There pasta it is a serious matter and cannot be improvised: 4 out of 5 Italians, according to a DOXA-Unione Italiana Food research survey, always choose the format according to the seasoning. Why it has to be: science says that there is a precise surface-to-volume ratio according to which the quantity of sauce must always be proportionate to the volume of the pasta (rather than its weight), moreover there are formats more inclined to “trap” certain sauces such as the striped ones, but for the choice of the perfect sauce they also count the die (the bronze one captures sauces better) and finally cooking (finished in a pan it gives a unique touch of creaminess).
For this i Italian pasta makers of Unione Italiana Food (@welovepasta_unionfood, @welovepasta, www.facebook.com/welovepasta.unionfood) have drawn up a handbook: 10 rules to learn to appreciate our national dish even more, and in particular enhance the 10 favorite Italian pasta shapes with the right sauce.
According to an elaboration of the Italian Food Union in the lead are Spaghettiwhich represent one in 5 pasta dishes in Italy (and one in 3 in the world), followed by Penne Rigate and Fusilli. Then there are Rigatoni, Farfalle, Linguine, Lumachine, Bucatini, Mezze Maniche and Lasagne. In general, therefore, the short and striped pasta wins (as we understood during the lockdown) and above all always the same even if in Italy there are over 300 formats. To enjoy them at their best, traditional or innovative, you must always know how to combine them. To find out how, here are the tips in this gallery
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1/10Spaghetti with tomato sauce
You always have to look first at the shape of the pasta to understand how to combine it and lo spaghetti is a wild card because it always wraps the sauce. The combination with tomato, basil and parmesan is an example: it is the Mediterranean dish par excellence, and then it is perfectly balanced in flavors with the sweetness of the pasta that is combined with the typical umami of the tomato sauce and the sprinkling of parmesan.
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2/10Penna Rigata – Angry
The lining perfectly captures any sauce, even the full-bodied ones, such as the Arrabbiata (managing however to dampen the spiciness), but also the Norma. Pasta makers also recommend trying cold pasta salads made with vegetables and cheeses.
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3/10The fusillo – with ricotta
Fusillo, third on the list among the favorite pastas, is another passe-partout: with its propellers it holds creamy sauces perfectlylike that with ricotta, but also pesto, or those made with ingredients in many small pieces (like puttanesca).
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4/10Rigatoni – with meat sauce
Here’s a case in which we rarely got the wrong pairing: the rigatone sauce remains the ragù, whether it is Bolognese or Neapolitan (although the latter is normally eaten with bronze drawn paccheri). Rigatone has a powerful shape rough enough to accommodate the sauce and capture it inside, and persistent enough not to be overwhelmed by the power of such an “important” sauce.
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5/10Farfalle – cold with tuna, capers and lemon
With the wings they hold the sauce, and with the central staple they offer a consistency which prolongs chewing and enhances the seasoning. This is why farfalle are perfect in many different ways: as a pasta salad, for example with tuna, olives, capers and lemon zest but also with simple oil sauces, spring sauces, cheese sauces and vegetables.
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6/10Lumachine – with cheese
They are the favorite pasta to accompany brothy sauces and in general very rich because snails are capable of keep small bits of seasoning inside them and enhance it. Pasta makers recommend trying them in an Italian version of Mac ‘n’ cheese: a cheese flan with bechamel and nutmeg. \
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7/10Linguine with clams
Linguina is more mashed than spaghetti and therefore it offers a greater surface to adhere sauces and pesto, moreover, with its thin part on the sides, it releases the perfect amount of starch to emulsify with the oil and create the “cream”. This is why it is perfect with clams or very oily fish sauces or pesto in general.
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8/10Bucatini – all’Amatriciana
When it comes to intense sauces, bucatini are always the answer because they are un format that wraps and is wrapped in the dressing. Try it with the classic Amatriciana, but also with Gricia.
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9/10Mezze Maniche – Carbonara style
An exception to the rule of classic spaghetti and rigatoni, the mezze sleeves are among the best formats to enhance sauces such as carbonara because on the outside they let themselves be wrapped by the egg and on the inside they hold the pieces of bacon allowing us to taste all the elements of the sauce in one bite. \
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10/10Lasagne – Neapolitan or Bolognese
Whether it’s a sauce like the one that is prepared in Naples at Carnival (where lasagna is made with hard-boiled eggs, meatballs, ham) or the thick and creamy Bolognese sauce, what matters to enhance lasagna is that it is a rich sauce. In short, indulge yourself with meat, cheese, vegetables, and go too far.
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Source: Vanity Fair
