Molto Gusto_ Easy Italian Cooking - Mario Batali [23]
As I have written a thousand times and said a million, the Italians eat their pasta quite al dente and sauced in a very light and minimal way. If there is ever a lot of extra sauce in the pan when you are about to plate the pasta, grab the pasta out of the pan with tongs, or use a slotted spoon, and leave the extra sauce behind. I think you will see that the dish feels lighter, tastes more balanced, and generally leaves you feeling a little cleaner. The idea that the toasted wheat flavor of the pasta itself is the dish is foreign to many Americans, but when you taste and appreciate the mouthfeel of a perfectly cooked and dressed pasta dish, you will know and understand forever why Italy is such a great place both physically and emotionally, as the Italian culture of the table is so well conceived and executed. This is never more evident than in the world of the myriad pastas from region to region.
The recipes in this chapter, which are disarmingly easy to shop for and prepare, more represent the actual pasta dishes Italians eat at home every day, often twice a day. None of them require fresh handmade pasta; we make them with high-quality dried pasta from Italy, pasta that is still extruded through traditional bronze dies to give the noodles a rougher “cat’s tongue” toothsome texture and quality. We love Barilla, De Cecco, Rustichella d’Abruzzo, and Setaro best, but there are literally hundreds of good pastas available at all levels of pricing and in all shapes and sizes.
TEN MOST IMPORTANT PASTA COOKING TIPS
Italians are pretty specific about how to cook and dress their noodles, and we urge you to adhere to our ten basic rules when cooking pasta.
• For each pound of pasta, use 6 quarts water and 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Don’t salt the water before it has come to a boil, or it will take longer to boil.
• Use well-crafted extra virgin olive oil. Consider the region, nuance, clarity, and weight of the oil when choosing one for a pasta dish. (See Glossary for our favorites.)
• Never allow the oil to smoke. If necessary, remove the pan from the heat briefly.
• Never boil a sauce until you’ve added the pasta.
• The sauce should always be well integrated with the pasta, unctuous, as supple as silk, and homogenous.
• When finishing a pasta with a butter sauce, use cold butter for a better emulsion.
• For depth, freshness, and contrast, add fresh herbs or raw tomatoes after tossing the pasta with the sauce, and then finish with olive oil.
• Remove the pan of pasta and sauce from the heat before adding the cheese.
• Less is always more. It’s more important for the sauce and pasta to be one, a sum greater than its parts. Fat and cheese are not as important as water and balance.
• Always plate pasta with the thought of its performance on the table in a few minutes.
The dishes that follow may be seen in simple regional osterie or trattorie. They are rarely served in fancy-pants ristoranti, because they are perceived as home-cooking fare (with the occasional splurge or two, in the case of caviar and truffles). That is exactly why we serve them at Otto—we like to eat like this, and our kids do too.
SPAGHETTI
with Butter or Garlic & Oil
SPAGHETTI WITH
Black & White Truffles
Spaghetti with Caviar
Spaghetti with Glass Eels
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
SPAGHETTI
all’Amatriciana & alla Gricia
Spaghetti con la Sarde
Spaghetti with Garlic & Oil
SERVES 6 · PHOTO PASTA
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
10 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¼ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano for serving
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher salt.
Meanwhile, combine the olive oil and garlic in another large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is just beginning to brown lightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and parsley and remove from the heat.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain,