Preparation:
1. Start with good imported dried pasta. Our favorite brands are De Cecco, Delverde, Latini and Rustichella d'Abruzzo.
2. Make sure you use ample water--6 quarts for up to 1 pound of pasta. Cover the pot so the water comes to a boil quickly.
3. Salt the water just before adding pasta; use about 3 1/2 tablespoons of kosher salt for 6 quarts of water. Water that tastes slightly salty will enhance the flavor of the pasta.
4. To prevent the pasta from sticking together, stir it frequently during cooking. Never add oil to the water.
5. Use spring-loaded tongs for stirring pasta in boiling water and in sauces, as well as for serving.
6. Reserve some of the cooking water before you drain the pasta. If a sauce is too thick, a little pasta water will lighten it; if a sauce is too thin, add pasta water and then reduce it. The starch will thicken the sauce.
7. Never rinse pasta. The starch that clings to the strands is important to the taste and texture.
8. If you are adding pasta to a sauce, undercook it by a minute or two so it can simmer in the sauce and absorb some of its flavor.
9. Serve pasta the moment it's done--it never gets better. To keep it steaming, heat your serving bowls; thick china will hold the heat best.
10. Always use top-quality ingredients. For canned tomato products, we like organic Muir Glen brand best |
