Vegan Practically

I have loved pasta from the very first time I ever had spaghetti. Though not a staple in South African cooking, my mother incorporated it into her repertoire by the time my earliest childhood memories kick in. I haven’t had her spaghetti and meat sauce in decades, but I can still taste it. So good.

It’s not as if I had a sophisticated pasta palette as a kid. Other childhood pasta favourites included Hamburger Helper, Kraft Dinner (only at friends’ places), and canned Spaghetti-Os (no doubt the memories are fonder than they deserve to be). Of course I loved lasagna, too.

When I learned how to cook myself, pasta was a regular. How easy! Just boil it up, drain it, toss it in some sauce.

But when I went to Italy for the first time back in the early 80s I discovered something—their pasta is better. Something about the way they cook it. It’s perfect. Even the same dry pasta brands prepared in a simple marinara sauce are worlds better when you get them at Italian restaurants (and likely Italian homes) in Italy. And it’s not just about cooking it al dente.

Since most dry pasta is vegan and stores easily for a long time in the pantry, it’s a great fallback (or planned) dinner any day of the week, and there are endless great recipes for pasta. Here’s a link to 30 Amazing Vegan Pasta Recipes. And here’s another link to 33 Vegan Pasta Recipes.

Not all pasta is the Italian variety. Noodle dishes abound in many different cuisines, including Thai, Chinese, and Japanese. But today I really just have one thing to offer, and that’s the word on the street about how to cook perfect Italian pasta. I saw a number of websites that said some version of “you’re probably doing it wrong.” Here’s what the Smithsonian says about doing it right:

• Use a large pot. As you’ll have noticed, pasta expands when you cook it (that’s why we always make too much!). Give it space. About 4-5 quarts of water per pound of pasta, says the Smithsonian. In metric (following the BBC), 500ml to 1 litre of water per 100g of pasta.
• Use cold water. Run the tap a bit before you start filling your pot with cold water.
• Heavily salt the water. This is for flavour and should be added when the water starts to boil. They suggest a tablespoon per quart of water. That’s about four times as much as I’ve ever added to my pasta, if I even remember to add any.
• Do not put oil in the pot. I don’t know anyone who does this, but almost every place I looked was categorically opposed to putting oil in the pot and made a point of saying so. So if you’re doing that: STOP!
• Make sure the water is boiled. I didn’t realize this, but apparently “the boiling temperature is what prevents the pasta from getting mushy.” (I’d say overcooking can also do that).
• Stir. I often forget about the pasta until the first timer sounds. My pasta would be better if I stirred it from time to time.
• Take the lid off. That’s once you bring it back to a rolling boil after adding your pasta. Another option is leave it a little bit of space between the lid and the pot by putting a wooden spoon between them. The point here is to prevent the pot from boiling over and making a mess of the stovetop.
• Cook, time, and test. As all of us who have been cooking pasta for a long time know, the time on the box is just a suggestion. The Smithsonian recommends starting to test it in 15-20 second intervals about two minutes before you think it will be ready. I usually test mine in one-minute intervals starting from the low-end of the range on the package. I almost always have to cook it a bit longer than that. When they say “test” they mean “mouth test.” You can tell if it needs more time by trying a little piece.
• Don’t drain out all the pasta water. I have never not drained out all the pasta water! But they recommend keeping back about 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of it to add back in with the sauce. The Smithsonian article says: “the salty, starchy water not only adds flavor but helps glue the pasta and sauce together; it will also help thicken the sauce.” They also have a bonus suggestion about how to drain the pasta, depending on the type. Here they say: “The way you drain the pasta can also affect the flavor and texture. If cooking long pasta such as linguini or spaghetti, try using tongs or a pasta fork to transfer the pasta from the water to the sauce. You want to marry the sauce and the pasta as quickly as possibly. With short pasta, it is ideal to have a pasta pot that has a built in strainer or use a colander in the sink. Just make sure you don’t let the pasta sit too long or it will stick together.” This is news to me and I’m going to take it into account in the future.
• Don’t rinse cooked pasta. Rinsing will prevent the pasta and the sauce from “harmoniously mixing” because it washes away the starch that makes the sauce stick.

There you have it! I’ve been making pasta for a long time and I learned something about how I might make it better. My pasta turns out, but it’s never anything like even the simplest pasta I’ve tried in Italy. Here’s hoping that if I up my pasta-cooking game, I can capture some of that Italian pasta magic in my own kitchen.

Buon appetito!