Pasta dishes should be simple and use fresh ingredients

The terms pasta, macaroni and noodles are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same.

Pasta is the general term for the wheat product derived from combining semolina flour with liquid, usually water and/or eggs.

Use water and you have macaroni; use eggs, and you have noodles. Semolina flour, made from durum wheat, is the flour of choice because of its high protein content.

This provides the pasta with structure so it will maintain its integrity during fabrication and cooking. It is resistant to water absorption, which renders it ideal for cooking pasta al dente.

Pasta is available in fresh and dried forms. Fresh pasta cooks much quicker than its dried counterpart.

Some folks add oil to the pasta water, believing it will prevent the pasta from sticking. This is an absolute waste of time. Oil and water are chemically incompatible. The oil floats to the surface, thus preventing any mingling with the pasta.

What prevents sticking is placing the pasta in already boiling water, not overcrowding the pot, and stirring, particularly at the early stages of cooking.

Finally, there is no reason to rinse your pasta after cooking. Simply draining it removes most of whatever carbohydrate has leeched out during cooking. Rinsing only serves to un-season your pasta.

Pasta Trivia

At least 10 years before Marco Polo’s trip to China, Romans were eating ravioli, lasagna and macaroni, and there are references to fettuccine from even earlier than that.

According to the National Pasta Association, Americans consume about 20 pounds of pasta per person each year. Italians eat more than three times that amount.

There are more than 500 different pasta shapes. Translating their names into English does not exactly make them sound appetizing: worms, spindles, hats, butterflies, twins, tubes, thimbles, little boys, little ears, quill pens, strings, ribbons, etc.

Pasta Provencal (low fat)

3 Tbsps. olive oil

4-6 green onions, green and white parts chopped

1 yellow squash, chopped

4 tsps. minced garlic

1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

3 cups low-fat chicken broth

Basil and parsley, chopped, to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb (16 oz.) angel hair pasta

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil; add the green onions and mushrooms. Saut a few minutes, and then add the squash. Once softened, add the garlic and saut a few minutes more.

Add chicken broth, tomatoes and half of the tomato paste. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add more paste if necessary. Add the herbs just before the sauce is done cooking. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over cooked angel hair pasta. Add grated Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-6 servings.

Pasta with Sausage and Spinach Cream Sauce

1 lb Italian hot sausage.

3 Tbsps. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped.

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 qt. (32 oz.) chicken stock or canned broth

1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1 lb. (16 oz.) rigatoni

Remove the casing from the sausage and mash with a wooden spoon. Saut the sausage and onion in the oil, until the onions are soft but not browned. Stir and mash the sausage with spoon as it sauts to ensure it remains crumbled; add minced garlic. Add chicken stock and spinach. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

Add the cream, bring to a boil and simmer until thickened; add parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste at end. Serve over cooked rigatoni. Add grated Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-6 servings.

SpagHetti Aglio e Olio (garlic and oil)

Note: This is my personal favorite!

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

12 basil leaves, torn into pieces

2-3 pinches of red pepper flakes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lb. (16 oz.) spaghetti or spaghettini

Bring 4-5 quarts of cold water to a raging boil. Add a couple tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta, stirring it well to get it separated and mixed. Cook to al dente.

Heat olive oil and garlic in a saut pan (big enough to hold the pasta). When the garlic just starts to sizzle, or turn in color, add the basil leaves, red pepper flakes and salt. Stir and set aside until pasta is done.

When the pasta is properly al dente, drain it; turn the heat on under the sauce, add the pasta to the sauce. Add a touch of ground pepper. Toss to coat. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese. Makes 4-6 servings.

Penne with Anchovies, Tomatoes and Garlic

1 jar anchovies, packed in olive oil

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

10 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Pinch of red pepper flakes

1 can (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsps. fresh parsley, finely chopped

16 oz. penne pasta

Heat the oil over medium heat in a saute pan large enough to hold the sauce and the pasta. Add garlic and red pepper flakes. When it first starts to sizzle, add the anchovies and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook about 1 minute, or until anchovies fall apart.

Add pepper to taste. Add tomatoes and simmer about 8 minutes, stirring, until tomatoes fall apart into the sauce. Add chopped parsley. Taste for salt

When the pasta is properly al dente, drain it; turn the heat on under the sauce, add the pasta to the sauce; stir well. Cover and steam-cook for 1 minute over medium heat. Stir again and serve. Makes 4-6 servings.

Norm Harding is a cooking columnist for the Beacon. To send him recipes, e-mail him at nharding@brunswickbeacon.com.