablespoon of salt to the water before they add the pasta. Others like to add a tablespoon of oil. I tend to add both. I like to use Olive oil for my oil. Don't overcook your pasta! When fully cooked your pasta should still be firm. This may take anywhere from 7 to 15 minutes depending on how much pasta you cook at a time. Be sure to drain your pasta fully. If you didn't add any oil in the cooking water, then you can add a bit now so the pasta does not stick together. Then you can place it on a platter and cover it with sauce or you can pour the sauce over the pasta in the pan, mid thoroughly and then place on a platter or just serve it up on plates.
The fun thing about pasta is that there are so many interesting shapes you can buy it in. Almost everyone is familiar with Spaghetti and Linguine, but there are also bow tie, or Penne or Rigatoni just for starts. Change them up to keep your dinners interesting!
You can create a multitude of pasta sauces starting with a basic Marinara and adding meat, pepperoni, mushrooms, or olives. Add cup of vodka and you have a vodka sauce. Cream can be added for creamy tomato sauce. Use Pesto sauce for a pasta salad and add peas, grape tomatoes, and shaved Parmesan. Opt for rich and creamy sauces like Alfredo and add shrimp, scallops or chicken. A simple butter, garlic, parsley, lemon and caper sauce will do nicely with Capellini, and it's ready in 15 minutes.
And no matter what you select a little fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese is always a great finishing touch. Since pasta dinners are usually quite economical, be sure to include them as a staple in your family dinner repertoire. - 30289
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