Italian dishes are incredibly popular around the world. In general, Italy itself is associated in our minds with pasta. It is probably hard to find another concept that would be so inextricably linked with the country. In our article we want to talk about what types of pasta exist, where this dish came from and how it is prepared.
A bit of history
There is a legend that the first pasta was invented in China, because it was in this country that more than 4000 years ago the first noodles appeared. It is said that in the thirteenth century, the famous traveler Marco Polo, visiting the East, brought with him an unusual, completely new recipe for the dish. So in Italy there was a paste. Then, over time, in each region of the country began to invent their own types of pasta. Such a beautiful legend was invented by one of the American magazines. This was done only with the aim of promoting the product in American markets.
However, many scientists believe that the history of pasta dates back to when the first durum wheat noodles appeared. And it was back in the first century. Of course, the pasta recipe was different then. Over time, Arabs greatly influenced European cuisine during their invasion. Perhaps the noodles they brought in became the precursor of the pasta. Incidentally, in Sicily there are still incredibly many spices in pasta dough.
Initially, they prepared exclusively fresh pasta. But in the thirteenth century, the first dry paste appeared. The chefs of that time thought of the fact that the dough dried in the sun can be stored and used in the future. Moreover, this in no way affected the taste of the dish.
Ingredients for Pasta
What is Italian pasta made from? To prepare it, you need water and flour. But the quality of the product obtained naturally depends on the quality of the starting products. An interesting fact is that in Italy, the law allows the manufacture of pasta only from durum wheat. To ordinary pasta that stick together, it has nothing to do.
Fresh dry pasta
Real Italian pasta is sometimes found in our stores. However, of course, there is no such choice as in Italy. In any Italian supermarket you will see two types of pasta: dry and fresh. The first is stored on ordinary shelves, and the second in refrigerators. Differences between dry and fresh lie in the nuances of cooking.
Fresh pasta is packaged after cooking and is not dried. The shelf life of the product is small. Opened packaging must be used literally in two to three days. Although this paste is more expensive, it is worth a try. It cooks faster, and the taste is special.
After cooking, the dry paste is dried and then packaged. Its shelf life is long. There is also egg paste. It is made from eggs and flour. Such a paste can be both dry and fresh.
Types of pasta
There is an incredible amount of types of real Italian pasta. If you are going to Italy, then you need to know at least some of them, so as not to get into trouble in local cafes.
First of all, it is worth knowing that there is a long, short, pasta for baking, small for soups, figured and pasta with filling. In turn, each variety is further divided into a number of species. Of course, we simply do not have the opportunity to mention everyone in the article, so we will recall only a few.
Long pasta is represented by the following types: cappellini, bavetta, vermicelli, spaghetti, spaghetti, spaghettini, makerkonchini, bucatini, fettuccini, mafaldine and others. As you can see, among the given names there are also familiar to us.
But the short pasta is fusilli, girandole, penne, pepe rigate, tortilloni, mccheroni, celentani and others. All varieties differ in shape. All of them have their own characteristics of origin and preparation.
Baking paste is cannelloni (tubules) and lasagna (baking plates).
Products for soups - stelline, anelli, filini.
Curly paste is fully consistent with its name. Such products can take the form of butterflies, bows, shells, etc. Among them, it is worth highlighting: farfalle, conciglia, gemelli, cazareche, campanelle.
Well, and the last kind is pasta with the filling: ravioli, cappelletti, agnolotti, tortellini.
Cheese Option
Cheese pasta can be a great lunch or breakfast. Cooking it is very simple. As a basis, you can take spaghetti. The most suitable sauce for the dish is tomato. Although you can use any. For pasta, you can choose one of 10 thousand sauces. And how many various supplements exist! Cheese pasta is a very simple dish made from high-quality pasta. Which is mixed with any cheese. The ease of cooking made it the most common among housewives.
By the way, for cooking, you can take not only spaghetti, but pasta fettuccine, cappellini, etc.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti (270 g);
- olive oil (three tablespoons);
- garlic (three cloves);
- picking greens (dill, basil, parsley);
- black pepper.
Spaghetti can be cooked with any quality Italian cheese. You can take sheep pecorino, which has a pleasant aroma and granular structure, parmesan, etc. The grano cheese is very good for pasta. It has a pronounced grain structure and piquant taste. It is often served with red wine.
To prepare pasta, hard cheese must be peeled, then grate it. Pour two liters of water into the pan, add a little salt (five grams per liter of water). Put the pasta in boiling water and boil until cooked. Follow the instructions on the packaging. Pasta must not be digested.
Heat olive oil in a pan, and then add garlic to it. Fry it lightly. This is done in order to flavor the oil. After the garlic darkens, take it out of the pan. We boil the boiled spaghetti into a colander. After spread them in a pan and mix with oil. Next, fry the pasta over low heat for five minutes. We spread spaghetti on plates and sprinkle with cheese on top. Serve the paste immediately. After it cools, it becomes not tasty. Now you know how to make pasta.
Spaghetti with minced meat
Pasta with minced meat is a very tasty and satisfying dish. It is being prepared quite simply, which is probably why many housewives have adopted it.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti (430 g);
- tomatoes (240 g);
- carrots (190 g);
- onions (140 g);
- minced meat (390 g);
- salt;
- vegetable oil;
- pepper.
Finely chop the onion, chop the tomatoes into cubes, and carrot on a grater. In a saucepan in vegetable oil, fry the onions first, then gradually add the carrots and tomatoes. Fry vegetables for about five minutes, then add minced meat. At our discretion, salt and pepper. Cook the mass for about twenty minutes.
In a saucepan, boil water and boil any pasta in it until cooked. Then we throw it in a colander and transfer it to the saucepan for vegetables and minced meat, mix and turn off the fire after a couple of minutes. Serve pasta with minced meat on the table along with herbs.
Creamy pasta
Farfalle pasta in a creamy sauce is delicious. Externally, such pasta resembles butterflies or bows.
Ingredients:
- a glass of milk;
- paste (245 g);
- bow;
- three cloves of garlic;
- cream (at least 20 percent fat, 145 ml);
- king prawns (950 g);
- olive oil;
- one yolk;
- flour (1.5-2 tbsp. l.).
How to cook shrimp pasta in a creamy sauce? The recipe is very simple. First you need to boil the shrimp. To do this, put the pan on fire and bring the liquid to a boil. Frozen shrimp are thrown into salted water and cooked for twenty minutes. After draining the water and clear the seafood from the shell.
Pour olive oil into the pan and fry the cloves of garlic on it until golden brown. Next, remove it and fry the onions, then add the shrimp and cook for no more than three minutes, not forgetting to mix.
We put a pot of water on the fire and pour a spoonful of olive oil. After falling asleep pasta.
In a glass of milk, beat the yolk and add the flour. Stir the mass and fill it in a skillet with shrimp. Then stew and pour the cream, gradually the sauce should thicken and become a pale pink color. After the pasta is ready, drain the water and transfer the mass from the pan to it. We mix the ingredients and serve the dish on the table.
Pasta linguine
Ligvini or it is also called linguine - this is a paste having a flattened shape. In length, it slightly exceeds spaghetti, but at the same time it cooks in the same way - without breaking. Typically, this paste is often used for cooking seafood.
Ingredients:
- king prawns (17 pcs.);
- cherry tomatoes (270 g);
- lemon, pasta (380 g);
- garlic;
- parsley;
- basil;
- olive oil;
- black pepper.
We prepare the paste according to the instructions indicated on the package. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic and spread the peeled shrimp. Fry foods for about three to four minutes. Reduce the heat and add the cherry tomatoes, cut in half. We cook the dish for a couple of minutes, after which we remove the pan from the heat. Next, mix the pasta with shrimp and vegetables, let them brew a little and serve.
Pappardelle with mushrooms turkey meat
Pappardelle is a pasta that belongs to a wide variety of egg pasta. The width of the finished fresh product can reach three centimeters, and in the dried form - 1.5 cm. This paste is used for cooking various dishes, including soups.
Ingredients:
- pappardelle (230 g);
- champignons (ten pcs.);
- boiled turkey (280 g);
- four tomatoes;
- bulb;
- mozzarella (115 g);
- fat cream (115 ml);
- a quarter glass of wine (it is better to take dry white);
- chicken broth (3/4 cup);
- olive oil;
- Parmesan (45 g);
- flour (tbsp. l.);
- nutmeg;
- white bread in the form of crumbs (a little raspberry);
- Art. l butter.
We prepare the paste according to the instructions that are on the packaging. Cut the turkey into slices. Mushrooms and tomatoes are divided into four parts. Chop the onion too. We take a deep frying pan or stewpan, pour olive oil and add cream. First, fry the onions for a couple of minutes, and then add the mushrooms. After five to seven minutes, pour the wine and wait until it evaporates a little. Then pour the flour and mix the ingredients, pour in the broth and cream, bring the mass to a boil, without ceasing to interfere. You can also add tomatoes and nutmeg.
For further cooking, we need a baking dish. Lubricate it with oil. Half of the paste is mixed with the cooked sauce and laid out in a mold. Next, put turkey and mozzarella there. Pour the dish with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the mass on top with a mixture of breadcrumbs and parmesan. Next, send the form to the oven and cook for about 15 minutes.
Creamy pasta
Fettuccine pasta looks like thick pasta. Of course, they have nothing to do with our products.
Ingredients:
- paste (240 g);
- cream (240 g);
- chicken fillet (210 g);
- salt;
- pepper.
We prepare the fettuccine according to the instructions. Meanwhile, in a frying pan we heat the thick cream and add chopped chicken, pepper and salt to them. The meat must first undergo some processing, it can be boiled or baked. Stew chicken on fire. Until the sauce begins to bubble. Next, mix the pasta with meat and sauce and serve.
Spaghetti carbonara
Pasta - pasta, from which you can cook many wonderful dishes. We offer a recipe for the famous dish - spaghetti carbonara.
Ingredients:
- spaghetti (390 g);
- bacon or raw smoked ham (340 g);
- olive oil;
- four yolks;
- Parmesan (65 g);
- sour cream (230 g);
- garlic;
- salt.
Boil spaghetti according to the instructions. Fry the garlic in a frying pan until golden brown in olive oil, then add slices of ham and cook them for about three minutes. In the container, mix the yolks and cream, add the parmesan pepper and salt. We transfer the finished spaghetti to the pan and pour the sauce. After five to seven minutes, remove the dish from the heat and serve.
Pasta bolognese
Bolognese pasta is known all over the world. It’s not so difficult to prepare, so you can please relatives with such a dish.
Ingredients:
- paste (295 g);
- one stalk of celery;
- bow;
- carrot;
- minced pork and beef (430 g);
- garlic;
- tomato juice (jar).
Grind carrots, celery, onions and fry vegetables in olive oil. You should start with onions, and then add celery and carrots. Minced meat is fried until the excess liquid evaporates. Next, mix the meat and vegetables, add the tomatoes and cook for another ten minutes. Mix pasta with minced meat and serve.
Farfalle with chicken
Lovely butterflies or farfalle with chicken and honey - an incredibly delicious dish.
Ingredients:
- paste (430 g);
- chicken drumsticks (650 g);
- 4 tbsp. l butter;
- soy sauce (three tablespoons);
- salt;
- butter (25 g);
- olive oil.
We prepare pasta according to the instructions. We cut the meat in portions and fry in a mixture of olive and butter. Five minutes after the start of cooking, add honey and soy sauce, mix the ingredients and fry until cooked. If necessary, add salt. The amount of honey and sauce can also be adjusted. Add the prepared pasta and 50 ml of water to the pan. Stew the mass for about five minutes, after which we serve the dish on the table.
Lasagna
Speaking of pasta, it’s impossible to remember climbing. The dish is very tasty and appetizing. It is prepared on the basis of paste in the form of rectangular sheets. Usually, minced meat, tomatoes and bechamel sauce are used for a dish. For the first time they began to do lasagna in Emilia-Romagna, and later the whole world learned about it. Now it’s difficult to find at least one Italian institution in which you would not be offered such a dish.
Ingredients:
- bulb;
- garlic;
- olive oil;
- ground beef;
- tomato paste (a quarter cup);
- mushrooms (120 g);
- tomatoes (380 g) 4
- red wine (1/2 cup);
- Parmesan (1/2 cup);
- lasagna plates (380 g);
- parsley;
- a glass of grated hard cheese;
- a glass of cream;
- ricotta (120 g);
- milk (two glasses).
To prepare in advance, prepare the form, lubricating it with oil. Next, in a pan, traditionally fry the garlic with onions, then add the minced meat and cook for another 15 minutes. And only then add chopped mushroom slices and tomato paste.
Separately mix tomatoes with wine. Bring them to a boil and cook for ten minutes. The liquid must partially evaporate. Add salt, pepper and parsley to the mass.
Now let's start making white sauce. We heat the butter and add flour to it, cook for no more than a minute on low heat, without ceasing to stir. Remove the dishes from the heat and pour the milk. We mix everything well and return to the fire again. Boil the mass until thickened, add the ricotta.
In a baking dish, put a sheet of lasagna, spread half the minced meat on top, pouring all the white sauce. Sprinkle the dish with a portion of the prepared grated cheese. Repeat all the layers again. Top with a sheet of lasagna. Beat eggs with cream in a bowl. This mass is poured with lasagna and again covered with cheese. Bake the dish for at least 30 minutes. A golden crust must appear on top. Before serving, you can let the infusion climb for about five to ten minutes.