Take it from an Italian: many of us don’t know how to cook pasta.
I remember the first time my partner watched my Italian dad salt the pasta water while cooking dinner. He pulled me aside and whispered, “what is he doing?”
I met his question with a blank stare. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, with the salt!”
My dad had taken a generous handful of coarse sea salt and gracefully poured it into the pasta water just before the water came to a boil. Even though it seemed totally normal to me, my partner was horrified by the amount of salt he had added.
Turns out, my partner’s mom would wave the salt shaker over the pasta water a couple of times and call it good. Which means that the resulting pasta was essentially flavorless.
When I came to the United States as a teen and encountered Italian American food, I felt confused. Who added all the cheese? And who were these people: Alfredo, Norma, Tetrazzini? I had never met many of these dishes growing up.
As I started spending time with more Americans, I began to understand the immigrant culture that shaped this hybrid cuisine. What never landed until that day with my dad and my partner is that Americans make heavy, rich pasta sauces because their pasta has no flavor! It is salt-less!
When we salt pasta properly (and don’t over-cook it!), it tastes nutty, rich, and satisfying. A bit of chopped fresh tomato, pressed garlic, ripped basil leaves and olive oil will create a delicious dish that’s as simple as it is healthy.
Wheat that’s grown with heirloom seeds and free of pesticides is an incredible food for those who digest the gliadin protein. It’s balanced in carbohydrates, protein and fiber. No wonder Romans started drying fresh pasta, bagging it up for winter use, and calling it pastasciutta (dry pasta).
Over the last 30 years of living in the States, many people have cooked pasta for me and for my kids. This is not a judgement, but, nine times out of ten, you do not add enough salt to the water! I often notice people adding more cheese to their plate in order to get the saltiness that the pasta is lacking.
(Oh! And that’s another thing. Italians eat pasta from a bowl, not a plate.)
Sure, cheese is delicious. However, it is a condiment, not a main part of the meal. Add a generous handful of coarse salt to your pasta water when cooking a pound of pasta. This way, you can better savor the hints of flavor that come from judicious use of special ingredients like Parmigiano Reggiano.
Hungry for more? Download my eCookbook, Traditional Recipes from the Italian Home Kitchen, here.
