All of the dishes in this chapter qualify as one-dish meals. No need to worry about what goes with what; it’s all right there in the pan.
Although pasta is synonymous with Italian cuisine, every cuisine has its noodles. Recipes range from Asian to Hispanic to lots of Italian fare.
At the end of the chapter are some dishes made with rice—the most popular grain in the world—and one homey polenta dish that shouts “comfort food.”
Good-quality dried pasta is made with a high percentage of high-gluten semolina, the inner part of the grain of hard durum wheat. The gluten gives the pasta resilience and allows it to cook while remaining somewhat firm, what is known as al dente. As a general rule, pasta imported from Italy is superior to American factory-made products due to its higher semolina percentage. Try to purchase pasta that you can see wrapped in plastic or through the cellophane in a box. The pasta should be smooth and shiny, not crumbly.
Traditional dried Italian pastas are named by their shapes. For example, fusilli are twists and fiochetti are bows. You could fill an entire kitchen with different shaped pastas. If you happen to be out of a certain shape, here are some guidelines for substitutions.
A good rule to follow is to cook pasta according to the directions below if it’s going to be sauced and served, and to undercook it by a few minutes if it’s going to be baked. During the 20-plus minutes that a lasagne or baked ziti cooks in the oven, it will absorb moisture from the sauce and soften further.
NAMES |
COOKING TIMES |
Farfalle, Fiochetti, Fusilli, Orecchiette, Penne, Rigatoni, Ziti |
10 to 12 minutes |
Anelli, Cavatappi, Macaroni, Manicotti, Mostaccioli, Orzo, Rotelle |
8 to 10 minutes |
Fettuccine, Linguine, Spaghetti, Tagliatelli |
6 to 9 minutes |
All 2,500 species of rice, the world’s most popular grain, trace their lineage to India. Once rice is harvested, it is termed “paddy rice,” and the non-edible hull must be removed before it can be eaten. Brown rice is whole or broken kernels of rice from which only the hull has been removed. For white rice, the grains are rubbed together to remove this natural bran.
Rice is classified primarily by the size of the grain. Long grains are five times longer than they are wide, and when cooked, the grains tend to remain separate. Medium grains are plump in shape, but not round, and when cooked, medium grain rice tends to be more moist and tender than long grain. Used for sushi and other Japanese dishes, short grain rice appears almost round in shape, and when cooked, it tends to cling together, which is why it’s sometimes called sticky rice.