Lidia's Pasta Tips

From looking through the cellophane, you can't much tell how dried pasta will cook or taste. It should have an even buff color, and don't be alarmed if you see tiny black spots-- semolina is milled much more coarsely than ordinary flour, and flecks of bran usually show. A finely pitted, dull surface is far preferable to a glossy one--it suggests that the pasta was made with a bronze die and will hold sauce better.

Gauging portion sizes is always tricky. The standard portion in Italy, and the size usually recommended on packages, is two ounces.

Cook pasta in abundantly salted water at a full rolling boil so that the pasta will keep moving as it cooks and not stick together.

Add the pasta all at once. And don't add oil to the cooking water, as it reduces the starch on the pasta's surface. Only use oil when cooking long or large shapes, such as lasagna noodles, in order to keep them from sticking.

Always combine pasta with the sauce, and let the two cook together for a minute or so before final seasoning and serving.

A dish of dressed pasta should be flowing, not sticky or soupy. All the pieces should be separate and have a uniform texture.

Add a last touch of extra-virgin olive oil, either drizzled into the pasta and sauce as they simmer together or drizzled over the pasta on the plate. It makes a plate of pasta "smile."

Stir in grated cheeses at the very end, after you remove the pasta and sauce from the heat and just before you plate it.

Pasta should be served hot and as soon as it's ready. To serve, make a little pasta nest, or nido. The pasta will be more contained and will stay nice and hot.

Cooked, dry pasta should have a clean, slightly nutty flavor and, above all, a texture that stays firm until you finish eating.