"John Gaughan" > wrote in message
...
> I tried whole wheat pasta the other day. My wife and I both think it
> tastes good, but it does not hold sauce well. Most likely this is due to
> the fact that it has less starch, which helps bond sauce to the pasta.
>
> Is this true of all whole wheat pasta? What brands do you guys
> recommend? Any cooking tips, should I cook it differently than normal
> pasta? Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water, and toss
> in olive oil.
>
> --
> John Gaughan
> http://www.johngaughan.net/
>
Trader Joe's sells a whole wheat penne which I find very satisfying.
Currently (at least in Los Angeles) they are not selling, because, according
to the manager I asked there, they are going through a standard nutritional
evaluation (never heard of that before, but I hope the label is still valid
because, in addition to [or because of] the value of the fiber, you get
about a 1/3 more pasta for the caloric equivalent of non-whole wheat [half
wheat?]). In the absence of the penne, the linguini is fine; I have a
personal preference for the penne. I cook the penne about 8 minutes and the
linguini for 5 because of their relative densities. It's cheap, too, a buck
for a pound, whereas Whole Foods sells their house brand of whole wheat
pasta for 2.29.
While I'm getting the pasta ready (about a 15 minute process, all in), I
brown a little ground turkey with garlic, onion and parsley then remove and
stir up some more onion, garlic and diced vegetables du jour -- I like
julienne eggplant (pre-baked and split,at 350 for an hour, then pre-cooled)
mushrooms and maybe some peppers adding whatever spice I'm in the mood for.
Simmer in about a cup of tomato sauce (thinned w/water as needed), a little
red wine and about a tablespoon of tomato paste, returning the browned meat
and then a few more pinches of fresh minced parsley for color on the final
serve (and maybe a little sugar). Yum. Did it last night, in fact.