FoodBanter.com - Cooking pasta without draining the water

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Bob (this one) wrote:
> Gal Called J.J. wrote:
>
>> One time on Usenet, "Bob (this one)" > said:
>>
>>> Gal Called J.J. wrote:
>>
>> <snip>
>>
>>>> The first thing that comes to my mind is "how hard is it to just
>>>> drain the damned pasta?"! Someone once told me that my grandmother
>>>> didn't boil her pasta, she turned off the heat and let it sit. I
>>>> tried this once, but I thought it tasted water-logged. I tend to
>>>> think I must have done it wrong...
>>>
>>> It was water-logged. Did they also say that her pasta was good?
>>>
>>> I thought not.
>>
>> Au contraire, learned Bob -- Gramma's seafood spaghetti was
>> a big favorite with family and friends. But given that your
>> reaction to the non-boil method is the same as mine, I suspect
>> that the informant in this case was just confused about how she
>> cooked the pasta. This discussion took place long after Gramma
>> had passed, and while it didn't really sound right to me, I had
>> to try it. I wish I'd paid better attention to her cooking
>> methods when I had the chance...
>
> There's an obscure way to finish cooking pasta in the sauce that I've
> seen in a few Italian kitchens. It consists of kind of par-boiling the
> pasta (like 4 minutes), mixing it with sauce, and finishing it in a
> closed vessel in the oven. Always done with strongly flavored sauces,
> particularly seafood.

> I've even seen this done in a parchment package - "en papillote" as a
> French chef would say. It's good. The pasta ends up a tad more firm
> than usual with very rich flavoring from the sauce. Fussy, though. A

These are spaghetti "al cartoccio". Sometimes called "allo scoglio"
although this can be finished in a pan and not "en papillote".
Better to define the recipe as "spaghetti di mare al cartoccio" because you
could find "spaghetti al catoccio" with a different recipes (just tuna fish
and no fresh seafood).

Anyway, this could help:
From www.dececco.it
"There is a lot more to learn when it comes to cooking pasta. The art of
pasta making starts from the choice of the pasta itself, but it requires
attention and care even before it meets the sauce, which should enhance its
aroma and flavour and not cover its imperfections.
To bring a plate of perfect pasta to the table, scrupulously follow the main
cooking rules.

First of all choose a large saucepan, in order to collect as much heat as
possible, it should be wide enough to comfortably contain the water needed
for cooking the pasta, i.e. a litre of water every hundred grams of pasta.
The third rule regards the salt; it should be kitchen salt and its quantity
should be in proportioned to the quantity of water: 10 g of salt for each
litre of water.

When the water reaches a rolling boil, salt it and toss the pasta in it. At
De Cecco we always suggest raising the heat and covering the pan with a lid
in order to bring the water to the boil again. After the first stir to
separate the pasta, let it cook following cooking time indications, which
change according to the different types of pasta, recommended by De Cecco
and indicated on each packet."

Luca

--
Nolite proicere margaritas ad porcos

Argghhhhhh!!!

The thread that would not die eh?

Katra wrote:
> Argghhhhhh!!!
>
> The thread that would not die eh?

No, as long as someone will look for "experimental alternatives" to cook
pasta...

Luca

--
Nolite proicere margaritas ad porcos

One time on Usenet, Katra > said:

> Argghhhhhh!!!
>
> The thread that would not die eh?

Heck, I thought it *did* die until I read your post, Katra, and
checked the references header. Apparently my server isn't being
very thorough -- it missed Bob's reply completely. Thank goodness
for Google...

--
J.J. in WA ~ mom, vid gamer, novice cook ~
"I rule you!" - Travis of the Cosmos, ATHF

Katra wrote:

> Argghhhhhh!!!
>
> The thread that would not die eh?

To prolong it a little more...

This recipe comes from Marianne Esposito. Becasue it's pretty rich,
I prefer to serve it as a side dish with a meat course. Pennette are
little bitty penne; other small shapes like ditalini and orzo work
just as well. The dish turns out something like a risotto (especially
if you use orzo.) While I'm normally a pasta purist who subscribes
to the standard Italian cooking method, I have to admit that this
recipe is excellent.

-- Mike Brandt

----------------------------------------------------------------
PENNETTE IN PADELLA

1 lb pennette
3 T olive Oil
6 T brandy
1/2 oz porcini, soaked (reserve soaking water)
4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
1/4 C chopped parsley
3 1/2 C chicken broth
6 T heavy cream
1/2 C Parmaggiano Reggiano

Brown uncooked pennette in 2T oil. Add brandy, heat, and set aside.
In another skillet, saute chopped porcini and shiitakes in 1T oil,
add parsley.
Add broth and porcini water to penette, cover and boil until just
shy of al dente. Uncover and reduce any remaining broth.
Add mushrooms-parsley and cream, heat through, add cheese and
serve.
----------------------------------------------------------------

Mike Brandt wrote:

> This recipe comes from Marianne Esposito. Becasue it's pretty rich,
> I prefer to serve it as a side dish with a meat course. Pennette
> are little bitty penne; other small shapes like ditalini and orzo
> work just as well. The dish turns out something like a risotto
> (especially if you use orzo.) While I'm normally a pasta purist who
> subscribes to the standard Italian cooking method, I have to admit
> that this recipe is excellent.
>
> -- Mike Brandt
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> PENNETTE IN PADELLA
>
> 1 lb pennette
> 3 T olive Oil
> 6 T brandy
> 1/2 oz porcini, soaked (reserve soaking water)
> 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
> 1/4 C chopped parsley
> 3 1/2 C chicken broth
> 6 T heavy cream
> 1/2 C Parmaggiano Reggiano
> Brown uncooked pennette in 2T oil. Add brandy, heat, and set aside.
> In another skillet, saute chopped porcini and shiitakes in 1T oil,
> add parsley. Add broth and porcini water to penette, cover and boil
> until just shy of al dente. Uncover and reduce any remaining broth.
> Add mushrooms-parsley and cream, heat through, add cheese and
> serve.

This is considerably more reasonable than the phony recipe that
started this thread with 1/2 cup of liquid to a pound of pasta. Here
we get a bit over 4 cups liquid to the pound with the recognition that
it's slightly more than necessary. This relies on the combination of
dispersed oil and milkfat, and released starch to make a creamy matrix
for the dish.

"Padella" means either frying pan or bedpan. Sometimes you just get
more info than you want.

Pastorio

"Mike Brandt" > wrote in message
...
> Katra wrote:
>
>> Argghhhhhh!!!
>>
>> The thread that would not die eh?
>
> To prolong it a little more...
>
> This recipe comes from Marianne Esposito. Becasue it's pretty rich,
> I prefer to serve it as a side dish with a meat course. Pennette are
> little bitty penne; other small shapes like ditalini and orzo work
> just as well. The dish turns out something like a risotto (especially
> if you use orzo.) While I'm normally a pasta purist who subscribes
> to the standard Italian cooking method, I have to admit that this
> recipe is excellent.
>
> -- Mike Brandt
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> PENNETTE IN PADELLA
>
> 1 lb pennette
> 3 T olive Oil
> 6 T brandy
> 1/2 oz porcini, soaked (reserve soaking water)
> 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
> 1/4 C chopped parsley
> 3 1/2 C chicken broth
> 6 T heavy cream
> 1/2 C Parmaggiano Reggiano
>
> Brown uncooked pennette in 2T oil. Add brandy, heat, and set aside.
> In another skillet, saute chopped porcini and shiitakes in 1T oil,
> add parsley.
> Add broth and porcini water to penette, cover and boil until just
> shy of al dente. Uncover and reduce any remaining broth.
> Add mushrooms-parsley and cream, heat through, add cheese and
> serve.

*lol*

--
Nolite proicere margaritas ad porcos

Mike Brandt wrote:
> Katra wrote:
>
>> Argghhhhhh!!!
>>
>> The thread that would not die eh?
>
> To prolong it a little more...
>
> This recipe comes from Marianne Esposito. Becasue it's pretty rich,
> I prefer to serve it as a side dish with a meat course. Pennette are
> little bitty penne; other small shapes like ditalini and orzo work
> just as well. The dish turns out something like a risotto (especially
> if you use orzo.) While I'm normally a pasta purist who subscribes
> to the standard Italian cooking method, I have to admit that this
> recipe is excellent.
>
> -- Mike Brandt
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------
> PENNETTE IN PADELLA
>
> 1 lb pennette
> 3 T olive Oil
> 6 T brandy
> 1/2 oz porcini, soaked (reserve soaking water)
> 4 oz fresh shiitake mushrooms
> 1/4 C chopped parsley
> 3 1/2 C chicken broth
> 6 T heavy cream
> 1/2 C Parmaggiano Reggiano
>
> Brown uncooked pennette in 2T oil. Add brandy, heat, and set aside.
> In another skillet, saute chopped porcini and shiitakes in 1T oil,
> add parsley.
> Add broth and porcini water to penette, cover and boil until just
> shy of al dente. Uncover and reduce any remaining broth.
> Add mushrooms-parsley and cream, heat through, add cheese and
> serve.

E.S.

Luca

--
Nolite proicere margaritas ad porcos