by Cinzia Aversa Howson

Created on: June 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

WILL YOU LISTEN TO AN ITALIAN FROM ROME ON THIS? Want to know how to cook and eat not only spaghetti but any type of pasta the right way, just like we do it in Italy? A little academic note before I give you my recipe: the word pasta comes from Late Latin pasta, which means 'dough'. Makes sense? All right, pasta and spaghetti are one of the key elements of Italian cooking and meals and you all have tried it with one kind of sauce or an other.

1. The first thing to learn is that pasta should NOT be the only dish in a meal (unless for some reason you need to gain weight rapidly, or want to be sluggish all day long!), and that the serving for each person should NOT exceed 100 gr. when dry, or 3 1/2 ounces. The American servings, especially at the restaurant, are way out of proportion. Pasta is good for you because is rich in fiber, iron, B vitamins and protein but you want to have a balanced diet and too much refined carbs are not so good.

2. Use abundant water to cook pasta, so while boiling it can simmer through preventing the pasta from sticking together. Use a toll pot for spaghetti, so there is enough water and they can be submerged in it right away. DO NOT BREAK THEM! They are made to be long and breaking them makes it harder to roll them on a fork. Add salt to the water when it boils and before to put the pasta in it.

3. Then, stir the pasta once is in and every couple of minutes or so. Taste you pasta to have an idea of how much longer it needs to cook. You can always refer to the instructions on the package, but towards the end you want to be careful as it can take 1/2 minute longer to just overcook it and end up with a gluey disaster. "AL DENTE" in Italian means literally "by the tooth", because it should be not soft or cooked all the way though, but firm enough when you bite into it. It will still cook few more seconds during the process of straining it and adding condiment, so take it off the fire when "al dente".

4. Pour some cold water in it right away to stop the cooking, at least a quarter, and then use a colander to strain. Toss immediately back into the pot or a big serving bowl, if you want to bring it to the table in it. Add right away your sauce, which should be warm, and mix well. I have seen oil being used added to the water during the cooking, or added to the pasta after straining it, for avoiding it to stick and get gluey. That's not necessary and no Italian would ever do that. All you need to do is to add your sauce right away, which has already some type of condiment in it (butter, oil), mix well and let it coat the pasta.

5. Use grated Parmigiano cheese with the sauce for more flavor, but only if your sauce does not contain seafood. It would be not a happy combination. Other than that, Buon Appetito!

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