Culinary Truth

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I feel betrayed by my culinary mentors. 

I was told and I believed that the only way to make pasta was in a large pot of boiling water. 

It’s a lie. 

What else have they taught me that I need to rethink? 

My new favorite way to make pasta is to take my measured amount (2/3 cup of penne for two people).

Add near boiling water to the cup and allow it to soak while you work on the sauce (at least 10 minutes). Give it a little stir once or twice. 

When your sauce is about 20 minutes from ready to serve, add the drained penne. Add a little liquid if the sauce is dry. The soaking water would work or some wine. 

Cover the pot tightly and turn the heat to simmer. Let it cook and hydrate in the sauce. Stir it occasionally, adding a little liquid if it gets too dry. 

It’s ready to serve when the pasta is tender to your liking. We like it al dente, but not crunchy. 

An additional advantage to this method is that the pasta takes in the flavors of the sauce. I have been adding cooked pasta to sauces for a while, allowing a little time for the flavors to marry. But this technique really allows the sauce flavors to get deeply into the pasta. 

And… one less step!!

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