How to make delicious Italian pasta at home? TOP 4 recipes with photos. Secrets and tips of chefs. Video recipes.
Italian cuisine has long been popular in our country. The first thing that comes to mind when I mention Italy is pasta. In Italy, pasta is the name for all pasta made from durum wheat and water. Depending on the province of the country, all housewives cook Italian pasta differently. And almost all recipes are light and easy to prepare. But, despite the fact that the pasta is prepared very quickly, it is easy to spoil it: it is enough to overcook, undersalt or serve with the wrong sauce. To prevent this from happening, we share the secrets and TOP-4 recipes for making pasta in Italian.
Secrets and tips of chefs
- There are about 350 different types and forms of pasta on the world market. But the most popular are spaghetti, penne, fusilli, farfalle, linguini, tagliatelle.
- Italian pasta is divided into 2 categories - secca (dry) and fresca (fresh). The dry paste is dried for long-term storage. Fresh pasta is not stored for a short time, therefore it is not produced for export, but is sold in stores in the refrigerator section.
- Classic Italian pasta is made from durum wheat and water. But dry pasta is also made from soft varieties with the addition of eggs.
- When preparing pasta, the proportions should be observed. For 100 g of pasta, take 1 liter of water and 1 tsp. salt. You can have more water, but not less.
- Dip the whole pasta in boiling water. Breaking spaghetti into pieces is a real insult to Italians. Spaghetti should be placed in boiling water and slowly completely immersed in water.
- After immersing the pasta in boiling water, stir it so that it does not stick together and stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir them well several times during the boil.
- It is important not to overcook the pasta. The exact cooking time is difficult to determine, because it depends on the shape and thickness of the products. Usually, the cooking time is indicated on the manufacturer's package. Italians prefer to cook the pasta until it is al dente. The pasta should be soft on the outside but slightly firm on the inside.
- To stop the cooking process at the right time, pour cold water into the pan. If you immediately tip the pasta into a colander, this is not necessary.
- Never rinse pasta with cold water. This will disrupt their taste.
- Cook the sauce in a large skillet, and then add the cooked pasta to it. Simmer them with hot sauce for 1-2 minutes over medium heat so that the pasta absorbs its taste and aroma.
- Pasta sauce is prepared in a cold or warm way. For a cold sauce, 2 products are enough: Greek yogurt and salted water in which the pasta was cooked. If you want a sauce with unusual notes, after boiling water and pasta, add spinach to the saucepan, and mint leaves to the finished sauce.
Pasta with chicken and tomato sauce
Italian pasta with chicken and tomato sauce is an elegant and delicate delicious dish with a complete taste for lunch or dinner. The products are affordable, the cooking technology is simple, and the result is delicious.
- Caloric content per 100 g - 207 kcal.
- Servings - 4
- Cooking time - 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti - 300 g
- Tomatoes - 500 g
- Salt - 1.25 tsp
- Fresh purple basil - 30 g
- Pitted olives - 30 g
- Boiled chicken fillet - 150 g
- Olive oil - 70 ml
- Capers - 30 g
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Chili pepper - 1 pc.
Cooking Italian pasta with chicken and tomato sauce:
- Peel chili peppers from seeds, garlic - from husks. Finely chop the vegetables and fry in a skillet in olive oil for 2 minutes.
- Scald the tomatoes with boiling water, peel, cut into small pieces and send to the pan. Use a fork to soften them to a puree consistency.
- Tear the boiled chicken fillet along the fibers or cut into small pieces and place in the pan.
- Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes and add the capers, chopped olives and salt. Continue simmering for 5 minutes.
- Add finely chopped basil and simmer for 2 minutes.
- By this time, boil the spaghetti until tender, as indicated on the package.
- Place the hot spaghetti on a plate and pour the sauce on top.
Pasta with mushrooms and cheese
Italian pasta with mushrooms and cheese is the perfect recipe with an amazing taste. At the same time, the dish is quite simple, but guaranteed to turn out amazing.
Ingredients:
- Pasta (any) - 300 g
- Porcini mushrooms - 300 g
- Parmesan cheese - 50 g
- Bulb onion - 1pc.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Butter - 50 g
- Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
- Cream 10% - 200 ml
- Lemon Juice - from half a lemon
- Parsley - a few twigs
- Ground black pepper - 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
Cooking pasta with mushrooms and cheese:
- Heat butter and olive oil in a frying pan and fry finely chopped onion and garlic until transparent.
- Wash the porcini mushrooms, cut into thin strips and place in the pan. Fry them over high heat for 5 minutes and pour in the cream. Season with salt and pepper, add chopped parsley and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water with olive oil, not boiling until cooked for 1 minute. Then fold them in a colander, leaving 100 ml of liquid, and send them to the pan with mushrooms.
- Add the remaining broth, lemon juice to the products and stir. Keep on low heat for 5 minutes so that the pasta is cooked through.
- Arrange the finished Italian pasta with mushrooms on plates and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Pasta Carbonara
Making your own Italian pasta Carbonara is not difficult, as it might seem at first glance. This is one of the famous Italian dishes and is made from simple, affordable ingredients.
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti - 350 g
- Bacon - 100 g
- Pecorino Romano cheese - 50 g
- Parmesan - 50 g
- Eggs - 3 pcs.
- Garlic - 2 cloves
- Butter - 50 g
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Cooking Pasta Carbonara in Italian:
- Cut the bacon into small pieces.
- Peel the garlic, make cuts and sauté in butter along with the bacon.
- When the bacon slices are crispy and brown, remove the garlic.
- Boil the spaghetti in salted water until tender and place in a frying pan with bacon.
- Beat eggs with black pepper with a fork in a separate container.
- Grate Pecorino Romano and Parmesan cheese on a coarse grater and mix with beaten eggs.
- Pour the resulting egg-cheese mass into the pan. Turn off the fire and stir the food until the eggs coagulate. The heat of the food and the frying pan will cook them quickly.
Pasta with shrimps and tomatoes
Italian pasta with shrimps and tomatoes is an ideal noble dish for family gatherings and a romantic dinner. It is quick to prepare, tasty and can be combined with various additives.
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti - 400 g
- Boiled-frozen shrimps without shell - 400 g
- Tomatoes - 5 pcs.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Dry white wine - 1 tbsp.
- Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil - 4 tablespoons
- Seasonings for seafood - 1 tsp
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper - to taste
Cooking Shrimp and Tomato Pasta:
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan and sauté the chopped garlic for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, cut into small cubes, pour in the wine and simmer, stirring for half an hour. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the rest of the olive oil and lightly fry the shrimp.
- Send shrimp to tomato sauce, season with seafood seasoning, stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Boil the spaghetti in salted water, overturn in a colander, drain, add butter and stir.
- Put the boiled pasta on a plate and pour over the shrimp and tomato sauce.