Stop Throwing out Your Pasta Water
2022-02-15
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1Talk to the best cooks in Italy, and you might learn a simple secret to making great pasta: save the water the noodles are cooked in.
2After pasta noodles have finished cooking, Italian cooks do not throw out all the water.
3They keep a small amount to use when making the sauce for the dish.
4The leftover water contains starch from the pasta.
5This starch helps other ingredients stick to the noodles.
6It also helps to thicken the sauce.
7And because the water often has salt (and sometimes other seasonings), it adds flavor too.
8Food expert Christopher Kimball recently wrote about the secret of making pasta for The Associated Press.
9He said he and his team at MilkStreet thought of this method while developing recipes for a one-pot pasta.
10With this one-pot recipe, you not only get a rich and thick sauce, you also have less cleanup.
11The starch released by the pasta gives the sauce thickness.
12And the pasta takes in more of the sauce's flavors.
13Remember these terms: A "recipe" is the list of steps needed to make a dish.
14And "ingredients" are the individual food items in a recipe.
15This recipe uses only six main ingredients, plus spices and herbs. The recipe appears in MilkStreet's book "COOKish."
16The main ingredients are: cherry tomatoes, onion, Italian dry salami, fontina cheese and, of course, pasta.
17Salami is a salty, dry meat.
18For people who do not eat meat, you could use mushrooms instead.
19Kimball cuts the salami into small cubes.
20This lets them cook evenly in the pot.
21He also cuts the fontina cheese into small cubes, and adds them at the end.
22The cheese makes the dish rich. Any other cheese that melts easily can also be used.
23The dish, Kimball says, is a tasty meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make.
24It uses just one pot. So, cleanup is also quick.
25One-pot pasta with tomatoes, salami and fontina
26From start to finish, this dish takes about 25 minutes to make.
27It serves four to six people.
28Here are the ingredients:
29(All measurements are approximate.)
3012.5 grams (12 ml/1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil
31113 grams (4 ounces) salami cut into small cubes
321 liter (2 pints) cherry OR grape tomatoes
331 medium yellow onion, cut into small pieces
345 grams (6 ml/2 teaspoons) fennel seeds
35Kosher salt and ground black pepper - to taste
36454 grams (1 pound) of pasta
37112 grams (4 ounces) fontina cheese, (or some other cheese that melts) cut into small cubes
38In a large pot, heat the oil.
39Add the salami and cook until it turns brown.
40Add the tomatoes, onion, fennel seeds, and a small amount of black pepper.
41Cook until most of the tomatoes have opened.
42Add about a liter of water, salt, and bring to a boil.
43Stir in the uncooked pasta.
44Cover and cook, mixing around every few minutes.
45Make sure the water continues boiling.
46When the pasta is still a bit firm, pour out the water and save a cupful.
47Move the pot off the heated surface.
48Mix in the fontina cheese, then season with salt and pepper.
49Add some of the pasta water as needed to thicken the sauce.
50If you like, you can add freshly cut parsley or cilantro on top.
51This is just one pasta recipe.
52But you can use the pasta water with just about any pasta dish and any sauce.
53So, remember: don't throw out all the pasta water!
54I'm Jill Robbins.
1Talk to the best cooks in Italy, and you might learn a simple secret to making great pasta: save the water the noodles are cooked in. 2After pasta noodles have finished cooking, Italian cooks do not throw out all the water. They keep a small amount to use when making the sauce for the dish. 3The leftover water contains starch from the pasta. This starch helps other ingredients stick to the noodles. It also helps to thicken the sauce. And because the water often has salt (and sometimes other seasonings), it adds flavor too. 4Food expert Christopher Kimball recently wrote about the secret of making pasta for The Associated Press. He said he and his team at MilkStreet thought of this method while developing recipes for a one-pot pasta. With this one-pot recipe, you not only get a rich and thick sauce, you also have less cleanup. 5The starch released by the pasta gives the sauce thickness. And the pasta takes in more of the sauce's flavors. 6Remember these terms: A "recipe" is the list of steps needed to make a dish. And "ingredients" are the individual food items in a recipe. This recipe uses only six main ingredients, plus spices and herbs. The recipe appears in MilkStreet's book "COOKish." 7The main ingredients are: cherry tomatoes, onion, Italian dry salami, fontina cheese and, of course, pasta. Salami is a salty, dry meat. For people who do not eat meat, you could use mushrooms instead. 8Kimball cuts the salami into small cubes. This lets them cook evenly in the pot. He also cuts the fontina cheese into small cubes, and adds them at the end. The cheese makes the dish rich. Any other cheese that melts easily can also be used. 9The dish, Kimball says, is a tasty meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make. It uses just one pot. So, cleanup is also quick. 10One-pot pasta with tomatoes, salami and fontina 11From start to finish, this dish takes about 25 minutes to make. It serves four to six people. 12Here are the ingredients: 13(All measurements are approximate.) 1412.5 grams (12 ml/1 tablespoon) extra-virgin olive oil 15113 grams (4 ounces) salami cut into small cubes 161 liter (2 pints) cherry OR grape tomatoes 171 medium yellow onion, cut into small pieces 185 grams (6 ml/2 teaspoons) fennel seeds 19Kosher salt and ground black pepper - to taste 20454 grams (1 pound) of pasta 21112 grams (4 ounces) fontina cheese, (or some other cheese that melts) cut into small cubes 22In a large pot, heat the oil. Add the salami and cook until it turns brown. Add the tomatoes, onion, fennel seeds, and a small amount of black pepper. Cook until most of the tomatoes have opened. Add about a liter of water, salt, and bring to a boil. Stir in the uncooked pasta. Cover and cook, mixing around every few minutes. Make sure the water continues boiling. 23When the pasta is still a bit firm, pour out the water and save a cupful. 24Move the pot off the heated surface. Mix in the fontina cheese, then season with salt and pepper. Add some of the pasta water as needed to thicken the sauce. If you like, you can add freshly cut parsley or cilantro on top. 25This is just one pasta recipe. But you can use the pasta water with just about any pasta dish and any sauce. So, remember: don't throw out all the pasta water! 26I'm Jill Robbins. 27Christopher Kimball wrote this story for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. 28_________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30noodle - n. a thin often flat strip of fresh or dried dough (as of flour and egg) that is usually boiled 31sauce - n. a usually thick liquid poured over or mixed with food 32dish - n. food that is prepared in a particular way 33starch - n. a substance that is found in certain foods (such as bread, rice, and potatoes) 34flavor - n. the quality of something that you can taste 35pot - n. a deep usually rounded container 36creamy - adj. resembling cream (as in color, texture, or taste) 37cube - n. a solid body having six equal square sides 38Original Recipe 391 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 404 ounces pepperoni OR sopressata, cut into ¼-inch cubes 412 pints cherry OR grape tomatoes 421 medium yellow onion, chopped 432 teaspoons fennel seeds 44Kosher salt and ground black pepper 451 pound gemelli pasta OR fusilli 464 ounces fontina cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes