Learn about the most perfect combinations of pasta and sauces, traditions handed down from generation to generation and the importance of “al Dente” from the mouth of Gian Luca himself.
Gian Luca Demarco, the culinary ideas partner of the Lithuanian shopping chain Maxima, notices that people are often divided into two groups – fans of long types of pasta, such as spaghetti, tagliatelle, and fans of short ones, such as penne, fusilli.
Experiments that induce salivation
Just as preferences for certain types of pasta differ, so do different tastes for pasta seasonings. According to chef Gian Luca, the choice of sauces and ingredients for pasta is a product of everyone’s imagination, but he is still surprised by one ingredient that is popular in Lithuania.
“I notice that it is quite popular to use chicken in pasta dishes in Lithuania – it is very unusual in Italy!” Of course, real classics in pasta are combinations of tomato sauce and meat or cream and fish and mushrooms. And the rest is your fantasy,” Gian Luca shares his insight, inviting you to experiment with the variety of products.
Indrė Trakimaitė-Šeškuvienė, director of the Department of Communication and Corporate Relations, also talks about the most diverse combinations of pasta and the increasingly popular Italian cuisine products.
She adds that during the themed month of Italy in the shopping chain, various types of pasta reign in the baskets of shoppers – according to the representative, they are a real hit of this themed month.
About pasta fights and eternal unions – from the mouth of an Italian
By the way, adding about the different types of pasta, the chef emphasizes that it is extremely important to understand that each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages, and some recipes can be best executed only using pasta of a specific shape.
“It is possible to list a number of traditional recipes that were born using a specific form of pasta. For example, when I hear about Amantriciana sauce, I immediately think of Spaghetti all’Amatriciana. Why is that?
Using a thick tomato sauce, it works best with spaghetti pasta, creating a wonderful flavor at the same time. Using short pasta would make the dish too moist and not as satisfying as it should be,” says Gian Luca.
According to him, traditional combinations of pasta and sauces were born in Italy many years ago and are passed down from generation to generation. “This famous pesto sauce is usually eaten with trofie pasta, as they both originated in the Liguria region.
In the days when the country was not united, each region used its own type or shape of pasta. Now people choose to eat gourmet, they experiment,” says the chef.
Even age is important for the choice of pasta
According to Gian Luca, it is also important to consider a few universal rules when making pasta. “When preparing a dish that uses a liquid sauce, it is important to choose pasta with an uneven surface. If the sauce has consistency, chunks of meat or vegetables, it’s not so important,” he says.
In addition, when choosing the type of pasta, Gian Luca recommends taking into account the age of the diners. According to him, the short noodles were partly created specifically for children, so that the little gourmands would chew it more easily while enjoying their favorite dish.
The chef also reminds us that when cooking pasta, it is very important not to overcook it and prepare it in the Italian “al dente” way, when the pasta remains a little hard when bitten. He jokes that Italians use this method not because of laziness to cook pasta longer – pasta prepared in this way is easier to digest and does not make it difficult.
Italy in your kitchen
Chef Gian Luca Demarco has agreed to share two pasta recipes that will not only make a nutritious family lunch or dinner, but will also allow you to travel to sunny Italy for a while.
Fusilli with peas
To prepare a summer-inviting dish, you will need:
- fusilli (screw-shaped) pasta;
- 300 g of peas;
- 100 g of onion leaves;
- 50 g of grana padano DOP cheese;
- 80 g of stracchino cheese;
- olive oil;
- salt;
- pepper.
Making:
Cut the onion leaves and fry them in a pan with olive oil. Then add the peas and fry everything well again. Add salt, pepper, set aside a small part for decoration, and grind the rest with a grinder to a puree mass.
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Pour mashed peas, cooked paste into the pan and mix everything well. Add the grana padano DOP cheese, chop the stracchino cheese into large pieces, mix.
If the dish seems too dry, add a little pasta water and mix again. When serving, put the previously reserved peas and cheese on the dish.
Classic “Spaghetti alla carbonara”
To prepare this delicious meal you will need:
- spaghetti pasta;
- 80 g of pork shank;
- 70 g of Pecorino Romano cheese;
- 6 egg yolks;
- salt;
- pepper.
Making:
Cut the pork leg and fry it in a pan. Boil water, salt it and cook pasta. Mix the egg yolks with grated pecorino cheese, salt and pepper – do not spare them.
When the crackers are well browned, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and a spatula (leave the released fat in the pan) and put them in a bowl.
Transfer the cooked paste to the pan and mix well with the fat left over from the crackers – this way the pasta will acquire flavor. Turn off the heat and add the crackers, mix well again.
Finally, add the yolks and mix quickly to create a cream. Add some of the pasta cooking water while stirring. Serve everything on a plate, grate pecorino cheese on top. Delicious!
