PERFECT PASTA PAIRINGS
Traditions and properties determine what goes best with a multitude of varieties
Traditions and properties determine what goes best with a multitude of varieties of pasta shapes.
IT’S has A pondered: QUESTION NEARLY “What ANYONE sauce will WHO’S go best EVER with BOILED these PASTA noo
dles?” The range of pasta shapes can be staggering: long pasta (think pappardelle or linguine), tubular pasta (penne or bucatini, for example), shaped pasta (e.g., farfalle or cavatelli), and then there’s the whole world of stuffed pastas (such as ravioli or tortellini). Or you can look at the shapes in terms of how they are made and contrast long pasta cut from sheets (like fettucine) with extruded (like spaghetti). With so much variation in shapes and manufacturing methods, it’s easy to see that different kinds of pasta have different properties — meaning they demand different sauces. But as with much in the Ital
ian Peninsula’s culinary world, Italians generally insist the guidelines for such pairings are both regional and traditional.
In Emilia-Romagna, for example, neither nonas nor most chefs would think of serving the northern region’s signature Bolognese with any pasta other than tagliatelle. It’s the same with penne pasta in the Lazio region in central Italy: That goes with Arrabbiata, a spicy sauce of garlic, tomatoes and dried chilies. The Genovese, in the northwest region of Liguria, demand that their famous basil pesto be served with a short, hand-twisted semolina pasta called trofie or with a linguine-like shape called trenette.
Many of the classic regional pairings make a lot of culinary as well as historical sense. Take, for example, that Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. The wide and flat tagliatelle have plenty of surface area to carry the rich, meaty f lavors of the Bolognese sauce. Similarly, Penne alla Arrabiata works because the tubular shape of the penne is perfect to capture some of the chunky tomato-based sauce (and, in some versions, bits of rich pancetta). In both cases, the shape of the pasta is well-equipped to help the diner get that perfect bite of the dish on their fork: the one that includes everything the dish has to offer.
But classic pairings aren’t always perfect or exclusive. The Genovese may insist their trofie pasta pairs with pesto, but linguine does nearly as good a job delivering the sauce. Even the Genovese enjoy their pesto with gnocchi. And wouldn’t
Bolognese sauce also pair well with tubular pasta?
Increasingly, chefs working in the modern Italian experience are breaking free of the constraints of tradition and going back to the best reasons for those traditions.
“For modern chefs, whatever their grandmother told them may be traditional, but they do what tastes good,” said Accursio Lota, chef of San Diego’s Trattoria Cori Pastificio in North Park (and 2017 winner of the Barilla World Pasta Championships).
Danilo “DJ” Tangalin, chef of the recently opened Scuderie Italia in Pacific Beach, agrees: “I respect and honor the tradition of cooking, but with that being said, I base most of my cooking on what makes sense to the dish.”
Ultimately, the key to pairing pasta shape and sauce lies in whether it best delivers the sauce. Will the weight and richness of the sauce overwhelm the delicacy of the pasta? Will the pasta be able to carry the sauce? Will it feature the best things about the sauce? There are, at the end of the day, no absolute rules. But both tradition and taste offer guidance.
In general, flat and long pastas go with rich or creamy sauces. Thinner, long pastas do well with tomato, creamy or oil-based sauces. For tubular or shaped pastas, look to creamy or hearty sauces studded with bits of meat or vegetable. Light butter or cream sauces are perfect for stuffed pastas such as ravioli. Lota says a good rule of thumb for stuffed pastas is “the more complex the pasta, the less complex the sauce.”
But there’s more to a perfect pasta pairing than just choosing the right sauce to go with the right shape. Cooking techniques can make a big difference, as well as the type of pasta: fresh or dried.
There’s a perception that fresh pasta is inherently superior to dry pasta; Italians don’t agree. Dry pasta is not just fresh pasta that’s been put in a dehydrator. It’s air-dried and, unlike most fresh pasta, uses semolina f lour and doesn’t use eggs. It’s actually superior for many purposes. For example, that prized, toothsome al dente texture cannot be achieved with fresh pasta. Dried also tends to stand up to heavier sauces.
Fresh pasta, however, has its own advantages. Because it’s more supple and delicate, fresh pasta is perfect for light, creamy sauces. The lighter texture of fresh pasta also allows it to absorb more of the f lavors of sauces, and it takes less time to cook.
But making fresh pasta, while deeply satisfying, is both time-consuming and challenging for the inexperienced. That’s why there’s a fresh pasta shop, or pastificio, in every Italian town. In San Diego, we have our own: Assenti’s Pasta in Little Italy.
Founded by Mama Adriana Assenti in the early 1980s, Assenti’s originally supplied the family’s Isle of Capri restaurant using her handmade pasta recipes. As brothers Roberto and Luigi Assenti transitioned to ownership and modern equipment replaced classic hand tools, the business grew to encompass a wholesale fresh pasta operation and a specialty Italian food storefront.
Assenti’s pasta rack will usually include freshly made pappardelle, linguine, fettucine, spaghetti and angel hair, as well as a selection of extruded pastas such as bucatini, penne and spaghetti. Lemon basil pastas or versions with spinach, porcini or squid ink aren’t unusual. Frozen ravioli are always available, as are fresh lasagna sheets.
Another critical factor in pairing pasta shapes with sauces is how the cook weds the two. As Marco Maestoso, chef-owner of the latelamented Maestoso restaurant, told the Union-Tribune, many American cooks “miss the step of cooking the pasta in the sauce.” There’s a tendency to cook a big pot of sauce and ladle some of it over the cooked pasta for serving. That does little to enhance either the pasta or the sauce. Maestoso advises removing the pasta from the pot early and finishing it by cooking it in a sauté pan in the sauce for up to 4 to 5 minutes for dried pasta, or 1 minute for fresh.
This technique helps the pasta absorb some of the sauce, resulting in a happy marriage in the final dish: the perfect pairing.
For modern chefs, whatever their grandmother told them may be traditional, but they do what tastes good.”
Accursio Lota
• chef of San Diego’s Trattoria Cori
Pastificio, North Park