Skinny Italian: Eat It and Enjoy It by Teresa Giudice, Heather Maclean Page B

Well, this is my book, and I’m going to give you my answer (which of course is the right one). This is how the most fabulous people in the world do it:
     

    How Fabulous People Cook Pasta
    Step 1 • Use the Right Pot and the Right Amount of Water
    For 1 pound of pasta, use a deep, 6- to 8-quart pot. Fill it three quarters full of water. If you use too much water, it will boil over. If you use too little, the pasta won’t cook well.
    Step 2 • Salt the Water
    If you add salt to the water, it won’t keep the pasta from sticking, but it will help bring out the flavor of the pasta. (If you’re on a salt-sensitive diet, though, for heaven’s sake, skip this step!)
    However, you have to add the salt at just the right time. If you add it too early, you’ll slow down your boil. If you add it too late, the pasta can’t absorb it.
    As soon as the water has started to boil, add a tablespoon of salt. Let the salt dissolve, and then add the pasta.
    Step 3 • Stir the Pot
    To keep pasta from sticking together, you want to give it a stir every once in a while. For spaghetti, don’t lay it in a clump on one side of the pot. Hold it in the middle of the pot and then open your hand and let it fall to all sides, sort of like an upside-down teepee.
    Step 4 • Boil Until Al Dente
    Al dente means “to the tooth,” and it means the pasta is ready to be drained when it still has a tiny, tiny “bite” to it. Not too firm, but not mushy, either.
    There is no perfect amount of time because every pasta brand and shape and amount you are cooking will be different. Look at the time recommendations on the box, and start taste-testing from the pot two minutes before you think it’s done.

    Step 5 • Drain but Do NOT Rinse
    As soon as your pasta is finished cooking, drain it in a colander right away. If you leave it in the pot because you’re afraid it will get cold, you will have a mushy noodle mess.
    Shake the water off the pasta, but don’t rinse it at all. I don’t know where this rumor started, but if you wash all the starch off it, the sauce won’t stick and you’ll have a slimy dish.
    Step 6 • Don’t Use Oil
    Italian pasta is perfect on its own. It doesn’t need any oil poured over it until you’re adding your dressings. If you pour oil over the pasta when it’s in the colander, you’re basically just pouring money down the sink.
    Do You Come Here Often? Famous Pasta Pairings
    I know I said you can mix and match whatever pasta with whatever sauce you want. Still true. There are no rules. But for those of you that want to know the most classic pairings, I will help a sister out.
    Generally, you put smooth sauces like a marinara on long pasta, and you use shorter shapes with holes and ridges for chunky sauces (so the pasta can cling to the vegetable or meaty bit). Here are some traditional pairings:
    • Thick, creamy sauces: usually go on a fettuccine
    • Chunky sauces: anything that can hold on to it like cavatappi, orecchiette, or penne
    • Seafood sauces: great with linguine
    • Really light tomato or oil-based sauce: spaghetti
    • Special food you don’t want to overwhelm with pasta
(like lobster): angel hair is the way to go
    • Anything you want your kids to eat: use farfalle
    • Great in cold pasta dishes: macaroni, farfalle, rotelle, or rotini
    • The best pasta for soups: orzo, ditalini, conchiglie
    Pretty Pasta Talk:
No More Bow Ties or Wagon Wheels
    Before I leave you with my favorite pasta recipes, I wanted to give you one more little Italian lesson. Pasta shapes are named after things in Italy, so learning the proper name is an easy way to start learning Italian. (And, to be honest, I can’t stand in the pasta aisle one more second and hear people mangle the pronunciation!) Here are my favorites. Learn how to say them correctly, and please, please tell all your friends.
    CAVATAPPI (CAV-vah-top-pee) • I know there are a million spiral pasta shapes, but cavatappi actually means “corkscrew” in