You can choose from a variety of shapes for your pasta dish. There are thousands of variants, but if you stick to Italian pasta forms, the end of the pasta name can give you information about the respective consistency: For example, the suffix “-elle” means wide, “-ette” means narrow, “-ine” or “-ini” refers to small pasta and “-oni” to large pasta.
When is it “al dente”?
Al dente comes from Italian and is often translated as fixed to the bite. It basically describes the texture of the pasta, but the term also refers to vegetables and rice. Opinions differ on an exact definition, but the rule of thumb is: The pasta should be cooked, but not too soft.
Tip: A large pot with enough boiling water will help you get al dente noodles for your delicious pasta dish. This allows the noodles to cook evenly. The rule of thumb here is one liter of water for 100 grams of pasta. The pasta water must also be sufficiently salted.
Cook delicious sauces on time
Sauces complement your pasta dish and are possible in all conceivable variants: Vegetarians will be able to cook as many combinations as meat and fish eaters. Tip: Sometimes it takes longer to cook sauces than to cook pasta. So that your pasta does not cool down, you should finish the sauce first.
In general, Central Europeans are familiar with the classic Spaghetti Bolognese, which is cooked with minced meat and is certainly very good. Next time you eat pasta, refrain from such “everyday dishes” and try something new: how about spicy penne all’arrabbiata for example? The sauce is hotter and spicier than the classic Bolognese, but it does not really require much more effort to prepare.
Pasta bars surprise with delicious specialties
Then there are pasta dishes that you can not easily make yourself. For example, a good pasta bar will serve tortellini with truffle filling that will take you to the seventh heaven. If you do not want to feel really so luxurious, try pasta with crayfish or spicy Italian sausage.
