How to cook spaghetti?

How to cook spaghetti?

Italians know a lot about tasty and satisfying food. Fragrant pizza, crumbly risotto, funny little ravioli, multi-layered lasagna, and, of course, spaghetti. Without them, the inhabitants of Italy cannot imagine their life.

Often, with the pleasure of eating the next portion in a cafe, we are confident in the ideal result of trying to repeat the preparation of the same dish at home. But here, bad luck. The products are not enough soft, then already overcooked. How to find the "golden mean"? Let's try to figure it out.

Bellissimo!

Not all pasta may be called spaghetti. There are generally accepted sizes in cooking - a diameter of about 2 mm, and a length of about 25 cm. Those with a larger diameter are already called “spaghetti”, and thinner products are “spaghetti”.

Spaghetti is served, usually with sauce, the recipes of which the Italians know a huge amount. And every experienced hostess will tell you that almost any product can serve as a tasty additive.

The process of cooking spaghetti seems very simple, but why then the result is sometimes not at all happy? If you want the dish to be really tasty and aesthetic in appearance, listen to several important rules and recommendations:

1. Spaghetti, like all pasta after cooking, should have a state of "al dente", that is, be slightly undercooked. Italians categorically do not perceive the dish, which turns into porridge still in the pan. Spaghetti should be served in a few minutes in hot water, but after removal from the heat.
2. How strange it would have sounded, but for a perfect result you need the right pot. Large, and with a wide bottom. So the products will conveniently fall into the water and be able to cook evenly.
3. Do not put them in cold water, otherwise sticking together cannot be avoided.
4. During boiling the lid should not be closed, and to thin “strings” do not stick together, you can add a little olive oil to the water.
5. Rinse the finished dish is not necessary, it is done only if you want to add spaghetti in a cold salad.
6. How much should you cook? Usually the cooking time is indicated on the package and can be individualized for different types. But in total, the process should not take more than 10 minutes, for thin species, and 20-25 minutes, if it is thick spaghetti from durum wheat.
7. Do not hurry to pour out the water in which our future dish was cooked; it may be necessary for the sauce if it turns out to be too thick.

Hearty, elegant and simple

It is worth remembering that real spaghetti is made exclusively from durum wheat and water. If the package in the composition you saw the item "wheat flour" - in front of you the usual pasta.

This paste, in addition to having excellent taste, also brings considerable benefits. In addition to the B vitamins, as well as E and PP, it contains tryptophan - a substance responsible for the production of "hormones of happiness." That is why after the next portion of such a dish the mood improves.

By the way, the caloric content of such products in the finished form is only 158 kcal, while the usual pasta is almost twice as much.

Now, let's move from words to deeds, and share with you a few popular recipes.

Let's start directly with cooking the spaghetti itself. So, you will need:

• pasta - 300 g;
• water - 3 l;
• salt - 30 g

There is a special Italian rule "110", according to which for every 100 g of paste you need to take 1 liter of water and 10 g of salt.

Put the spaghetti in boiled salted water, they should lie down like a fan. We cook the time indicated on the package, but we surely try for 2-3 minutes before the end. If our “pieces of twine” are still quite solid, you can boil another minute, but then try again. The finished dish should be aesthetic in appearance and not look like porridge.

After removing the pan from the heat, let it stand for 2 minutes, closing the lid. Next, drain the water and drain the paste into a colander.

Do not rinse, but simply wait until all the water is drained.

Spaghetti is also served in a special way. In order not to lose the temperature of the dish, the plates in which it is put must be preheated. Italians do this not only in restaurants, but even by serving the dish at home.

And for accuracy and preservation of the integrity of the "string" impose special tongs, carefully lifting the product.

It is also worth remembering that there is a special fork for spaghetti, and eating them, cutting them into pieces, is considered a bad taste. This should be done exclusively by reeling on the plug.

Now let's find out with what you can serve such a dish. The easiest option - with cheese and herbs, but a more refined taste can be achieved by adding sauces. If you put together all the recipes, there are more than 2 thousand.

We will share those who are especially revered by the inhabitants of Italy:

Bolognese. 

This name is often on everyone's lips, but there are so many variations on the subject of this additive to the dishes that the traditional version has gradually been lost sight of. But we still recommend to listen to the advice of experienced chefs and cook Bolognese as it was prepared since its inception. It will take:

• minced meat (beef + pork) - 0.5 kg;
• onions - 1 pc .;
• carrots - 1 pc .;
• celery - 1 pc .;
• canned tomatoes - 300 g;
• garlic - 2 tooth .;
• milk - 300 ml;
• dry wine - 200 ml;
• butter - 50 g;
• seasonings;
• olive oil.

The process of cooking the sauce will take some time, but the result is worth it. To begin with in a pan in a mixture of butter and olive oil to fry the finely chopped garlic. After that, put the finely chopped vegetables, and let them stew for a few minutes. Add the stuffing, and mix well to avoid large lumps.

Fry everything for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, and pour in milk. Increase the heat and let the mixture boil for 10 minutes so that the milk soaks the meat. Do the same with wine.

Add tomatoes, kneading them with a spoon, spices, make a small fire, cover with a lid so that there is only a small hole, and simmer the sauce for 2 hours.

Tomato. 

Sauce with a pronounced taste that will appeal to even the most sophisticated gourmet. Take:

• chicken fillet - 300 g;
• onions - 1 pc .;
• garlic - 2 tooth .;
• tomato sauce - 150 g;
• basil;
• Italian herbs;
• spice.

Fillet cut into small pieces, season, and fry in butter, put on a plate. Put chopped onion and garlic in a frying pan, lightly fry, put sauce and chicken. Simmer for 7 minutes, serve with spaghetti with finely chopped basil.

Creamy. 

By adding mushrooms, the potting is very fragrant. You will need:

• mushrooms - 250 g;
• cream - 200 ml;
• onions - 1 pc .;
• butter;
• garlic - 2 tooth .;
• olive oil;
• spice.

Mix olive and butter in a pan, put the crushed garlic, and fry for a few minutes. Cut the champignons into plates and send to garlic, simmer until the liquid evaporates. After that, put onions, add spices, stew for a few minutes, and pour in the cream. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Besides the fact that spaghetti can just be boiled, they can also be baked. But in this case, to get a tasty dish, the cooking time should be half the time.


Enjoy your meal!