Vegetarian Pasta

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Pasta is one of the most versatile and easy foods to cook and lends itself perfectly to a vegetarian diet. lt can be combined with a variety of ingredients to create differently flavoured and textured dishes which both vegetarians and those who eat meat will adore. Vegetarian Pasta has collected together some of the most traditional Italian recipes with innovative new dishes which cater for a variety of tastes. The superb combination of vegetables, herbs and pasta means that the dishes are not only colourful but nutritious too.

Healthy Vegetarian

ln eating vegetarian pasta dishes, you not only benefit from the healthy ingredients used in Mediterranean cuisine, such as olive oil, garlic and red wine, but also from the nutritional advantages and low-fat content of the vegetarian gastronomy. These two culinary influences create flavoursome and balanced dishes that provide plenty of fibre, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Contrary to common belief, if pasta is not a fattening food but is, predominantly made up of complex carbohydrates, which slowly release vital energy supplies into our blood streams. On its own, pasta is an excellent source of protein, which comes from its main ingredient, durum wheat.

The dark flecks which are visible in dried pasta are wheatgerm that has not been removed but ground up in the flour. This will add to the relatively high protein content (around 70%).

However, large amounts of flecks can indicate excess bran, which makes the pasta rough and harsh. When eaten with a rich vegetable sauce and a slice of wholewheat bread, most of the food groups are represented in this diet.

Many Italian sauces are made from fresh vegetables and fruit, which contain calcium, iron and phosphorous. Fruit and vegetables are essential for healthy living as they are great sources of vitamins. Vitamin A is found in green, yellow and orange vegetables particularly in carrots. Leafy vegetables are an excellent source of vitamin E. Vitamin C is present in many ‘fruit vegetables’, such as peppers and tomatoes — favourites of the Italian diet- and may also be found in the roots and leaves of others. In order to supplement the lack of protein usually provided by meat, pulses, which are naturally high in this essential nutrient, can also be eaten.

Pasta

There are hundreds of different types of pasta of varying shapes, colours and sizes, and new pasta is being made all the time. Basic pasta is made from durum wheat flour and water [pasta means ‘dough’ or ‘paste’ in Italian), while pasta alI’uova is enriched with eggs. Other ingredients are added, such as spinach and squid ink, to produce different colours and flavours.

lt is worth buying fresh pasta, called maccheroni in Italy, from a good delicatessen. Otherwise, fresh unfilled pasta is not really any better than the dried variety. There are no hard and fast rules about which pasta should be served with which sauce. As a guide, long, thin types of pasta, such as fettuccine, tagliatelle, spaghetti and taglioni, are best for delicate, oliveoil based and seafood sauces. Short, fat pasta shapes, such as lumache, conchiglie and penne, or curly shapes such as farfalle and fusilli, are best for heavier sauces, as they trap pieces of vegetables from the sauce and stop them from sinking to the bottom of the dish. Tiny pasta shapes, such as stellete, pepe bucato and risi, are used for soups. However, the names of pasta can change depending on the region of Italy you are in and on manufacturers, so look carefully at the size and shape before purchasing. Certain suffixes denote a particular size of pasta: —etti or —ette means small, as in spaghettiand farfallette (little strings and little butterflies); —ini or —ine means very small as in sedanini and Iumachine (tiny celery and tiny snails); and —oni and -one mean large as in farfalloni and lumacone (large butterflies
and large snails).

Basic Pasta Dough

If you wish to make your own pasta for the dishes in this and following articles, follow this simple recipe.

Ingredients
450 g/1 lb/4 cups durum wheat flour
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt

1. Lightly flour a work surface (counter). Sift the flour with a pinch of salt into a mound. Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and olive oil.

2. Using a fork or your fingertips, gradually work the mixture until the ingredients are combined. Knead vigorously for 10-15 minutes.

3. Set the dough aside to rest for 25 minutes, before rolling it out as thinly and evenly as possible.

Cooking Dried Pasta the Classic Way

The classic way to cook 500 g (1 lb) of dried spaghetti is in 10 pints (6 litres) of salted boiling water. It should be occasionally stirred with a fork to ensure that the pieces do not stick together. Doing this also means that you need not add oil to the water, which raises the calorie content of the dish and stops the sauce from sticking to the spaghetti. The length of cooking time depends on the thickness of the pasta, how dry it is and the humidity, so follow the guidelines on the packet. However, before the cooking time is up test one piece of pasta: it should be firm to the bite.

After draining the pasta, do not rinse but return it to a warm pan and do not let it dry out, otherwise the pieces will stick together. Add the sauce and serve in warm, shallow soup—plates.

Cooking Vegetarian for the First Time

For those who have decided to convert to vegetarianism and are cooking meat-free food for the first time, there are several ingredients that should be avoided. In particular, avoid gelatine, a protein used to thicken foods. It is used in many puddings, but it is made from collagen, so a vegetarian substitute should be used instead. When buying pre-packaged ingredients, in particular sweet foods such as biscuits, always check the ingredients to see if animal fats have been used. You should also be aware that some condiments, such as Worcestershire Sauce, which is made using anchovies, may contain animal products.

The Cheese Issue

Although some cheeses are made with vegetarian ingredients, many contain animal derivatives: strict vegetarians should buy those that have been certified by the Vegetarian Society and have a green ‘V’ on the label. Vegetarian cheeses are made with rennet of non-animal origin, using microbial or fungal enzymes.

Italian recipes frequently contain cheese, so you may want to make sure that you have a suitable vegetarian variety before you start cooking. In general, most soft cheeses are suitable for vegetarians and there are plenty of alternatives or vegetarian versions of traditional cheeses. As a guide, Parmesan is generally non-vegetarian but there is an Italian Parmesan called Grano Padano which usually is vegetarian. Vegetarian feta, Cheddar, Cheshire, red Leicester, dolcelatte and
goats’ cheeses can be bought in larger supermarkets or from specialist health food and vegetarian shops.

For a range of vegetarian pasta recipes go to Pasta Recipes

Italian Cookery with Bill & Sheila

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Vegetarian Pasta

Vegetarian Pasta

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