Pasta is a forgiving food. It can be dished up while warm, cold or at room temperature. It can be tossed with a warm, fragrant sauce of olive oil and garlic or with an array of icy, crisp summer vegetables. It can be served as a side dish, as an entree or as a dessert.
Cook pasta in 4 quarts boiling water until al dente (tender, yet firm). Drain and toss in a large bowl with 1/4 cup olive oil. Cool to room temperature, occasionally stirring to coat thoroughly.
Separately blanch all the vegetables until just barely tender; immerse immediately in ice water. Drain well and add to pasta.
Combine mustard, lemon juice, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Pour over pasta; mix well. Add turkey. Garnish with watercress if desired.
In a blender or food processor, combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, cumin, about half the tomatoes and cucumbers, salt, pepper, and pepper sauce to taste. Blend to a coarse puree and reserve.
Cook pasta in 4 quarts boiling water until al dente. Drain and toss in a large bowl with about half the reserved salad dressing. Cool to room temperature, occasionally stirring.
Place pasta in a large shallow bowl. Put remaining ingredients in small individual bowls and arrange around pasta bowl. Let everyone choose toppings at the table. Pass remaining dressing.
Cut the swordfish into bite-size pieces; remove all skin and bones. Place in one layer in a buttered baking dish.
Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan. Add parsley and garlic and cook over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, lemon juice and fennel. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Turn the hot pasta into a heated serving dish. Spoon fish and sauce over it; sprinkle with the olives and serve.
Place the oil and garlic in a skillet; cook over medium heat until garlic is light gold.
Add the parsley to the oil and garlic. Pour the mixture on the pasta; sprinkle on pepper and a good pinch of red pepper flakes, if desired; toss. Serve very hot.
In a large skillet, warm 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over high heat. Add the garlic, green and red peppers, and rosemary and quickly saute, stirring. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the peppers are soft. Remove the peppers to a bowl, add the onion to the skillet, and cook until soft and translucent. Add the onion to the peppers.
Discard the oil in the skillet and wipe it clean with paper towels. Add the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons oil and bring to the smoking point over high heat. Add the tomato slices and fry very quickly. Add the basil and red pepper flakes; return the pepper and onion mixture to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat until heated through. Add parsley. Set aside, but keep warm.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta until it is al dente. Drain and turn into a serving bowl. Top pasta with the sauce; toss. Serve with Parmesan on the side.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.
Meanwhile, in a skillet, combine 3 garlic cloves with 1/4 cup of oil. Cook over moderate heat until the garlic starts to sizzle. Add the broccoli and stir-fry until tender; do not overcook. Discard the garlic.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the skillet and cook, tossing gently with the broccoli over low heat. Remove to a serving bowl.
In a food processor or blender, combine the remaining 2 garlic cloves, the remaining 1/2 cup oil, and the basil and salt. Process until pureed. Add the reserved cooking water and pour the sauce on the pasta-broccoli mixture. Toss and decorate with the tomato before serving.
Pasta can be served at any temperature ranging from pipping hot to Luke warm. It tastes awesome when the cheese in it is in a molten state.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions, until just al dente.
Cut the swordfish into bite-size pieces; remove all skin and bones. Place in one layer in a buttered baking dish.
In a large skillet, warm 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over high heat. Add the garlic, green and red peppers, and rosemary and quickly saute, stirring. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the peppers are soft. Remove the peppers to a bowl, add the onion to the skillet, and cook until soft and translucent. Add the onion to the peppers.
Place the oil and garlic in a skillet; cook over medium heat until garlic is light gold.
In a food processor or blender, combine the remaining 2 garlic cloves, the remaining 1/2 cup oil, and the basil and salt. Process until pureed. Add the reserved cooking water and pour the sauce on the pasta-broccoli mixture. Toss and decorate with the tomato before serving.
Seafood based pasta dishes are rarely if ever served with grated cheese to sprinkle on top. If you have ever been to Italy and asked for cheese to go with your clams and spaghetti, you know what I mean. You will get a blank stare from the waiter!!
We are all sometimes guilty of large portions, but a pound of pasta serves 8 – two or one. We can’t help it because we love it so much. One way around eating too much pasta is to load it up with lots of vegetables or fish so that the ratio of veggies or fish is greater than the amount of pasta. Try these tricks the next time you cook pasta.
Twirling pasta on a soupspoon is not done in Italy. Winding it around a fork is; and long pasta (spaghetti, fettucine and vermicelli) is never cut with a knife unless it is a lasagne or some other type of filled pasta.
The best way to sauce pasta is in the pot in which the sauce was made. That way the pasta is evenly coated, not drowned in the sauce. Italians never serve it with a big glob of sauce sitting on top of naked pasta.
An old saying goes: “Cooked pasta waits for no one.” Amen to that! There is nothing worse than being served a plate of cold pasta. I keep that quote on my refrigerator door! Believe it or not there are ways to make sure that the pasta about to served is piping hot when placed in front of someone. One trick I have learned is to heat individual pasta bowls in the microwave or your oven while the pasta is being sauced. The other trick I use is to drain the pasta in a colander set in the sink over a large serving platter; the boiling hot water heats the platter which is then discarded and the platter remains hot.
The Secret to Hot, Delicious Pasta
FAQ
Should pasta be served hot or cold?
Is it better to eat pasta hot or cold?
How should pasta be served?
Are you supposed to cool down pasta?
How do you keep pasta warm?
The best way to keep pasta warm is with very low, indirect, wet heat. Moisture will prevent the pasta from drying out, maintain its texture, and keep it tasting fresh. The goal is to keep pasta warm and not sticky. This method will keep the pasta moist and warm while keeping it out of the water and off of the direct heat so it shouldn’t burn.
Can one eat pasta?
Pasta can be part of a diet, but in moderate amounts (100g of dried pasta daily), and it is better when it is made from whole grains rather than refined. Also, you must also have it combined with vegetables. Avoid taken it with fatty foods such as cream and cheese.
Does baked pasta heat up?
A baked pasta dish, such as baked ziti, heats up very well. There’s nothing like fresh, hot pasta. But you can keep pasta warm and reheat cold pasta with fantastic results as long as you use the right methods. Keep the pasta moist and covered and the heat source low for optimal results.
Should you cover pasta before cooking?
Length of Time: If you’re only keeping the pasta warm for a short period of time, like 10-15 minutes, covering it may not be necessary. However, if you need to keep it warm for longer than that, covering it with a lid or foil can help retain heat and prevent it from cooling down too quickly.