How to cook perfect pasta

One of the best reasons for eating pasta is that, in 15 minutes from start to finish, you can provide yourself with a complete meal. If you want to enjoy cooking and eating pasta at its best, then my advice is to buy good quality. Yes, it does cost more, but we’re not talking about great luxury here; we’re talking about a main meal for two people that might cost 2 euros instead of 1euro. Poor quality pasta often ends up sticky and soggy. So when you buy your pasta, make sure it says pasta di semola di grano duro – durum wheat semolina pasta. A good pasta has a rough texture this helps the sauce stick to it, while the poor quality has the texture smooth..

salt your water. And I mean really salt your water. None of this “pinch” business. Salt amplifies flavor, so allowing pasta to rehydrate in a briney solution will mean that the noodles themselves are properly seasoned, your pasta water should be as salty as seawater. Before the pasta goes in make sure the water is up to a good fierce boil. Add the pasta as quickly as possible and stir it around just once to separate it. If you’re cooking long pasta like spaghetti, push it against the base of the pan and, as you feel it give, keep pushing until it all collapses down into the water.

You don’t need to put a lid on the pan: if it’s really boiling briskly it will come back to the boil in seconds and, if you put a lid on, it will boil over. Put a timer on and give it 10-12 minutes for top-quality pasta, but because this timing varies according to the shape and quality of the pasta, the only real way to tell is to taste it. So do this after 8 minutes, then 9, and 10, and so on. This only applies when you cook a particular brand for the first time. After that you will always know how long it takes. Sometimes you can give it 1 minute’s less boiling and then allow an extra minute’s cooking while you combine it with the sauce.

Have a colander ready in the sink then, as you are draining the water, swirl it around the colander, which will heat it ready for the hot pasta. Don’t drain it too thoroughly: it’s good to have a few drops of moisture still clinging as this prevents the pasta from becoming dry. Place the colander containing the pasta back over the saucepan to catch any drips.

There’s nothing worse than sauce that slips off your spaghetti and ends up in a pile at the bottom of the bowl. How to prevent this? Add 1/ tbl spoons of pasta water to your sauce along with the noodles. The starch that leeches into the water while pasta cooks does a great job of helping a sauce cling to the noodles’ surface.

Finish with fat. Adding a splash of oil, and a handful of shaved cheese into your sauce right before serving, it will help even further bind noodles to their sauce. The fat infusion also amps up flavor, and lends your sauce that luxurious velvety texture that you typically only get at your better Italian restaurants.

For info and help dont hesitate to mail or call;

simon.bingham@simons-sauces.com 0642297107