Different Types of Pasta

Italian recipes use different types of pasta, depending on the ingredients used to dress it, depending on the region where it is typical from, and a little bit is left for the user's choice in terms of taste.

There is one characteristic that must be common to all different types of pasta: it HAS to be made with durum wheat and resist to cooking time remaining "al dente" (not crispy nor soft). Some countries already produce their own "Italian" pasta, but, in my experience, it is NEVER like Italian one. There's an old phrase that says: "Give Caesar what belongs to Caesar", in the meaning giving credit where credit is due.

Penne is one of the most common pasta shapes. It is a popular short shaped pasta that goes well with quite any dressing. Its shape allows the dressing to get inside each piece giving you the most of it. I use it when I prepare a tuna casserole pasta recipe and pasta al burro. It is a kind of pasta that I always have on my storeroom, as it can be used for quite all recipes.

Penne17.60oz/500gr. Web price $5.80

Linguine17.60oz/500gr. Web price $5.80

Linguine are a king of flat spaghetti. This pasta shape is perfect for seafood dishes. Pasta alle vongole (or arselle) are just perfect with linguine. It matches very well with pesto recipe too, so as with white dressings such as panna and prosciutto or simply a garlic and oil pasta. This producer has 40 years of experience. The pasta is made following local traditions (it is located in Marche region, northeast of Rome) and using local high quality ingredients. Columbro uses only first-grade Italian raw materials like high-protein semolina durum wheat.

Rigatoni is often used when you need to cook for a lot of people. This shape uses to resist to cooking better than other shapes. I don't know if it's just an impression, but my mother-in-law, each time had to cook for many people used this shape. I recently ate the best Carbonara I have ever ate...and it was made using Rigatoni. This producer specially made bronze molds produce pasta with a rougher surface, so unlike other pastas, the sauce doesn't slip off of Columbro Pasta -- it clings.

Rigatoni 17.60oz/250gr. Web price $5.80

Besides common pasta, there are a lot of different types of pasta made with eggs. In the past, during poor times, this kind of pasta was made for holidays or a comemoration. Nowadays it keeps an atmosphere of special food, even if people do cook it in everyday recipes too.

Consider that In Italy, by law, egg pasta can have as few as 4 eggs per kilo of flour (2.2 pounds). This seller offers Spinosi Pasta that contains 10 eggs per kilo. Italian law permits water as a pasta ingredient. Spinosi Pasta is made without water. If you want to buy real Italian food - buy good quality Italian food as these brands.

Tagliatelle Pasta with eggs 8.8oz/250gr. Web price $8.50

Between all different types of pasta, tagliatelle is probably the one that recalls Dolce Vita period and films. It recalls Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni films, doesn't it? Personally it was my grandmother's dish for lunch, dressed with a rich ragu sauce. Tagliatelle is a flat shaped pasta, that is usually served with funghi, ragu, meat sauces and cream ones.

This particular shape is often used to cook a pesto recipe. It has much surface that pesto sauce can spread all over giving you taste bites each time you take your fork to your mouth. It matches well also with a rich meat sauce, maybe prepared with thinny minced meat instead of ground one. This is pasta with protein. It has real nutritional value.

Strozzapreti 8.8oz/250gr. Web price $8.50

Fortunately in Italy a lot of pasta producers began to offer a gluten-free quality, to allow Celiac people a tasty dish of pasta. They produce different types of pasta such as penne, spaghetti,rigatoni, fusilli amongst others.

Gluten Free Spaghetti Web price $4.75

This pasta is produced with rice flour, corn flour and buckwheat flour. Easy to digest, gluten free, low in fat, This pasta is suitable for Celiacs, for a gluten free and balanced, healthy diet without giving up the pleasure of a good and tasty meal!

 

More about:

• Best Tasting Tomatoes
• Best Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Italian Cold Cuts
• Different Types of Pasta

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