PASTA, everyone’s favourite fast food. But, regardless how one cooks it, some pastas pall into a Wrigley’s gummy mess while others keep their perky constitution. The unwritten law of the professional kitchen is to cook pasta in one litre of water, 10 grams of salt per 100grams of pasta. Italians of course shudder at the thought of adding a little oil to the boiled water but, the jury is still out on this addition as is the use of a stock cube. We asked Riccos our resident Chef, to cook seven shop-bought dry pastas, partnering each brand with a suitable sauce.
Buitoni (Le Rasagnole) Tagliatelle
Riccos preferred this brand to all the rest; best texture, and flavour, plus it cooks well. We tasters heartily agreed and between mouthfuls of pasta served with mussels, spring onion, tomato, olive oil and garlic, voted this sauce a perfect accompaniment.
Rating: 9/10
Agnesi Farfalle
Served with vegetables and lashings of wild mushrooms, again this came a close runner up for texture, taste and reliable cook-ability. The sauce was simple to make and gave richness to this slightly ‘light’ pasta
Rating: 8/10
Ponte Rigatoni
Riccos needed a stunning sauce to really cheer this pasta up, using liquidised rocket leaves mixed with artichokes, then slivers of anchovy fillets, topped with parmesan, pine nuts and sprigs of rosemary
Rating: 6/10
Mitsides Ravioli
Sadly no home run for this locally made pasta. It required a great deal of cooking to get anywhere near al dente, and, despite being served with a tasty sauce of tomato, basil, and black olives, failed totally on both the taste and texture test
Rating: 2/10
Arrighi Tortellini
Baby belly buttons, again they needed a seriously good boiling session, or else they ended up tasting like India rubber. But they turned out ‘really nice’ only when served with Riccos’ sauce of spinach, blue cheese, and lashings of cream
Rating: 4/10
Barilla Spaghettoni no 7
Moving on to every child’s perennial favourite ‘spag balls’, this time Riccos treated us to a slightly hotter than usual tomato sauce having sneaked in some chillies which elevated this sometimes boring pasta to new heights. Barilla we decided produces the best of the dry spaghettis
Rating: 7/10
Melissa Primo Gusto Penne Rigatoni
These big tubes were fine when in the capable hands of an expert like Riccos, but when we tried to cook them they turned into rubbery pieces of piping. Loads of water when cooking is the answer. Served with prawns, chilli, oregano and olive oil they tasted fine, but again you need a good amount of sauce to coat them well
Rating: 5/10
