PASTA!

For Italians, pasta is more than a national dish, it’s a national pastime. There does seem to be an endless combination of pastas and sauces. Sauces add a little zing to your food and can easily improve the nutritional profile of the dish.

Italians insist on al dente, with more than one good reason. Perfectly cooked pasta tastes the best! Also, research shows that the perfectly cooked pasta causes a much smaller rise in blood sugar then the overcooked, mushy stuff.

So, let’s talk about cooking the pasta. For best results use 5 quarts of salted water to one pound of pasta. Bring water to an abundant boil, add pasta, stir once and cover the pot. Remove the lid as soon as the water returns to a boil, stir occasionally to avoid any sticking. Cooking times vary with each pasta so best to check doneness by tasting. The best description of “al dente” is firm, tender. As soon as the pasta is done, take off the heat, drain and add to sauce (of course, you have prepared a wonderful sauce just waiting to dress your pasta). The pasta will absorb the sauce if still hot and you haven’t rinsed the starch away. If you are using fresh pasta, watch it closely as it will cook much faster. With quality pasta and a little care in preparation, you will see happy faces and the compliments will abound.

You will find some of the older strains of wheat from Italy have a higher protein count. This is good not only for the flavor but also you will find yourself satisfied with a little less pasta. It just isn’t so starchy! I usually weigh my pasta before cooking, then I can control my carbs. Buon Appetito!

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Here’s the basic Tuscan pasta with tomatoes. This will take about 25 minutes from start to finish. My dish has the addition of some hot red pepper. In Tuscany, it is not common practice to use grated cheese with hot pepper, but…add some if you want, it tastes good. This recipe doubles easily.

Pasta and Tomatoes (Pasta e Pomodoro)

3/4 lbs. tomatoes, very ripe

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

5 basil leaves, torn in pieces

3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pinch hot red pepper flakes (about ¼ teaspoon)

1/2 lb. short tubular pasta

5 fresh basil leaves

Put on your water for the pasta, follow the instructions from the pasta package. Buy Italian pasta (with English instructions). Clean the tomatoes but do not peel or seed for this recipe. Cut in half, then in ½ inch slices. Place tomatoes in skillet, add torn basil, olive oil, garlic to skillet. Add salt to boiling water and cook pasta. As soon as you’ve put the pasta in the water, turn on skillet to high heat, add salt, pepper and pepper flakes and stir as needed. Drain pasta and transfer to skillet, sauté one minute, add the last 5 basil leaves, mix again and transfer to a beautiful large Italian platter and serve hot. One bite and work has been cleansed from the day. If you want insure the cleansing of work, add a nice glass of Chianti to the menu…