How to Use Different Pasta Shapes.
Pasta is one of the most versatile foods in the world and can come in hundreds of different shapes and sizes. But with so many different pasta shapes, it can take a lot of work to know what kind of pasta pairs well with what; that is what I will be discussing today.
Join me as we dive into the wide world of pasta and look at what shapes pair well with what type of dish.
—————————————————————————————————————
I did go over the basics of cooking pasta in a previous article, which you are free to check out using the link below, but today I would like to share a bit of a hobby of mine that can show your loved ones how much you care about them, making fresh pasta.
https://the-s-word.net/youre-probably-doing-it-wrong/youre-probably-doing-it-wrong-pasta
Don’t get me wrong; I love boxed pasta; I always have a few varieties in my pantry for nights when I want to whip up a quick dinner, but if you have the time and are looking to impress, then fresh pasta is the way to go.
Dump 3 cups (about 360 grams) of flour into a large bowl to get started. Italian chefs will tell you to use high-protein 00 flour for a good amount of structure, but 00 flour can’t be easily found in American markets, so I would use three parts all-purpose flour and 1 part semolina, semolina being a flour made from durum wheat and has a high protein content. If you’re on a gluten-free diet, don’t worry; keep reading.
Make a well in the center of your flour, then add four whole eggs, three egg yolks, a large pinch of salt, and four tablespoons of olive oil inside the well. At this point, you can add coloring ingredients like tomato paste, cooked and drained spinach, or chopped herbs to boost flavor and color. (Some chefs also add squid ink to their dough, but that’s not necessary.)
Using a fork or your fingers, whisk the eggs thoroughly while slowly mixing in the flour until you get a tacky, loose dough. (To save time, you can also do this in a food processor)
The dough might seem a bit dry and like it’s not coming together initially, but it should absorb all the flour if you keep working it. On a floured surface, dump out the dough and knead for 5 minutes or until it forms a smooth ball. An excellent way to test that it’s ready is by gently poking the dough; if it springs back at you, it’s good to go.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap, shape it into a disc, and let it rest for at least 30 minutes to relax the gluten strands and make it easier to roll out.
Once the dough has relaxed, you’ll want to roll it through your pasta machine. These days there are pasta rollers that can hook up to an electric mixer, but I like the hand crank model as it’s more fun this way.
To set up the roller, place it on the edge of a countertop or table with at least 2 inches of space underneath. Then, use the clamp to tightly secure the roller to the counter, slip the crank into the hole next to the rollers, and you’re good to go!
Cut your dough into six pieces, leaving any dough you’re not working with covered in the plastic wrap, then flatten the dough a bit before dusting it with flour and rolling through the widest setting. This setting is different on different rollers, so you’ll want to turn the knob to the setting where the two metal rolling pins are the farthest apart.
After rolling the dough through once, you’ll want to fold the two ends into the middle, turn it 90 degrees, then move through again. You’ll want to do this three or four times to make the dough smoother, dusting with flour as you go.
Once the dough is smoother, use the knob to turn the roller down to the second-widest setting and roll through again. You’ll want to repeat this step with each descending setting until you reach the thickness you desire; I like taking it until the dough becomes slightly transparent.
And there you go, a great sheet of fresh pasta brings me to the first pasta shape I will be discussing; lasagna sheets.
Pasta sheets are great because, when fresh, you can cut them, stuff them, shape them, or do whatever you wish. But, of course, you can also leave the sheets whole for, you guessed it, lasagna.
Bonus shape: If you take some dried lasagna sheets and break them into small pieces, you’ll have what’s known as broken pasta, great for a pasta bake or tossing with a light olive oil sauce.
—————————————————————————————————————
Now, if you are on a gluten-free diet and want some pasta, here is the best advice I can give you…buy gluten-free pasta. If you want to try to figure out a way to make gluten-free pasta from scratch, go for it, but with the amount of work that would go into something like that, you’re better off buying the stuff.
—————————————————————————————————————
With that out of the way, let’s move on to the rest of the shapes and what to use them for. Remember that all the pasta shapes I’ll discuss can be dried at any grocery store.
I also want to point out that any of the pasta I will mention can be used for any application you can think of, but I’ll be discussing classic dishes that should give you a decent start on creativity.
—————————————————————————————————————
Pappardelle.
Pappardelle describes thin pasta that is cut to between two and three inches wide; that wide length allows it to stand up to heartier sauces like ragu, Bolognese, or even a classic beef stroganoff, a dish made with beef, mushrooms, onions, and a sour cream based sauce.
Fettuccine.
Fettuccine is a long pasta between one and two inches wide, it’s not as wide as pappardelle, but it is still a classic shape. Fettucine is good with light tomato sauces, pesto, and of course, there’s the calorie-loaded fettuccine alfredo.
By the way, classic alfredo sauce does not contain heavy cream. It’s based on a dish called Pasta Al Burro, a dish made by emulsifying butter, starchy pasta water, and a hefty amount of grated cheese. Some high-end restaurants make the dish by cutting open a parmesan wheel, digging out a well, and mixing the pasta with the butter and pasta water inside.
Bonus shape: if you notice a type of fettuccine sold in nests, you will undoubtedly see tagliatelle, a pasta slightly wider than fettuccine but can be used the same way.
Spaghetti: Without question, the most widely known variety of pasta in America.
Kinds of pasta like spaghetti are made by pressing the dough through an extruder, which forces the dough through a tight hole and creates long, round strands of pasta. Americans are familiar with the classic dish, spaghetti and meatballs, but it’s also great when tossed with sardines, chilies, and tomatoes.
Honestly, what’s more fun that twirling spaghetti onto your fork?
Linguine. (No, not the egghead from Ratatouille)
The main difference between spaghetti and linguine is that spaghetti is round while linguine is flat, this flat surface helps the pasta wrap around sauces and lifts them from the plate easier. A classic way to go is linguine with clams, white wine, and a splash of cream.
—————————————————————————————————————
Angel hair, also known as vermicelli.
Angel hair pasta is one of the thinnest forms of long pasta and one of the thinnest varieties available in grocery stores; this thinness makes the pasta more delicate and light. Because it is so thin, angel hair pasta is ideal for lighter sauces for dishes such as Aglio e olio, a pasta dish made with lots of garlic and olive oil.
Rigatoni
A wide, tubular pasta, rigatoni is great because it’s full of ridges that sauces can grab onto for an easier lift into your mouth. Like pappardelle, rigatoni’s wide surface allows it to stand up to hearty, rich sauces like a ragu.
—————————————————————————————————————
Penne
Penne is a thinner rigatoni that can almost pair with any sauce or topping you wish. A favorite for me would have to be penne with chicken, vegetables, and a pesto-cream sauce.
Macaroni
Macaroni is a small pasta variety known for an elbow or curved shape that is also great for picking up sauces. I like using it for pasta salads, in soups, and I can’t forget about the all-American classic; macaroni and cheese, a dish that many people mess up on because…well, that’s for another article.
Farfalle.
Its name comes from the Italian word for butterfly; farfalle’s unique bowtie shape makes it a very iconic pasta shape with lots of ridges for picking up sauce. It’s a shape I like to use for pasta salads, or tossed with pancetta, ricotta, and peas.
—————————————————————————————————————
Orecchiette
Its name referring to an older man’s inner ear (sounds delicious, doesn’t it?), orecchiette has a unique dimpled round shape, the dimple of which allows the pasta to pick up the sauce as well as any other. A classic way to go is orecchiette with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe (A cross between broccoli and kale)
Orzo
It may look like rice, but orzo is, indeed, pasta. You can tell the difference because orzo is slightly bigger than rice and has the signature pasta yellow color. Because it is so tiny, orzo cooks quickly and is excellent to add to soups to thicken them, especially if it’s a soup with mussels and vegetables.
—————————————————————————————————————
Ravioli (ravioli, ravioli, give me the formuoli…sorry, what was I doing?)
I love ravioli because it is as versatile as any other pasta. It can be stuffed with meat, cheese, mushrooms, or spinach and served with any sauce you like.
A classic, albeit challenging, dish is ravioli al uovo, a ravioli that has an egg yolk stuffed inside that bursts open when you cut into it like a poached egg. It isn’t easy because that egg yolk can break any time, but it is worth it if you want to impress.
Tortellini
Tortellini starts by folding a square of pasta over a filling, usually a ground meat mixture, to create a triangle, the edges of which are then wrapped around a finger before the third corner is folded down. It’s a tricky process, but it is fun once you get the hang of it.
Tortellini is great to simmer in soups or mixed with tomato sauce for a tasty bite.
I could write a book on the versatility of pasta, and once you discover how different shapes of pasta can affect the overall appearance of your dish, you will be wanting to explore them too!
