It’s Wednesday, ‘Food Section Day’ for many daily newspapers. So food is on my mind today.
What are your favorite shapes for pasta and would you pay 6 bucks a pound for specialty or “premium” dry pasta from a store like Mario Battaglia’s Eataly? I love orrechiette (little ears) and farfalle (bow tie). I have to visit an Italian-American bakery to find orrechiette, but farfalle is carried by most supermarkets. And yes, I’m one of those odd ducks who swear that different shapes of pasta have a different taste. It’s like the old question about Coca-Cola. At least one of your grandparents or an old aunt swore that Coke in the 12oz. size tasted better than Coke in bigger bottles.
I don’t have a favorite, but I hate shells. One summer in college I worked at a resort where they charged us room & board, and clearly they’d gotten a deal on shell noodles. They put them in the scrambled eggs at breakfast, served shell Mac & Cheese for lunch, and put them in soups and stews for dinner. I recoil at the sight of them 25 years later.
I have very late in the game figured out that recipes call for a specific type of pasta for a reason. Oriechiette is for broccoli rabe and sausage. Ziti is for baked ziti. Spaghetti is for spaghetti. I personally like fusilli.
I don’t like cooking bow-ties because it takes forever and they don’t seem to cook consistently (the thin outer part is overcooked by the time the middle section is done). Otherwise, they are seem about the same to me. I used to keep some of the very small shapes (orzo, stars, etc) on hand to throw into soups at the last minute for a little added heartiness when my kids were little.
Ears? In NY they are known as hats! Check the Barilla pasta at your grocery store–they have orecchiette.
On the topic of pasta, can anyone explain why the major brands charge more for bowties than other shapes? They are sold in 12 ounce boxes instead of 16 ounce like other varieties.
I like tortellini best. I used to make fresh fettucini - so much better than anything store bought. DH is anti carbs he doesn’t care about - so I never cook it any more.
Great question because I took a class last night on how to make home made pasta - it’s so easy I can’t wait to try the attachment I bought to use on my Kitchenaid Mixer!
It all depends on the dish. Some shapes like “ears”, penne, rotini, shells, etc capture and hold the sauces better. Some dishes with large chunks of veggies are hard to eat with the long pastas (spaghetti, fettuccine, etc).
I agree that they taste somewhat different depending on shape. I think that is probably just the texture…mouth feel. I really think mouth feel is a part of taste.
Love ravioli because it comes with its own cheese!
@threebeans once you get the hang of it, making home made pasta is a breeze. My husband can do it in 7 minutes from the time he cracks the first egg to the time he throws the pasta into boiling water. It takes me a lot longer… but I’m not as competitive as he is and so I let him win We always have fresh basil on hand, and pasta with pesto is our fall-back meal.
One of the kids is an expert pasta maker but always lets the dough rest before transforming into whatever shape. Does your husband skip that step, @katliamom?
Letting the dough rest is definitely good, it lets the flour absorb the moisture better and it makes for easier rolling. I always let it rest, but my husband seems to have the knack of adding just enough water, and having the dough just wet enough, to skip that step. He seems to have a sixth sense about the texture, though 30 years of making pasta a couple of times a week is probably more the reason for his confidence.
And, yes, it really depends on the dish.
We always have fresh basil on hand, and pasta with pesto is our fall-back meal.