Delicious recipe for World Pasta Day

POLOKWANE – On Saturday the world celebrates one of the most versatile foods known to man on World Pasta Day.

Pasta is made from unleavened dough of durum wheat flour mixed with water and formed into sheets or shapes. It comes in various shapes and colours.

You can enjoy pasta in many forms.

You can choose between spaghetti, vermicelli, rotini (spirals), fusilli (spindles), tortellini (little cakes), linguini (little tongues), conchiegli (shells), fettucine (small ribbons), penne (quills) or capellini (fine hairs).

According to the International Pasta Organisation (IPO) Italy produces a whopping 3,4 million tons of pasta per annum and consume 1,5 million tons of pasta every year.

IPO tips on cooking pasta:

• Pasta tastes best when eaten right after cooked.

• The golden rule is to cook pasta al dente, not too raw or too soft.

To taste pasta at its finest, just follow these simple guidelines:

• Pour a generous amount of water into the pot, place pot on high heat and add salt.

• When the water begins to boil, add the pasta to the pot.

• Let the water return to a boil and stir the pasta from time to time. Cook the pasta according to the boiling time on the label.

• Use a colander to drain the pasta. Add your favourite sauce, mix well and serve hot.

Recipe:

Spaghetti with tomatoes and basil

• 650 g spaghetti.

• 450g of tomatoes.

• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.

• 2 tablespoons minced white onion.

• 10 basil leaves.

• 4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Dip the tomatoes into boiling water for about ten seconds and place in a bowl of ice water for one minute.

Remove from the ice water, and dry.

Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds and cut them in slices.

2. In a saucepan, brown the minced onion in the olive oil, then add the tomatoes.

Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about ten minutes.

3. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions in plenty of salted water, drain and add it to the sauce.

4. Garnish with basil leaves and sprinkle with the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese before serving.