In the footsteps of pasta

The first thing that comes to mind today at the mention of pasta, or, as they are called all over the world, pasta, is, of course, Italy. It is on the Apennine Peninsula that all kinds of boiled dough are especially loved, making up one of the foundations of the national cuisine. The Italians are convinced that it is their ancestors who have the honor of, if not invention, then, in any case, the popularization of pasta. Indeed, on the reliefs from the Etruscan necropolis of Banditaccia, dating back to the XNUMXth century BC, researchers see images of kitchen utensils intended for making noodles. Probably, even in ancient times, this culinary find was borrowed by the Romans from their cultural neighbors the Etruscans – along with the calendar, pantheon and other benefits of civilization, and in the following centuries it was developed and brought to its current perfection.

However, not everything is so simple: Roman and early Italian authors often mention dishes reminiscent of today’s pasta, but the widespread fashion for pasta spreads in Italy only from the end of the 1292th century – more specifically, from the moment Marco Polo returned from China, where, according to archeology , noodles were prepared already in the XNUMXth millennium BC. Technological techniques, noticed by Marco Polo in the Celestial Empire, gave such an impetus to the spread of pasta in Italy that it was from XNUMX that one should, perhaps, count its true history in Europe.

Initially, pasta existed only fresh, which made this dish the property of the rich in the first place. The Venetians and Genoese guessed to dry pasta in the era of the Great Geographical Discoveries: it was convenient for sailors who went on long expeditions to take on the road a compact, easy-to-prepare, but at the same time tasty and satisfying product. At first, pasta was dried in the sun for one day (overnight, under-dried pasta could pick up moisture again), as a result of which their producers often had to combine the skills of a cook and a meteorologist: in order to achieve the best result, they had to change the shape of their products depending on the weather – sunny, rainy or windy. It is to this period, according to legend, that the diversity of Italian pasta dates back.

The division of pasta into dried and fresh persists to this day. Both of them can be bought, or you can make your own. It’s not difficult: the basic dough recipe is simple and, in addition to flour (about 200 g will be needed for four people), it includes only a couple of eggs, a few tablespoons of olive oil and salt. The only subtlety: the pasta dough requires very thorough kneading, and after cooking it must be immediately boiled or wrapped in polyethylene and stored in the refrigerator – otherwise it will dry out. Having mastered the simplest recipe, you can proceed to experiments: replace part of the usual flour with wholemeal flour, add herbs or tomato paste.

If you want to prepare homemade pasta for future use, they must be dried. According to the popular British culinary specialist Jamie Oliver, it is most convenient to use for this … an ordinary hanger with a crossbar for trousers: after hanging strips of fresh noodles on it, place it for 4-5 days in a warm, dry place, and then put the resulting product in container with a tight lid.

Fresh pasta cooks faster than dried pasta, but in any case, the task of the culinary specialist who decides to cook pasta is to achieve the correct degree of its readiness. The practice in Russia of boiling pasta until it is completely soft in a small volume of water, and then rinsing it with cold water is erroneous. Regardless of the shape, pasta should be cooked in a large amount of boiling salted water (water should be salted after boiling) and cooked until half cooked – as the Italians say, “al dente”: properly cooked pasta should be slightly springy when bitten. Rinsing with cold water is a kind of fire measure: it should be resorted to only if there is a real risk of overcooking the pasta.

The times when pasta was considered an unpretentious quick dinner, and it was customary to eat them with ketchup or grated cheese, are gone for our country in the past. Today, anyone who is interested in gastronomy, it is obvious that this particular dish leaves the culinary specialist with almost unlimited scope for creativity: by combining different types of pasta with various sauces and seasonings, by empirically selecting the most spectacular combinations, we get a unique opportunity not only to express ourselves, but also to comprehend the culinary heart of Italy almost deeper than in any other way.

Pasta with baked tomato cassata

For 2 servings. Cooking time – 1 hour 10 minutes.

• 225 g linguini or spaghetti
• 10 plum tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small bunch basil (leaves only)
• 1 Art. l. balsamic vinegar
• 1 st. l. olive oil (extra virgin)
• 30 g grated parmesan, for serving
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper.

Cut the tomatoes in half, put cut side up on a baking sheet covered with parchment, sprinkle with chopped garlic, drizzle with olive oil and bake in an oven preheated to 180 ° C for an hour. Peel the finished tomatoes, put them in a food processor together with the leaked juice, add balsamic vinegar, basil, salt and pepper and beat into a not too homogeneous puree. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti or linguine in boiling salted water until al dente, drain, stir in the warmed sauce and serve, sprinkled with grated Parmesan in bowls.

Product

Solid PromiseDurum wheat pasta is a completely dietary product. As a rule, it is the sauce that gives it a high calorie content. If you cook the dish yourself, the number of calories can be adjusted. Spaghetti swords, tagliatelle nests, farfalle bows, fusilli spirals or penne feathers? Rely on inspiration.

Pasta Divella, Parmalat, from 35 rubles.

Tool

No smoke and no fireIf you can’t go out into nature due to the vagaries of the weather, you can have a barbecue right on the dining table: fish, seafood or steaks will be cooked in just 10 minutes. This device can also be used to maintain the desired temperature of the dish, or to defrost food.

Table grill Philips HD 4427, 1999 rub.

Address

“Mother’s pasta”The name of this place speaks for itself. Here, the dough is kneaded every day and pasta is prepared by hand according to traditional Italian recipes. With seafood and cream sauce, portobello mushrooms and sweet tomatoes…

Mama Pasta Restaurant: Moscow, Spiridonievsky per., 12/9, tel.: (495) 730-5600, www.pasta-mamma.ru