GLUTEN FREE SPAGHETTI WITH EGGPLANT
Spaghetti with eggplant are one of the typical dishes of Sicilian gastronomy, a dish that is easy to prepare and full of flavour.
The right amount depends on the type of pasta: dry, fresh, egg, stuffed or with legumes. For dry pasta, the right dose per person is about 80 grams. For those who eat a little more even 100 grams, always adjusting to the seasoning.
Pasta is used in many dishes, it is excellent in every season and goes perfectly with any type of condiment or ingredient. However, in order to be truly defined “Italian”, the pasta must be cooked to perfection, which means that it must be drained slightly “al dente”, so as to enhance its flavor and taste to the maximum.
But how do you get a perfect al dente cooking? There are a few simple rules to follow, but it’s important to keep them in mind.
First of all, always pay attention to the doses and remember the three basic rules to be able to regulate yourself with the dosage: 1, 10, 100, which means that for 1 liter of water you need 10 g of salt per 100 g of pasta. Respecting these proportions is essential because, in addition to allowing the pasta to move well inside the pot during cooking, it also favors the accumulation of heat necessary to bring the water back to boiling point more quickly after pouring it.
Use a high and large pot to cook it, add the salt at the beginning of the boil and throw the pasta only when the salt has dissolved, taking care to stir your spaghetti often for the first 5 minutes of cooking and then continue mixing them. until they are cooked, at regular intervals.
Cook the pasta 1 minute less (compared to the time indicated on the package) if you will add the sauce on the pasta, or 2 minutes less (compared to the time indicated on the package) if you will toss the pasta in the pot with the sauce, and in this case keeping the cooking water aside.
Consider that a pasta cooked al dente in the right way must always maintain a compact consistency and a certain resistance to chewing but without exaggerating, because if the cooking is too short the pasta will not cook perfectly inside, it will be excessively hard and will maintain a raw appearance, while if on the contrary the cooking is too long the pasta will appear hot, soft and sticky, both to the eye and to the palate.
Much also depends on the quality, shape, length and types of pasta you choose, so never forget to follow these precious suggestions and, above all, always taste the pasta before draining it.
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS (serves 6)
500 g. Gluten free pasta “Le veneziane”.
50 g. Coarse salt.
5 L. Water
PREPARATION:
Take a pot, fill it with water and put it on the stove. Wait for the water to boil to cook the pasta in order to obtain an al dente consistency. Cover the pot with the special lid to speed up the boiling process: in this way the water will boil earlier and, consequently, you will also avoid wasting electricity or gas. Once the water has reached the boiling temperature, it is possible to add salt, preferably coarse salt ①, in the right amount, based either on the amount of water used or on the pasta.
The pasta must be lowered into the pot at once, following certain techniques depending on the format. Long pasta, such as spaghetti, for example, must be gripped and inserted into the pot forming a kind of vortex ②: at first the pasta will remain standing but, as the seconds pass, it will tend to position itself inside the pot, taking care to stir ③ your spaghetti often for the first 5 minutes of cooking and then continue mixing them. until they are cooked, at regular intervals.
Once the pasta is cooked to perfection it must be drained using an oven glove to grab the pot. Place a colander inside the sink, drop the pasta into it and remove the excess liquid.
Heat the eggplant sauce ④, add the drained pasta ⑤, and sauté in the pot for a few minutes ⑥.
If the sauce should remain a little dry, add a little of the spaghetti cooking water in moderation.
Serve the spaghetti still hot on the table.
