Bukatini

Not a single culinary tradition in the world could completely abandon the amazingly delicious pasta. Butter pasta with a cutlet brings the same pleasure as Italian pasta with mozzarella and, importantly, causes the same harm to the human body. Adherents of a healthy diet, who also happily consumed pasta with meatballs in their childhood, found a way out that satisfied both their taste buds and their state of health – durum wheat pasta.

Whole grains have a minimal glycemic index, and only “correct” carbohydrates, vitamins and nutrients are included in the composition. But we must not forget about the dosage. Daily use of pasta for lunch will lead to excess cholesterol, unnecessary centimeters at the waist and serious health problems. Among the healthy pastas, bucatini is especially popular. What is famous for bucatini and how often can I afford pasta for lunch?

General characteristics

Bucatini is a thick spaghetti originally from Italy. Bucatini is very similar to traditional spaghetti, but with a few differences. Bucatini is much thicker, and inside, along the entire center of the product, there is a hole. If you fold a sheet of paper and look through it, you will get an exact enlarged copy of the famous Italian pasta.

The name of the product was formed due to the very hole along the base. The word “buko” in Italian means “hole”, and “bukato” translates as “pierced”. The locals decided not to bother with complex names and named the paste as simple and affordable as possible.

The product is especially popular in the whole province of Lazio, but it received genuine fame in Rome. Spaghetti is made from durum wheat, so that even healthy food adepts can afford the dish. In addition, the most important source of “harmful” carbohydrates is not the pasta itself, but the sauce and snacks, which are served in addition.

If you are worried about those extra pounds, then ask the cook in the institution to prepare you a special pasta with a minimum amount of ingredients. The restaurant is obliged to satisfy your requests and submit the most “clean” version of pasta with a minimum calorie content.

Bucatini is made in the traditional round shape with a central hole. The length of the paste is about 30 centimeters, but the width should not exceed 3 millimeters. The average cooking time for an unusual dish ranges from 9 to 30 minutes (depending on the type of flour).

Italians serve bucatini with a standard set of ingredients: olive oil, cheese, spicy sauce, anchovies, sardines, meat, eggs, fresh vegetables.

Can macaroni be healthy?

At first glance, it seems that bucatini certainly cannot be included in the dietary diet. Moreover, adherents of healthy nutrition refuse from flour, bread, favorite pasta, in order to preserve health and waist. But is it really?

Vitamin composition

Grains contain a huge amount of vitamins. Nutritionists note that a real storehouse of B vitamins is pasta, bread and cereals. The main rule: the coarser the cereal, the more vitamins the human body receives. Pay attention to the chemical composition and the way the grain is processed (the package should be marked “made from durum wheat”) in order to provide your body with only healthy and high-quality food products.

Nutriciologists recommend paying special attention to pasta from solid varieties in the winter season. In the cold, the body needs an additional source of vitamins and minerals. Enter servings of bucatini into the weekly ration of 1-2 to keep vitamin B levels under control and not get additional health problems (such as obesity, unregulated cholesterol).

Carbohydrate problem

Flour and its derivatives are afraid solely because of the high concentration of carbohydrates. Indeed, a surplus of carbohydrates destroys the body, especially the substance affects the brain’s productivity. But carbohydrates are different and completely refuse from these components is harmful.

Modern nutriciology distinguishes 3 basic categories of carbohydrates: fast, slow, and indigestible.

Fast carbohydrates are mono- and disaccharides. This variety includes a pasta made from flour, which has undergone a long processing and turned into a handful of “empty carbohydrates”. The group is distinguished by the simplest structure, the ability to quickly break down and be absorbed by the body. To assimilate a food product with fast carbohydrates, the body needs a minimum amount of energy. A person will spend more energy on preparing and eating a product, and not on its assimilation. What does this mean:

• a sharp jump in blood glucose due to the high glycemic index;
• a sharp increase in insulin production;
• development of the addiction of the body to sudden drops of insulin (the body will still require a “dose” with an extraordinary frequency).

Slow carbohydrates are polysaccharides that consist of three or more simple carbohydrates. This group includes bucatini and any other kind of durum wheat pasta. Grains, in this case, undergo minimal processing, while maintaining a useful vitamin and nutrient composition. They cannot be called “empty carbohydrates”, since such products give long-term saturation and enrich the body with useful components.

In the case of slow carbohydrates, an increase in blood glucose occurs slowly and gradually. The body manages to adapt to such changes, gives a large amount of energy to break down, release and process useful components from food. The release of insulin also takes place under normal conditions. The sugar level is maintained at the same level until the end of the breakdown of complex carbohydrates, so the body remains healthy and full.

Indigestible carbohydrates are fiber found in vegetables, fruits, and other foods. It does not affect energy production, sugar levels or insulin in any way. Fiber is responsible for cleaning the internal organs, supporting the work of the whole organism, normal appetite, moderate hunger and rational food intake.

How to understand what kind of carbohydrate is contained in a particular product

Pasta is really different. Manufacturers use cheap raw materials and pass it off as durum wheat, deceiving both themselves and buyers. How to determine the catch and protect your body from low-quality goods? Pay attention to the glycemic index. The glycemic index (GI) is the degree to which foods affect blood glucose (sugar) levels.

The higher the GI level, the faster and more intense the process of glucose entering the blood will be. The faster sugar gets into the blood, the faster insulin will be released. The lower the GI level, the slower and more measured the process of assimilation of nutrients from food will be.

Foods with a high GI are classified as fast carbohydrates, while those with a low GI are classified as slow carbohydrates.

Choose a low glycemic index paste and don’t forget about the dosage. A kilogram of bukatini, albeit of durum wheat, will definitely not help to maintain a decent physical shape and good health. Using special calculators on the Internet, calculate the individual daily dose of carbohydrate intake. The indicator is derived based on your height, weight, age, daily activity and goals (to lose weight / get better / keep weight normal). Try to keep carbohydrates within the limits of the permissible daily rate and then a plate of your favorite Italian bukatini definitely does not harm either health or external beauty.

Use component in cooking

One of the most popular places in Rome is the famous trattoria Trilussa. The Trilussa menu is so large and “Italian” that the description of traditional prosciutto, cheeses and sausages takes up as much as 10 pages. The universally recognized masterpiece of the trattoria (according to the local population and tourists) are thick long bucatini with Amatriciana sauce.

The municipality of Amatrice awarded Trratussa trattoria a special diploma for creating bukatini under the sauce of the same name.

The dish differs not only in its special taste, but also in its specific presentation. Pasta is brought in a small frying pan, and a thick wooden board is placed down. Locals say that changing dishes is a very rare occurrence. Emptying an entire frying pan can be difficult even for a heavy man, bucatini pasta is so nutritious and tasty.

As local chefs say, the beauty of pasta lies in the interaction of a special form of pasta and sauce. Amatrichana sauce is from the same name in Lazio. It consists of:

• fresh tomatoes;
• guanchiale (dry jerked pig cheek);
• Pecorino (Italian cheese based on sheep’s milk).

Adherents of the Slavic culinary tradition can easily replace the last two components of the sauce with bacon and any hard cheese to taste (for example, parmesan).

Salmon Bucini Recipe

The most simple and quick dish that is cooked in 20 minutes and is perfect as a breakfast or lunch.

We need:

• bucatini – 150 g;
• salmon (can be replaced with your favorite fish or seafood) – 100 g;
• tomatoes – 2-3 pcs;
• green basil – 2 sprigs;
• hard cheese – 50 g;
• Spices to taste.

Preparation

Boil the paste according to the instructions on the packaging. There is no need to salt water. Salted hard cheese, fish and spices will provide the necessary flavor combinations. While pasta is cooked, do a few simple manipulations: cut the fish with medium-sized slices, grate hard cheese on a fine grater, tear the basil leaves with your hands. Cooking tomato sauce: send tomatoes to boiling water for 15-20 seconds, carefully remove the skin, using a blender, beat the fruits into a liquid porridge. You can add your favorite spices to the finished sauce to diversify the taste of pasta.

Once the pasta is ready, drain the water, and put into the container all the ingredients in this order: tomato sauce, fish, basil, hard cheese. Serve immediately after cooking with a glass of white wine and a crispy bruschetta.

Bucatini All-Amatricana Recipe

This is the very famous pasta for which Trilussa received a diploma and universal love. The traditional recipe of the dish is sufficiently calorie, so to become part of the daily diet of pasta will not work. If desired, you can reduce the calorie content of the dish and replace some products with vegetable ones, exclude butter from the recipe, and instead of roasting, resort to stewing or boiling.

We need:

• bucatini – 500 g;
• pancetta (can be replaced with another kind of bacon or lean meat) – 100 g;
• chili – 1 pieces;
• canned tomatoes – 400 g;
• onions – 1 pcs;
• vegetable oil;
• salted hard cheese based on sheep’s milk (pecorino romano is used in the original recipe) – 50 g.

Preparation

Cook pasta until al dente (slightly raw). Prepare a deep cast iron skillet. Heat vegetable oil in it for frying, then send thinly sliced ​​pancetta. Fry the bacon until golden brown. Once the meat is ready, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon. Place the bacon on a paper towel and lightly blot the surface to absorb excess oil. Cover the pancetta with a lid so that the meat does not cool down and does not lose its special taste properties.

In the remaining oil, add chopped onion and chili pepper. As soon as the onion begins to change color and becomes golden, add canned tomatoes to the pan. Remove the juice from the jar with tomatoes before using the ingredient in the dish.

Stir the contents of the pan for about 5 minutes, then add the pancetta and leave the sauce on the 2-3 minutes. Mix the prepared pasta with the sauce, sprinkle with grated sheep cheese on top, let the sauce soak into the pasta completely (it takes about 5-10 minutes) and serve immediately on readiness.