EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third installment in a series on food basics. Whether you are a pro in the kitchen or a newbie, we hope you’ll learn something to make your time with food more enjoyable and rewarding.
Slurp them, or twirl them on your fork, everyone seems to love pasta noodles.
Pasta is easy to prepare and one of the most affordable meals you could feed your family. With the hustle and bustle of daily life, we all search for foods that are quick, easy, healthy, satisfying and economical — pasta offers it all.
In my house, Italian food is a family favorite that draws everyone to the dinner table.
I cannot think of any other everyday meal that gets everybody’s attention and brings the family together like a great pasta dish.
Pasta is made from the simplest ingredients — flour and water — to form a dough and comes in two forms — fresh and dried. Fresh pasta usually includes eggs while dried pasta is made without. Dried egg noodles are an exception — eggs or egg yolks are added in addition to flour and water.
Pasta dough can be made from various grains such as rice and wheat, but the best dried pasta is made from semolina, which is coarse flour ground from durum wheat. Semolina is a hard wheat with high protein content. This hardness allows the pasta to keep its shape when cooked. When choosing boxed pasta, look for 100 percent semolina or durum wheat on the label.
Dried pastas are available in a wide range of shapes, sizes and colors that have been tinted red with tomato paste or beet juice, and green with spinach. Choose fresh pasta by its expiration date — the fresher the better.
Here is a basic rule of thumb to pair pasta with sauce: Thin, delicate pasta like angel hair is suitable for light, thin sauces such as oil and garlic.
Thicker, straight pasta like spaghetti or fettuccine are appropriate for heavier sauces like alfredo or pesto. Shaped pasta, or pasta with edges or holes like farfalle or macaroni, are a good choice for chunky sauces. Dried pasta goes best with tomato or oil-based sauces, and fresh egg pasta works well with butter, cream or cheese sauces.
How much pasta do you cook? I have found that eight ounces of pasta (most of the time) will equal about four cups of cooked pasta, which is enough for eight side servings or four main courses.
Egg noodles are different — eight ounces will only cook to 2-½ cups.
I always add salt to my pasta water because it enhances the flavor of the pasta as it cooks and swells. I bring the water to a boil, add the salt, and then bring the water to a boil again before adding my pasta. I also add a small amount of the pasta water to my sauce to help thicken the mixture; it also helps eliminate the need for additional salt in the sauce.
Dry pasta will keep for up to a year in a cool, dry place. Keep fresh noodles refrigerated and use before the expiration date. Cooked pasta (stored separately from the sauce) can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Pasta can also be frozen; however, for best results, stick with pasta meant for baking, such as lasagna or manicotti. Prepare the dish as the recipe specifies, then freeze it before baking. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, and then bake it as the recipe dictates.
Skillet Goulash
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green or red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium stalk celery, sliced (optional)
Olive oil 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
Dash crushed red pepper
1 large (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 small can (8 ounce) tomato sauce (see note)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups uncooked macaroni
Cook macaroni according to the directions on the package.
In a skillet, brown the ground beef in a tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat, stir occasionally.
While the beef is browning, in another large skillet, sauté the chopped onion, bell pepper and celery with 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium high heat. Add the ground beef to the vegetable mixture and lower the heat to medium.
Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let cook for about 5 to 10 minutes (lower the heat if needed).
Mix in the drained and cooked macaroni and simmer another 5 minutes. Serves four.
Cook’s note: You can substitute V-8 juice or tomato juice.
Easy Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
8 ounces fettuccine or spaghetti, uncooked
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/4 cup Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
1-2/3 cups milk
4 ounces (1/2 of 8-ounce package) cream cheese, cubed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Cook the pasta as directed on the package, add broccoli to the boiling water for the last 2 minutes of the pasta cooking time. Drain the pasta mixture.
Meanwhile, heat the dressing in a large nonstick skillet on medium high heat.
Add the chicken; cook 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, stir occasionally. Stir in the milk, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and basil. Bring to a boil, stir occasionally. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the sauce is well blended and heated through. Add the pasta mixture to the chicken mixture; mix lightly. Substitute frozen peas, chopped red peppers or any of your favorite vegetables for the broccoli. Serves 4
Source: Kraft Foods
Healthy Living version — use light zesty Italian reduced fat dressing, fat-free milk, and Neufchatel cheese
Macaroni and Cheese
One 16-ounce box of elbow macaroni
4 cups of milk
1 stick of butter
8 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups shredded cheese, divided
Cook pasta according to box instructions.
After it is cooked and drained, divide the cooked macaroni using ½ for the Mac & Cheese dish and store the other ½ in the refrigerator to use in another recipe later in the week.
For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir the flour into the milk; mix until smooth, then pour the mixture into the melted butter and cook and stir until the sauce thickens to your liking. Salt to taste.
Add 3 cups of shredded cheddar cheese or combination of whatever cheeses you have on hand into the hot white sauce, stirring to melt.
Place the cooked macaroni in a casserole dish. Pour the hot cheese sauce over the drained macaroni (I usually use about 3 cups), mix well. Top with the remaining 1 cup grated cheese.
Place in a 250-degree oven to melt the cheese and keep it hot until serving. This is the way my family likes it — creamy, cheesy and soft.
Cook’s note: This makes a lot of sauce, so I save whatever I don’t use in the macaroni and cheese dish to use as a topping for vegetables or potatoes later in the week. It’s also a good topping on a vegetable omelet. (The basic medium white sauce recipe is 1 cup milk, 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons butter and ¼ teaspoon salt — this makes 1 cup of sauce.)
E-Mail
Print
