Correct pasta

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

"All you see, they gave me spaghetti" - these famous words do not belong to Luciano Pavarotti, but to Sophia Loren. And the great Italian composer Rossini recalled that he cried only twice - when he first heard Paganini play the violin, and when he dropped a dish with a pasta casserole invented by him on the floor. George Miller once said that there is one flaw in Italian cuisine: "In five or six days, you are already hungry again."

However, Italians are not directly related to the history of pasta, and neither are the Russians to growing potatoes. Pasta in their modern form, they undoubtedly have oriental roots. According to one version, they came from China (yes … yes … gunpowder, compass …), where they were made from rice flour. The second is from Japan. Subtle connoisseurs of rituals - the Japanese - during the New Year celebrations still treat guests to long and thin pasta ("toshi-koshi" - the name of noodles is translated from Japanese as "passing from year to year") so that life lasts as long as noodles - the one with the longer pasta is the happy one.

In Italy, according to various sources, they appeared in the period of the XIII-XV centuries.

It is known that pasta appeared in Russia during the time of the same Peter I

Among the people who came from Europe, there were many chefs who revealed not a single culinary secret that wise Russian merchants cunningly used. At the beginning of its appearance in Russia, pasta cost five to six times more expensive than the best flour. Their production, as well as in Italy, was exclusively homemade. Pasta was eaten fresh, just made, because the danger of mold and fermentation remained too great due to the primitive types of drying.

Until now, Italian restaurants serve freshly cooked pasta. This is considered very important in maintaining the true flavor of the dish. In homemade Italian cooking, pasta is always served as the first. No need to remember a phrase from your favorite Soviet cinema: "Just don't talk about pasta !!!" - and the misadventures, singing vocals of Yuri Antonov, coca ("He washes them!.. he's a cook - he knows better … he dries them!.. where?.. at the stern !!!"). Italians have about 150 varieties of pasta and only 50 basic sauces for them. Italians, by the way, are not inferior in the preparation of sauces even to the French (classics of sauces). A rich flavor bouquet of Italian sauces is given by aromatic vinegar, which is aged from white wine. The more aged the vinegar, the more refined taste it gives to the sauce.

Due to their high nutritional and taste qualities, as well as because they are well absorbed, pasta can be found on numerous menus, they attract the most sophisticated gourmets around the world. As my friend, who lived in Italy for three years, says: "They don't get fat from pasta! Only from sauces …". Indeed, it is impossible to "get some help" from pasta. There are even special pasta diets (apparently from Sophia Loren). The most important thing to know is the rules for making pasta, combining them with vegetables, meat or fish.

Pasta has its own secrets. Here is some of them:

In the book about "Tasty and Healthy Food", published in the middle of the last century in our country, the proportion of the ratio of water and pasta (1 liter for every 100 g) is strictly indicated. By the way, Italians strictly adhere to all possible rules and will never pour water or transfer pasta. The entire cooking process must be strictly controlled !!! Constant stirring is very important!

It is necessary to salt the water before the pasta appears in it, preferably after the water boils. Then you can only dip into the pan and hit the Italian menu.

Spaghetti is dipped in boiling salted water at right angles to it.

Never break spaghetti !!!

Italians eat pasta raw (according to our understanding), since they do not keep them in boiling water for more than 2-3 minutes. You can leave the pasta in the water for a couple of minutes.

The water itself does not have to be drained; it can be left to prepare the sauce.

Do not rinse pasta with water, especially cold. Washing reduces the vitamin content of the pasta.

Having thrown the pasta into a colander, you need to fill them with sauce almost immediately. The pasta will not stick together !!!

It is clear that you should think about the sauce in advance, because real Italian pasta is served steaming.

to avoid buying low-quality pasta

It is necessary, firstly, to ensure that there are no whitish blotches in them and that they are of an even yellowish color - this is the main indicator of their quality. And secondly, you should pay attention to the labels on the packaging. The following parameters should be indicated on it:

- designation of standards, the mandatory requirements of which must comply with the goods;

- information on the composition (including a list of other food products and food additives used in the process of their manufacture);

- about weight and volume, about the calorie content of food;

- on the content of substances harmful to health in them in comparison with the mandatory requirements of standards, as well as contraindications for use in certain types of diseases;

- the price and conditions for the purchase of goods (for example, the negotiated price or the recommended price - such and such);

- shelf life; - rules and conditions for the effective and safe use of goods;

- location (legal address), firm name of the manufacturer (performer, seller) and location of the organization (organizations) authorized by the manufacturer (seller) to accept claims from consumers and perform repair and maintenance of goods;

- information on mandatory confirmation of compliance of goods with mandatory requirements.

In recent years, the so-called Mediterranean diet has gained popularity among fans of a healthy lifestyle. As many years of research have shown, among the inhabitants of the Mediterranean, the level of cardiovascular diseases is lower, they are less likely to suffer from diabetes and cancer, and they are less likely to suffer from excess weight.

First of all, the secret of successfully combating diseases of this kind lies in the local cuisine. And it, in turn, is distinguished by the fact that it is abundantly flavored with olive oil, which, in addition to all the variety of useful properties, lowers the level of cholesterol in the blood, activates the liver, and stimulates digestion.

The basic principles of seaside cuisine are pretty simple. Wheat, barley and hemp foods provide carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are highly nutritious, readily available, and quickly make you feel full. Dishes with a high carbohydrate content are necessarily seasoned with garlic, onions, aromatic herbs, which, as it turned out, slow down the aging process of cells. Everything is cooked in the olive oil already noted above. Fruits and vegetables are used every day (you can eat bananas, grapefruits, lemons, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce to your fill). From dairy products, preference is given to low-fat cheeses and natural yoghurts.

All "Mediterranean" foods are rich in vitamin F, which is also called the vitamin of youth. Vitamin F is especially high in cereal products (pasta, sprouted wheat germ, cereals and wholemeal bread), fruits and vegetables, including chestnuts, hemp, sunflowers and nuts.

Fish at least four times a week. For young ladies who are losing weight, white halibut, fresh or smoked salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, and trout are perfect. Lean meat two to five times a week. Red meat - One to three times a week to replenish the body's iron stores. Dairy products are an irreplaceable option on the menu. Give up whole milk, dairy desserts and cottage cheese in favor of natural yoghurts and curdled milk. You can have two yoghurts and a slice of cheese. Fruit - three servings a day. Wine - two glasses a day. For a full ammunition load, only advice in the simplest physical activities is not enough.

Finally, I can add only one thing, if, after reading all this, you do not cook for yourself something from Italian or Mediterranean cuisine for dinner, you will definitely dream pasta! Do you know what that means? You will be given a prize !!! No kidding. Pasta in a dream portends great profits. Then you just have to fill the kitchen cabinets with pasta. Do not be afraid, they are stored for six months, so you will still have time to go on a diet.