There are a vast number of ingredients that pair well with pasta, from the simple pasta carbonara, one of the most popular dishes in Italy, to the even simpler pasta with only olive oil and freshly grated parm. Is it hard to think of a vegetable, meat, or cheese that doesn’t go with pasta, don’t you think?
First and foremost, let’s talk about quality. Good quality, imported Italian pasta is widely available in the U.S. now. Please do not go for the cheap stuff. The Italians have something on the order of 350 types of pasta. Like French cheese, some pastas are made in only a few villages and in limited quantities with the chances of you ever seeing them nil. However, a lot are now available here stateside. My favorite is bucatini, a long, thin pasta, like spaghetti but thicker, that is hollow so that it holds more sauce. I am also fond of pasta made with spinach, the wide pappardelle, and orecchiette.
Please remember that there is no substitute for imported Italian parmesan Reggiano. None. American and Canadian-made parm just don’t make it. Parm is considered to be the king of all cheeses and comes from only five regions in Italy (Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantua). It is not parm if it is not from one of these regions.
All the European countries along the Mediterranean make good olive oil, but they all have been selling the plonk that they would not use to us for years. Olive oil is not just a lubricant; it is a flavorful ingredient. Olive oil is like wine, with a wide array of tastes, from subtle to sharp and aggressive. Smell the olive oil you are thinking about buying. If it is neutral, leave it on the shelf. If it awakens your pallet and is sharp with something to say, that’s what you are looking for.
When the Italians sauce pasta, it is just a thin coating, The Italians accuse us of making soup when we sauce pasta. To them, it is about the pasta, not the sauce. They also turn their noses up at our fondness of canned, pre-grated parm and compare it to sawdust. I tend to agree.
One of my favorite pasta dishes is rigatoni, with ham and peas. It is sometimes served with a light cream sauce and is called pasta alla papalina, a great way to use leftover ham.
So, the next time you are in the mood for pasta, be a little more respectful! Go easy on the sauce, use real parm, and best quality olive oil.
