FoodBanter.com - Whole Wheat Pasta

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Whole Wheat Pasta

In rec.food.cooking, Katra > wrote:

> Oh? What sauces are incompatible with the flavor of butter, especially
> such a tiny amount?

Personally, I can't think of ANYTHING that is incompatible with butter.

--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

Whole Wheat Pasta

In article >,
"Bob (this one)" > wrote:

> Katra wrote:
>
> > In article >,
> > "Bob (this one)" > wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Katra wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >>>In article > ,
> >>> "Peter Aitken" > wrote:
> >
> > <snipped for brevity>
> >
> >>>>Also, it seems unwise to compromise tonight's dish in order to have
> >>>>unsauced pasta for tomorrow.
> >>>
> >>>That I have to agree with... I'd personally never cook more pasta than I
> >>>had sauce to go with, and my mom always added the pre-cooked pasta to
> >>>the sauce in a pan prior to serving, and I also like it that way.
> >>>
> >>>Different tastes for different folks tho'. :-)
> >>
> >>Pasta cooked al dente and finished with butter like that will hold
> >>very well refrigerated dry and covered. Reheat by dropping it into hot
> >>(not boiling) water for maybe 30 seconds and finish as usual. You'll
> >>be surprised. Or heat a sauce and drop the cold pasta in for a minute
> >>or two. Serve.
>
> > Sounds good. :-)
> >
> > Any hints on any special prep for the alternative (wheat free) pastas?
> > DeBohls corn pasta is easier to cook and tends to stay firmer than the
> > rice pasta. The rice can get a bit tricky on the timing.
> >
> > The corn elbow noodles are wunnerful.
>
> I like the corn better, too. Texture of the rice pasta is off just
> enough that it's not what I want when I think pasta.

I agree. I don't usually get it anymore.
If I want rice, well, just plain rice cooked in stock makes a nice dish
with a variety of applications. It's very versatile!

>
> You might want to look at some of the other pastas made from bean and
> other flours. Asian markets are usually treasure troves for such things.

Yes, they are... I just have trouble reading the oriental packages
sometimes if they are not in english. <G>

I just adore bean thread noodles and they go surprisingly well with
marinara or a white seafood sauce, or just plain cooked in bullion and
served like ramen.

Spagetti squash, rinsed and drained, is also quite good with a good
marinara sauce.

>
> I treat the wheat-free pastas the same as the durum-wheat types. But I
> do drain them more fully because it's my sense that they soften more
> if left too wet. Toss in melted butter and finish. I've generally
> served them with cream sauces (cream, roasted garlic puree, seasoned
> salt, reduced to 1/2) or meat glazes (with a wonderful venison ragout
> last time). Made baked elbows and cheese once with corn pasta and
> didn't really like it. The "bite" was wrong.

Not sure that corn pasta would be good baked. Was it tough? That'd be my
guess as it tends to be pretty firm. I like it as mac and cheese with
sliced breakfast sausage. I do have some corn Lasagna noodles in the
cabinet that I've not played with yet.

>
> Also served them with butter and parmesan. Good enough that way, I think.
>
> Pastorio

That sounds good... :-)
I have a rock hard chunk of very aged parmesan cheese that I've been
working on for a couple of years now. I don't serve italian that often,
but when I do, a little of that goes a long way! <G>

K.

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Whole Wheat Pasta

"hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> "Charles Gifford" > wrote in
> link.net:
>
> >
> > > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> In rec.food.cooking, cristina <siena_us(REMOVE BEFORE
> >> >
> > wrote:
> >>
> >> > Pasta cooking 101
> >>
> >> > Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of water.
> >> > Add a good handful of sea salt.
> >>
> >> A handful!? Really?
> >
> > Really! I would guess that my handful is about 1/3 cup kosher salt.
> >
> > Charlie
> >
> >
> >
>
> Charlie? Are you suggesting that 1/3 cup salt in 3 litres of water is
> right? That would mean that the large pasta pot I use would need over a
cup
> of salt. That seems excessive to me. I'm thinking more like 1/3 to 1/2 cup
> kosher salt to the 12 quart pasta pot which is 3/4 full of water (9 qts.).

I'm not good with numbers Alan. I use about 1/3 cup in the 6 qt. pot I use.

Charlie

Whole Wheat Pasta

"Charles Gifford" > wrote in
link.net:

>
> "hahabogus" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Charles Gifford" > wrote in
>> link.net:
>>
>> >
>> > > wrote in message
>> > ...
>> >> In rec.food.cooking, cristina <siena_us(REMOVE BEFORE
>> >> >
>> > wrote:
>> >>
>> >> > Pasta cooking 101
>> >>
>> >> > Bring water to a boil in a large pot, at least 3 litres of
>> >> > water. Add a good handful of sea salt.
>> >>
>> >> A handful!? Really?
>> >
>> > Really! I would guess that my handful is about 1/3 cup kosher salt.
>> >
>> > Charlie
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>> Charlie? Are you suggesting that 1/3 cup salt in 3 litres of water is
>> right? That would mean that the large pasta pot I use would need over
>> a
> cup
>> of salt. That seems excessive to me. I'm thinking more like 1/3 to
>> 1/2 cup kosher salt to the 12 quart pasta pot which is 3/4 full of
>> water (9 qts.).
>
> I'm not good with numbers Alan. I use about 1/3 cup in the 6 qt. pot I
> use.
>
> Charlie
>
>
>

Thanks Charlie. I trust your good taste in food . And I thought I was doing
it wrong.

--
Once during Prohibition I was forced to live for days on nothing but food
and water.
--------
FIELDS, W. C.

Whole Wheat Pasta

"hahabogus" > wrote in message
...
> "Charles Gifford" > wrote in
> link.net:
>
> >
> > I'm not good with numbers Alan. I use about 1/3 cup in the 6 qt. pot I
> > use.
> >
> > Charlie
>
> Thanks Charlie. I trust your good taste in food . And I thought I was
doing
> it wrong.

What a nice thing to say! Thank you. I really do have trouble with numbers.
I can't even copy a phone number with any accuracy. <sigh> Plays havock with
my checkbook.

Charlie

Whole Wheat Pasta

Peter Aitken wrote:

> "Bob (this one)" > wrote in message
> ...
>
wrote:
>>
>>>In rec.food.cooking, Curly Sue > wrote:
>>>
>>>>>I do use a bit of salt in my boiling water, but no more than 1 tsp.,
>>>>>usually less.
>>>
>>>>At that level, why bother? Most of it goes down the drain anyway. :>
>>>
>>>It raises the temperature of the water.
>>
>>Hardly.
>>But it is a seasoning. Trivial, but a seasoning.
>>
>>Pastorio
>>
> I have found it a good idea to use more salt when cooking pasta that will be
> dressed with an oil-based sauce. Because salt does not dissolve in oil, the
> salt in the dish must come primarily from the pasta and not the sauce.

Forgive me if I find this a bit overfastidious. I cook pasta the same
way irrespective of dressing on it later. Even if I'm serving a
classic oglio-aglio (oil and garlic) on the pasta, still the same.
Typically, parmesan cheese (or whichever kind I'm using for the dish)
will make up any shortfall in salt.

Pastorio

Whole Wheat Pasta

Bob (this one) wrote:
>Even if I'm serving a
> classic oglio-aglio (oil and garlic) on the pasta,

Just a little correction in case someone wants to Google it. It should be
Aglio Olio (Garlic Oil)

Cristina
--
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Whole Wheat Pasta

cristina wrote:
> Bob (this one) wrote:
>
>>Even if I'm serving a
>>classic oglio-aglio (oil and garlic) on the pasta,
>
> Just a little correction in case someone wants to Google it. It should be
> Aglio Olio (Garlic Oil)

<LOL> Exactly correct...

In my grandmother's special way, she said things in ways no one else
did. Her dialect was called Furlan and she used to say "oio aio"
Pronounced "oh-yo eye-oh."

Her recipe was very simple. About a dozen cloves of garlic, mashed and
oil-poached in maybe a half cup of good olive oil on low heat for
about 10 minutes. She never let the garlic get the slightest tinge of
brown. Cooked the pasta, drained it and dropped it into the skillet
with the oil. Tossed it quickly and into a big bowl on the table. Salt
and pepper, freshly grated cheese. Bread to mop up the intensely
flavored oil. Salad next with sharp, homemade red wine vinegar and oil
(once in a while with the garlic oil), occasionally an anchovy mashed
in the vinaigrette. Cheeses to compete the meal. Maybe a ripe pear or
a handful of grapes. Coffee with a splash of Fernet Branca.

Sometimes she added a heaping tablespoon of dried red pepper flakes to
both color and flavor the oil. Got your whole attention.

Pastorio

Whole Wheat Pasta