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What's the benefit of paying for expensive pasta? There's not many ingredients to go wrong, but should I be looking at more than the 20p per bag stuff?
I like De Cecco, most supermarkets will have it. I can't say whether you'll think it worth the extra but it'll cost you all of £1.50 or so to put it to the test.
Try it, it can be worth it. The fancier stuff tends to be 'die cut' which gives a rougher surface for sauce to stick to. But in the end it's the same as everything, just try it and see if you prefer it. Sometimes the cheaper stuff is actually nicer but with pasta I've found the more expensive stuff is usually better
In true middle class fashion, we tend to only get fresh stuff now, can’t for the life of me remember the brand name we normally get though, but supermarkets own isn’t bad.
I don’t know, but the Inside The Factory episode from the Barilla factory in Italy was amazing. 😀
The overwhelming majority of "fresh" pasta on sale isn't dried anywhere near long enough so fails to attain the correct texture on cooling. Italians mostly buy dried, or make their own so that the quality of the finished product can be better controlled.
As above, bronze dies produce a rougher product that suits certain sauces really well.
In true middle class fashion, we tend to only get fresh stuff now, can’t for the life of me remember the brand name we normally get though, but supermarkets own isn’t bad.
My italian ex workmate reckons that for some dishes you absolutely should use dried rather than fresh, as it holds the sauce better. Dried for robust / oily sauces (meat ragus, rich tomato based, etc.) whereas fresh is better with more delicate sauces (cream / cheese, etc.)
Well this is already far more interesting than I thought it would be. I was thinking more about nutrition-hadn't even considered how well the sauce might stick to the surface! I also just assumed the flavour was in the sauce.
#PeakSTW
i had some fabulous rocket pesto with my pasta today in Finale #eatthat
#PeakSTW
Nowhere near yet.
We haven’t even discussed expensive pasta rolling machines or flour grinds yet.
De Cecco, definitely. I don't know why something so simple can be so different between the brands. I'm quite happy to eat De Cecco with some salt, Pepper, Parmesan, Olive oil.
Current favourite dish in Seadog House is as above, but with an additional sauce made of nothing more than 200g of marscepone, lemon zest, lemon juice and a tablespoon of the pasta water. Drain the pasta, and lob everything in together. Dead simple, quick and easy.
Pasta is awesome!
As has been said, you really have to think of fresh (i.e egg pasta) as a different ingredient to dried (i.e Durham) pasta..
I LOVE making fresh pasta... so easy, but you DO need rollers to get it flat.
440gm ‘oo’ flour.. 4 big eggs. A tiny bit of sauce... mix. Leave for 30 min. Squish flat through rollers (it’ll be uncomfortably dry the first few rolls, but it’ll get there... then close the rollers in)
Tasty! My daughter loves rolling it out (i’ve A kitchen aid with pasta attachment!)
DrP
(i.e Durham) pasta
Ahhh! That well know place that makes pasta. 😁
do you mean durum?
Durham durum. Home of the pink pasta.
scotroutes - very good.....
Bought some "premium" pasta from Aldi that was on a limited run (not their own brand stuff) and stuck it in the cupboard and forgot all about it. Mrs WF recently served me up a pasta dish and I immediately had to question which pasta it was as it was so much better in all respects than any of the normal stuff we eat. Turns out it was that stuff from Aldi. So good pasta is definitely out there and stands out as such.
De Cecco always. It is often on offer for £1 a bag, I buy it in bulk to last me about 6 months.
I really can tell the difference in both taste and texture between that and the supermarket own brand.
As above, freshly made pasta does not go well with all sauces, sometimes dried is a better match.
Another thing to try is homemade spaetzl; pasta's German cousin. Flour, egg and milk /water. Mix to a loose doughy batter and dribble in to boiling water (or use a special spaetzl maker). Can be enjoyed mixed with a sauce and sides of meat and veg, or my favourite is to allow it to cool and re-fry until slightly crispy.
100% durum flour is a must. Bronze dia cut is nice. The water you cooked it in is your friend. Cook it for a couple of minutes less than the packet says. Finish in the pan with the sauce,adding a little of the starchy water. Dried is fine for almost everything.
Pasta is pasta. Dry or fresh, once cooked there isn't much difference. Current fave is Lidl Linguine, really nice flavour.
I bought their Deluxe Paccheri - nice big tubes in a paper sack... and it's really horrible. Chewy and flavourless. First time I've ever had bad pasta!
I find a difference in texture and bite with some of them, bit of flavour too.
Ethically I'd prefer it all to be from free range eggs and good wheat, bit for peak STW as mentioned why not just make your own?
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3131/2745012326_31f322bd0d_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3131/2745012326_31f322bd0d_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5byUwJ ]Pasta Night[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith[/url], on Flickr
Pasta is pasta. Dry or fresh, once cooked there isn’t much difference. Current fave is Lidl Linguine, really nice flavour.
I bought their Deluxe Paccheri – nice big tubes in a paper sack… and it’s really horrible. Chewy and flavourless. First time I’ve ever had bad pasta!
Consistency is always an issue.
And while while you are there, crank up the amount of salt in the water. It is a bit shocking how much you should be putting in compared to how much most folks put in
And while while you are there, crank up the amount of salt in the water. It is a bit shocking how much you should be putting in compared to how much most folks put in
I don't put any salt in (I don't put salt in any cooking). Am I missing out?
Yes. Salt makes everything taste better. Including porridge.
Of course, you have to balance against the increased risk of heart disease and the like but that's not the question here. Once in a while allow yourself to indulge. Life's too short not to.
The Inside the Factory episodeon pasta was worth a watch (if you can stop yourself shouting at Greg Wallace being a bumbling idiot), I liked the Italian lady being disappointed about us Brits using spaghetti for a ragu and not tagliatelle
First time
He puts it in bold, yet still doesn't understand it.
My favourite:
I have heard it said that the cooking water for pasta should be as salty as the Mediterranean. In the past I've used post dried and fresh pasta. Generally now I use bog standard Waitrose Essentials.
Er no. not post dried. I don't hang it on a prop in the back yard. In the past I've used BOTH dried and fresh pasta.
Fresh pasta is best when it's got a filling.
For your dried pastas, a bronze cut one will hold the sauce better. This is backed by science
Hoopty Beans** are great when there just isn't enough time to cook fresh pasta. They also come in cool shapes.
** What one of our yooves named them when they were a toddler. Awwwwwww.
Hoopty Beans
Alphabety Spaghetti is more educationalist!!!
Italians mostly buy dried, or make their own so that the quality of the finished product can be better controlled.
Yes. I had meals made for me in Sardinia last year, by some Italian friends. Always dried pasta, and always tasted like normal UK supermarket pasta.
But then they did proudly produce a ‘typical Sardinian dessert’ one day - Vienetta! (Cost about six times more than it does here!)
ooh - that photo reminds me - I think I won a monthly photo competition with this one:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/2323/2487090360_a1c3b33e9b_o.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/2323/2487090360_a1c3b33e9b_o.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/4MLZjh ]Dont play with your food[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/tryingtimes/ ]tryingtimes[/url], on Flickr
We tried some posh black (squid ink) stuff at the weekend
It were rubbish
We tried some posh black (squid ink) stuff at the weekend
It were rubbish
The squid you get the ink from is critical here. I only use artisanal squid ink that is flown in from a squid farm in Durham and I find it makes all the difference. Though Waitrose Essentials squid ink is a good alternative.
I like spelt pasta, slightly more robust texture than basic and a nice taste.Not sure whether that makes me a psata heathen though!
Ravioli in tomato sauce end of
I like spelt pasta, slightly more robust texture than basic and a nice taste.Not sure whether that makes me a psata heathen though!
Looks like you spelt pasta wrong.
Nobody mentioned wholewheat pasta yet?
Orechietti, oarsome. I Love home made gnocchi too.😋
Nobody mentioned wholewheat pasta yet?
Tastes like cardboard ime, but a few brands do 50/50 wholewheat/white that's really nice. More interesting texture than standard issue pasta, but not as full-on as 100% wholewheat. Er, Seeds of Change and Napolina are the two labels I've encountered. Makes a change from regular pasta.
life is too short to eat cheap pasta, especially as it's designed to be eaten simply with as few ingredients as possible.
the different shapes of pasta are designed for different sauces and ingredients - squid ink pasta works best with a seafood and a light sauce
De Cecco for farfalle and spaghetti, Barilla for lasagne sheets, Napolina is allowed according to Italian FiLaw