Rediscover Pasta

Cositutti - A Travel and Lifestyle Resource For All Fine Things Italian

April 2009

Welcome to Cositutti

Miei Amici

Don't let the recession keep you from eating well. As busy families search for healthy, satisfying, easy to prepare food that stimulates their appetites as well as the economy, authentic Italian pasta is the perfect choice.

Our grandparents knew that pasta was the perfect food for hard times. During the early 1900's the traditions for making and eating pasta were brought to the tables of America by Italian immigrants who knew what it was like to feed a family on a budget. Oral and written histories are full of recollections of European immigrants "struggling to make ends meet". Yet every meal prepared at those tables was fresh, vibrant and nourishing. Grandmothers taught the traditions of casalinga. homestyle cooking with recipes that have stood the test of time and pasta soon moved out of the Italian kitchen to become a staple at tables throughout the world.

You don't have to settle for processed foods with empty calories to save time and money, rediscover pasta at CosituttiMarketPlace where you will find a selection of traditional handcrafted pasta made with all natural ingredients and no preservatives - Mangia Bene!

Macaroniomics

Pasta pairs well with the recession. Food analysts are calling pasta the "least expensive center of the plate item you can have" and a cost effective option for keeping your food budget in line.You can feed a family of four a pasta based meal for about $5-$10 dollars. According to the National Pasta Association, the nutritional value of a 1/2 cup serving of cooked pasta (spaghetti) contains a mere 99 calories, less than half a gram of fat and less than 5 milligrams of sodium.

The Perfect Pasta Traditional Method for Making Garganelli

I may not have been thinking about an economic recession when I began looking for a new pasta to add to CosituttiMarketPlace but as fate would have it the pasta I chose is perfect for satisfying homestyle meals with restaurant quality taste.

Garganelli pasta from Modena is now available at CosituttiMarketPlace. Made from thin sheets of pasta dough extruded through traditional bronze dies to create a small ridged rolled tube, this pasta is typical of Emilia Romagna, the gastronomic epicenter of Italy. Prettier and thinner than penne, it resembles a quill with both ends pointed and pairs well with both tomato and cream based sauces. The superior flavor and texture of this pasta is so good and such a good value that I'm going to recommend that it be included in the economic stimulus package.

*picture shows the traditional way of making Garganelli using a pettine "comb" and a wooden stick to create the small ridged rolled tubes

Return to a Rolling Boil

A few hints about cooking pasta I learned from my Italian family and friends.

For every pound of pasta allow at least 4 quarts of water.
Bring water to a rolling boil before adding the pasta. (Adding salt is optional)
Return water to a boil and time according to the package directions.
Remove a piece of pasta and taste test. Italian's prefer their pasta slightly undercooked, al dente meaning "to the tooth". It will finish cooking when sauced. Remove a piece of pasta from the pan and taste. The pasta should be somewhat firm when you bite.
Drain the pasta. Retain a small amount of the pasta water. You may need it to loosen the sauce. You do not need to rinse pasta unless you want to cool it prior to adding to a salad.

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