La Pasta Bella
A commemorative reprint of 15 Classic Pasta Recipes Circa 1990
Mario Martinoli
Copyright Mario Martinoli, Pot Holder Press, Cooking For Friends, Inc.
La Pasta Bella, 1990 Mario Martinoli
No culture is an island when it comes to the enjoyment of food. Just the idea of cooking evokes a desire to share the results of a well-prepared meal.
Throughout my life I've traveled around the world and shared food with many people. With this first booklet I will share 15 pasta recipes that best represent the “not-only-my-favorites”, but also a sampling of the first two years of our Beverly Boulevard location.
I'm very proud of the work that has gone into this booklet. The basic tone is this: With attention given to the fundamentals, you can assure your satisfaction at the dinner table for you and your guests.
While I was learning to find my way around a commercial kitchen, I also found that the basic rules that had applied to home cooking did not apply to a professional environment. To my surprise they were simpler to understand, although on a larger scale. A great deal has been learned in the last ten years and now I wish to share some of that knowledge with you.
As you go through each recipe you will notice that each has some helpful ideas and a short story about it. You should look through each and organize yourself before starting. It will make the meal even more enjoyable.
I always begin my classes with the following statement: Cooking is not an exact science. The recipes found on these pages are yours now. You should change them to suit the needs of your family and friends, the same way that I have changed and created them to suit mine.
Mario
HELPFUL TIPS
The amount of pasta needed for each guest has always been a calculation that has kept many home cooks from preparing the correct amount for their guests.
The best rule of thumb is that one pound of pasta will be more than enough for four people…and probably just enough for six. In Italy the standard is 100 grams per person, which is 3 oz. each.
Pasta needs enough water to cook properly and enough room to freely move around in, while absorbing the water.
These are two very important areas where, simply, a large pot with a built in colander will do the job. These particular pasta pots hold about eight quarts of water and are available at specialty cookware stores. The water must be boiling and salted before the pasta is put into the water. Only use imported Italian pasta and do not rinse.
Pasta can dry out quite quickly at times.
A very effective way to assist you in dealing with this occurrence is to save some of the pasta water and use it to loosen things up when necessary.
I only use unsalted butter and the reason is simple.
Unsalted butter is neutral in salt so that you will have better control over the flavor when reducing a sauce. Remember the more you reduce a sauce the more intense the flavors will become.
Do not allow the herbs and spices to turn brown or burn.
Garlic becomes bitter and fresh herbs lose all their flavor. I always have some stock handy for use when I need to infuse olive oil with the flavors of herbs and spices. Using a little stock while heating the olive oil and the herbs allows the flavor of the ingredients to meld better without the herbs and spices burning. The stock will evaporate and you will be left with a full-flavored olive oil to begin your sauce with.
The seed of the tomato is the single greatest cause of long-cooking sauces turning sour or having a bitter taste.
Sometimes a recipe will call for some sugar to remove the sour from the sauce, but next time try removing the seeds first and leaving out the sugar. This is a bit more work but well worth the effort.
Most great and wonderful things in life require time to mature.
The examples are endless. Sauce is one of those examples which when hurried along does not end up with the same results as when left to cook slowly. Watch your liquid content and use medium heat when called for and/or high heat when needed.
The use of heavy bottomed pans is very important in the distribution of heat in the cooking process.
Thin pots and pans get hot too quickly and may cause you to burn an herb or ruin an entire sauce. Thick or heavy bottomed pans also allow you to regulate the amount of heat better.
Cold ingredients will lower the temperature of the pot or pan.
This is not something that you want to happen. When using cream try warming it up a little before using.
I love hot food hot.
To make the pasta stay warm longer, heat the serving bowl and the individual pasta bowls in the oven just long enough to remove the chill.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS USED IN THE BOOKLET
AL DENTE refers to the hardness of the pasta after it has been cooked. Literally translated it means firm "to the tooth", taking to note that the pasta should be slightly hard but not raw or gummy.
THE BATUTTO is the Italian culinary technique for mixing ingredients before the actual cooking process begins. You will notice that sometimes the vegetables are mixed and set aside for a while so the flavors may mix well, giving way to great results. To make a true batutto, chop the vegetables so they are well incorporated into one another.
TO REDUCE is simply a step, which evaporates some of the liquid from a sauce and concentrates the flavors. In the reduction process you might have to raise the heat, so always be careful and watch out that the sauce doesn’t separate or burn.
TO INFUSE is to raise the temperature of the cooking liquid to a point where you draw the flavor of the herbs and spices into it. If you happen to burn the herb or spice, the olive oil will still have the infused flavor. Remove the burned herb or spice and continue.
TO DRAIN does not mean to dry out. When the pasta has dropped most of its cooking water it is ready to use. Don't wait too long. Use the pasta when it is still hot, tossing with the sauce so the two ingredients become more like one.
SIMMERING is probably the most important culinary term when speaking about Italian sauces. The sauce cannot achieve its true flavor if it does not simmer. Simmering is not a fast or rapid action of the sauce; rather one that is medium paced and that does not splatter.
PASTA WITH BUTTER AND PARMESAN CHEESE
Shopping List
1 lb. Pasta (Spaghettini-Capellini-Pastina)
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
Method
Cook the pasta "al dente" in salted boiling water.
Start melting butter in the service bowl by using about 1/3 cup of the hot drained pasta water. Add pasta and toss as the butter is melting. Water will continue to evaporate and be absorbed by the pasta. As this occurs, add some parmesan cheese and continue tossing.
Add enough Parmesan cheese to create a thin sauce.
Serve pasta hot and pass any remaining cheese and optional black pepper.
NOTES:
This pasta must be served hot.
Use additional pasta water to regulate the consistency of the sauce.
This is a great pasta served on cold nights. Make it with pastina and eat it with a spoon.
PASTA WITH GARLIC AND OLIVE OIL
Shopping List
1 lb. Spaghetti
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Salt to taste
2 Tbs. Italian parsley, minced
Method
Place garlic, olive oil, stock and parsley in a sauté pan. Cook over medium heat and allow the liquid to simmer. This will bring out the flavor of the garlic and infuse the olive oil.
Let most of the stock evaporate leaving behind the flavored olive oil. Do not allow the garlic or parsley to burn.
Season at this time with salt to taste and toss with pasta and ground pepper.
NOTES:
This is the first pasta dish that I ever tried to make.
I made it for my mom and dad many years ago and they still like to have it at least once a week. Something must be said for the simple things!!!
For added flavor each person should add a little extra virgin olive oil as a dressing to the pasta.
PASTA WITH FRESH TOMATO AND BASIL
Shopping List
1 lb. Angel Hair Pasta or Spaghettini
6 not-too-ripe Roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, sliced
15 basil leaves, no stems
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Method
Warm olive oil and garlic over medium heat in a saucepan and cook until garlic just turns golden. Do not allow the garlic to turn dark brown or to burn.
Add all the tomatoes and stir. Raise heat and coat the tomatoes with olive oil.
Add basil and stir again. Lower heat to medium and season with salt and pepper.
Cook off 1/3 of the water that is released by the tomatoes.
Toss, over pasta, in a warm bowl.
NOTES:
For an easy way to peel skins from tomatoes, slice an "X” through the skin on the bottom end of the tomato.
Put into boiling water for 1 minute.
Immediately put into ice-cold water.
Tomatoes will now be very easy to peel.
This sauce is a combination of cooked and partially cooked ingredients.
The tomatoes should be warmed through but not too soft.
THE POPE'S PASTA
Shopping List
1 lb. home-made or boxed Egg Fettuccine
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
1 cup baby or petite frozen peas, thawed
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 oz. domestic prosciutto 1/8" slices cut into 1" strips
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream, room temperature or slightly heated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup of the drained pasta water
Method
Beat the egg in the pasta-serving bowl, set aside.
Sauté onion with butter and olive oil over medium heat until onion is translucent but not brown.
Add cream and reduce by 1/4.
Add peas and black pepper and simmer for one minute.
Add prosciutto and adjust salt. Set aside but keep warm.
Drain pasta and reserve the pasta water.
Toss the pasta with the beaten egg. Now add the sauce and mix well. Add some Parmesan cheese.
If the sauce becomes dry, add reserved pasta water, a little at a time.
Toss until well coated.
NOTES:
This is an old pasta dish that was created by one of the Renaissance Popes. As the story goes, this culinary cardinal came from the Parma region of Italy with a healthy appetite for peas and prosciutto, - the ham that made Parma legendary. This combination seemed to be a match that was "made-in-heaven" and to him, totally irresistible. You might want to enjoy this pasta for Sunday brunch.
THE PRISONER’S PASTA
Shopping List
1 lb. Spaghetti or Angel Hair Pasta
8 just-ripe Roma tomatoes
15 basil leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil or as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Seed and chop the tomatoes into 1/8" pieces. Set aside.
Mince the basil and the garlic cloves. The garlic must be finely minced, but if necessary, use a garlic press. Mix together and then mix with the tomatoes.
Add olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside for one hour. Do not refrigerate.
Toss with the hot pasta; coating totally. If necessary, use a little more extra virgin olive oil.
Do not use cheese.
NOTES:
This pasta had a method behind its creation.
With no time on hand to create great dishes for the inmates, the jail house cooks used the most abundant resources: tomatoes, basil and garlic.
Mix and toss with pasta, as is.
This sauce is totally raw when tossed with the pasta.
The heat and vapor from the pasta will "cook" the tomatoes slightly.
If you have some of the tomato mixture left over, you can refrigerate it and use it later as a topping for toasted bread or a side dish to go along with fish.
THE PROSTITUTE’S PASTA
Shopping List
1 lb. Penne
4 Tbs. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, sliced
2 26-oz. canned Italian plum tomatoes, juice reserved, strained and seeded
1/4 cup pitted and quartered Kalamata olives
2 Tbs. capers
1 Tsp. crushed red chili peppers
Pinch of black pepper
4 anchovy fillets, mashed
2 Tbs. Italian parsley, minced
1/4 cup Pecorino Romano
Method
Over medium heat, sauté garlic in the olive oil. Do not let it burn.
Add the tomatoes and their juice and continue to cook for five minutes covered.
Now that the tomatoes are warm, raise heat to reduce liquid and allow to cook for another five minutes.
Add capers, anchovy, and chili peppers and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, making sure the liquid is not evaporating too quickly. (If so add a little stock or water.)
Add the olives and cook for another five minutes or until the flavors are melded well. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
Toss with the well-drained pasta and serve with Pecorino Romano cheese.
NOTES:
The port city of Naples has the somewhat curious honor of being the birthplace of this more than alluring dish. It seems that the innkeepers of the neighborhoods in and around Naples were not only in the food and beverage business, but also involved in enterprises that go back a little further.
The wonderful aromas that are associated with this sauce are said to be the enticing reason why the inns were always full of patrons.
PENNE WITH GORGONZOLA AND SUN DRIED TOMATOES
Shopping List
1 lb. Fusilli
8 oz. Gorgonzola (cubed or crumbled)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups cream, room temperature or slightly heated
8-10 sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips
1/4 Tsp. fresh ground black pepper or to taste
Salt
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Method
With medium heat sauté the garlic and the sun-dried tomatoes in the olive oil. Do not allow them to burn or fry.
Now add the cream and bring to a slow simmer. Continue for two minutes.
Add the Gorgonzola and the black pepper.
Reduce the liquid by 1/4. Test by using the back of a spoon. The sauce should have a smooth consistency when removed.
Drain the pasta and reserve one cup of the pasta water.
Toss the sauce with the pasta. If it becomes too thick add some pasta water one tablespoon at a time.
Add cheese if desired.
NOTES:
Well! Here is one recipe that is just for those who want to really have an explosion of flavor. Adjust the various ingredients to suit your own palate, and play with it, as you like. Once in a while try using some black dry cured olives for an added kick.