Aug
05
2013
0
By jacob burton
In this video I demonstrate the simple technique of cooking pasta and then saucing it in a pan, using the fresh tomato sauce we created in our previous video.
A couple of things to keep in mind when using this technique:
- Contrary to popular belief, you don't want to use a whole lot of water when boiling pasta, especially dry spaghetti. This will only dilute the starch in the water that is necessary for the sauce to properly adhere to the pasta. This starchy water can also be used to add more liquid to the sauce, which as it reduces, will be thickened by the pasta starch.
- For this technique to work properly, do not strain the pasta through a colander. Simply remove it from the pot using a pasta basket or tongs as demonstrated in this video.
- Feel free to add a layer of "reinforced flavors" to the simple tomato sauce used. For example, you could saute some mushrooms with shallots and garlic, deglaze with a red or white wine of choice, add a little chicken stock, and then add the fresh tomato sauce to the pan. For a richer sauce, you can even finish with a little bit of heavy cream. This video and it's accompanying sauce was purposefully left simple so you could build and customize it to your liking.
- Undercook the pasta slightly and allow it to finish in the sauce pan. As the sauce reduces, it will cling to the pasta, but the additional simmering in the sauce will cause the pasta to continue to cook.