PASTA

Pasta is an Italian food made from dough using flour, water and/or eggs.

There are approximately 350 different shapes of pasta. A few examples include spaghetti(solid, thin cylinders), maccheroni (tubes or hollow cylinders), fisilli (swirls), lasagne (sheets), and gnocchi (balls), although this is considered a separate dish by some.

The two basic styles of pasta are dried and fresh. There are also variations in the ingredients used in pasta. The time for which pasta can be stored varies from days to years depending upon whether the pasta is made with egg or not, and whether it is dried or fresh. Pasta is boiled prior to consumption.

The word, pasta, can also denote dishes in which pasta products are the primary ingredient, served with sauce or seasonings.

Though the Chinese were eating noodles as long ago as 2000 BC (this is known thanks to the discovery of a well-preserved bowl of noodles over 4000 years old), the familiar legend of Marco Polo importing pasta from China is just that—a legend, whose origins lie not in Polo's Travels, but in the newsletter of the National Macaroni Manufacturers Association. The works of the 2nd century CE Greek physician Galen mention itrion, homogeneous compounds made up of flour and water. The Jerusalem Talmud records that itrium, a kind of boiled dough, was common in Palestine from the 3rd to 5th centuries CE. A dictionary compiled by the 9th century Syrian physician and lexicographer Isho bar Ali defines itriyya as stringlike pasta shapes made of semolina and dried before cooking, a recognizable ancestor of modern-day dried pasta.

Whatever its origin, there is no doubt that even if pasta wasn't invented in Italy, it was certainly the Italians who perfected the art of pasta making.

Dried pasta became popular through the 14th and 15th Centuries, as it could be easily stored on ships setting out to explore the New World. Various types of pasta, including long hollow tubes, are mentioned in the 15th Century records of Italian and Dominican monasteries. By the 17th Century, pasta had become part of the daily diet throughout Italy because it was economical, readily available and versatile.

Thomas Jefferson has been credited with bringing the first "macaroni" maker to America in 1789, but full advent of electricity in the 1900's made life a lot easier for the pasta industry. Machines took over the labour intensive chores like mixing the dough and cutting the shapes.

History of Pasta Shapes & Sauces
Many pasta sauces have a long and interesting history. Legend has it that the traditional cream and cheese sauce, Alfredo, takes its name from its creator, a Rome restaurateur called Alfredo. Carbonara sauce was believed to be devised during WW2, when American soldiers in Italy asked for bacon and eggs for breakfast. The Italians compromised by creating a bacon, egg and cream pasta sauce. And everyone's favourite, Bolognese, originated from the region of Bologna in Italy.

The meaning of 'al dente'
'Al dente' is used to describe when pasta is cooked to perfection. 'Al dente' in Italian literally means "to the tooth". Pasta that is al dente should not be overly firm, nor should it be overly soft. This is often difficult to measure in minutes, as factors such as the temperature of the water, the size of the pot etc will affect the length of time that is required to cook the pasta. San Remo therefore recommends that the product is tested prior to deciding if it is ready.

Some of the most popular food items that get tossed into a bowl of pasta are, according to the American Pasta Report, when it comes to favorite items, cheese was the most popular food choice (37%), followed by meat (32%), vegetables (31%) and seafood (20%).

In contrast to the popular belief, Pasta is not fattening. If you eat too much of any food, you can gain weight. According to USDA's Handbook 8-20, a 1/2 cup serving of cooked pasta (spaghetti) contains a mere 99 calories, less than half a gram of fat, and less than 5 milligrams of sodium.

How is pasta made?

1. Mixing
American dry pasta is made with semolina, which is produced by grinding kernels of durum wheat. Sometimes other hard wheats are also used. The semolina is mixed with water until it forms a dough. If any other ingredients are being added to the pasta, such as eggs to make egg noodles, or spinach or tomato to make red or green colored pasta, those ingredients are added at this stage.

2. Extruding
The dough is kneaded until it reaches the correct consistency, and then it is pushed, or extruded, through a die, a metal disc with holes in it. The size and shape of the holes in the die determine what the shape of the pasta will be. For instance, dies with round or oval holes will produce solid, long shapes of pasta, such as spaghetti. When the extruded pasta reaches the right length, it is cut with sharp blades that rotate beneath the die.

3. Drying
The pasta is then sent through large dryers which circulate hot, moist air to slowly dry the pasta. Because different pasta shapes vary in degrees of thickness, they dry for different lengths of time. Most take 5 or 6 hours to dry.

4. Packing
The dried pasta is then packed in bags or boxes. Some of the more fragile pasta shapes, such as lasagne and manicotti, are often packed by hand to protect them from breaking.

FEATURES IN THIS POST:
Fettucine with tomato sauce
Easy cheesy vegetable pasta
Lasagne
Vegetables in Tomato gravy
Rajma Bean Curry

FETTUCINE WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Fettucine in vegetables and oregano-flavoured tomato sauce.


Cooking Time : 9 minutes.
Preparation Time : 5 minutes.

Serves 2.

Ingredients

1/2 packet white fettucine

1/2 onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup small brocolli florests

6 to 8 nos. baby corn, sliced lengthwise

2 tablespoons tomato puree

2 tablespoons cream

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon oil

salt to taste

Method

1. Cook the fettucine in salted water for about 5 minutes to make it tender.

2. Drain, refresh in cold water and keep aside.

3. Finally, add the fettucine, oregano and salt and mix till the sauce coats the fettucine
4. Add the broccoli and baby corn and stir. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook. Then add the tomato puree, cream and milk and heat till the mixture comes to a boil.

5. Heat the butter and oil in a pan, add the onion and garlic and stir fry for some time.

6. Add the broccoli and baby corn and stir. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook. Then add the tomato puree, cream and milk and heat till the mixture comes to a boil.

7. Finally, add the fettucine, oregano and salt and mix till the sauce coats the fettucine.

8. Serve immediately

Tips

To refresh the fettucine, put it in a colander and pour cold water on it till it cools.

Time-saving tip :

Work on the sauce while the fettucine is being cooked.

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EASY CHEESY VEGETABLE PASTA

You will never have trouble making this easy and delicious pasta.


Preparation Time : : 10 mins.
Cooking Time : : 10 mins.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked pasta (macaroni or fusilli)

1 cup boiled vegetables (carrots, peas, french beans etc.), diced

1/2 cup capsicum, sliced

1/2 cup milk

3 cheese slices

1 teaspoon butter

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Method

1. Heat the butter in a pan and saute the capsicum in it for 2 minutes.
2. Add the milk and cheese slices and bring to a boil
3. Add the vegetables, salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Toss the cooked pasta in the sauce and bring to a boil.
5. Approximately 1 1/4 cups of dried pasta will yield 2 cups of cooked pasta.

Tips

Serve hot with toast or garlic bread.

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LASAGNE

Traditionally believed to have originated in Italy, Lasagne is a form of pasta.

Ingredients :
500 gms peeled tomatoes
250 gms champignon mushrooms
4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
100 gms yellow peppers
50 gms celery
50 gms spring onions
1 bay leaf
1 tsp each of dried oregano and thyme
salt and pepper to taste

For the Bechamel Cheese Sauce
1 litre milk
60 gms butter
60 gms flour
150 gms parmesan cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste
nutmeg powder

For the Lasagne
500 gms lasagna sheets
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp butter

Method of Preparation :
For the filling, place the tomatoes in boiling hot water, immediately remove and peel them. Mash the tomatoes with a fork and place them into a casserole. Add a bay leaf, oregano and thyme and sauté for 10 minutes.

Peel the onions and garlic and cut into fine pieces. Clean and cut the celery, yellow pepper and spring onions. Clean the mushrooms and cut into slices.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the onions, garlic, celery, spring onions, and mushrooms. Fry till the onions are golden in colour. Add the fried mixture to the tomatoes.


For the Bechamel cheese sauce heat the butter in a sauce pan. Add the flour and stir till it is light golden in colour. Add the milk slowly and with continuous stirring to avoid lump formation. Keep on low heat for 5 minutes. Add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese, keeping 3 tbsp of cheese aside. Add lime juice, salt and nutmeg to taste.

Prepare lasagna sheets as per the instructions given on the packet (some sheets need to be boiled in water, others are ready to use).

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degree C.

Grease a large oven dish. Put one layer of lasagna sheets. Alternatively put one layer of meat sauce, one layer of béchamel cheese sauce and again lasagna sheets. Alternatively put one layer of meat sauce, one layer of béchamel cheese sauce and again lasagna sheets. The topmost layer should be the béchamel cheese sauce.

Top it with the remaining cheese and flakes of butter.
Bake at 200 degree C for 30 minutes till golden yellow.
Serve hot.

Serves : 6-8

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VEGETABLES IN TOMATO GRAVY

Ingredients

2 cups chopped mixed boiled vegetables

2 chopped onions

4 tbsp. chopped capsicum

2 chopped tomatoes

1/2 to 1 tsp. chili powder

A pinch of garam masala

2 tbsp. chopped coriander

4 tbsp. grated paneer, plus a little extra for topping

1 1/2 cups tomato gravy

4 tsp. oil

Salt according to taste

Advice

This recipe uses baking, a superior technique of cooking, instead of sauting or frying in oil.

Method

In mixed vegetables take French beans, carrots, cauliflower and green peas as mixed vegetables.
Heat the oil and fry the onions for 2-3minutes. Add the capsicum and tomatoes and fry again for 2 minutes.
Add the vegetables, chili powder, garam masala, coriander and salt and cook for a few minutes.
Spread the tomato gravy on top and sprinkle a little grated paneer over it.
Bake in a hot oven at 200 degree C for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

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RAJMA BEAN CURRY

For five people (quantities for ten are given below)

1 x 400g tin red kidney beans, drained
3 garlic cloves, peeled
3 green chillies, chopped
2.5cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
50g ghee or vegetable oil
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and grated
1 tsp chilli powder
400g passata (Italian tomato sauce)
or 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes (with the juice)
450ml water
2 tsp sugar
salt
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves
425g raw basmati rice

Method

1. Grind the garlic, chillies and ginger to a paste in a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl with the end of a rolling pin or similar object.
2. In a large saucepan or frying pan over medium-low heat melt the ghee or vegetable oil, add the grated onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic paste and chilli powder and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the kidney beans and cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, put the basmati rice on to cook according to packet instructions.
4. Add the passata or chopped tomatoes and the water to the beans with the sugar and salt. Bring to the boil, stirring, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Sprinkle with chopped coriander to serve with the basmati rice.

Each serving provides:
Kcal: 521
Protein: 13.9g
Fat: 11.2g (of which saturated fat: 6.7g)
Carbohydrate: 85.5g (of which sugars: 10.3g)
Fibre: 6.5g

Nutrition Points:

a) This dish is high in salt.
b) This dish is contains a medium amount of saturated fat.
c) This dish is low in fat generally.
d) This dish is a source of vitamin A.

Serving Suggestions:

a) Serve this and other curries with brown rice for extra nutrients and fibre.
b) For a change, substitute another type of canned beans instead of kidney beans.
c) Serving this dish with naan bread as well as rice will add extra energy (calories).

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