> > I think penne pasta is stupid.
>
> Which kind? the "penne", "half penne", "long penne", "slick penne"...? :)
>

Ah ah. Wait, could that be a possible Clinton quip? :)

Andrea, I've always wondered what the names of popular pasta types actually mean in Italian. Spaghetti means 'strings,' I know. Vermicelli means 'worms.' (And I'm told Italians use 'vermicelli' to refer to what Americans call 'spaghetti.' :-) So what does 'penne' mean (and others like macaroni, manicotti, rigatoni, rotelle, rotini, tagliatelle and tagliolini, tortellini, ziti, etc.)?


> The best brand of penne (my usual one) is Barilla (Barilla #83 "Mezze Penne"; all Barilla prducts are imported in the USA by a distributor from New York).
>

I think I've seen Barilla. It's an expensive brand in North America.

The wheat pasta in Canada is hard Durum Semolina (winter) wheat, which is very high in gluten content. Our General All-Purpose flour is therefore quite different from All-Purpose flour in the U.S... Dave has no problem baking bread using it. We have many brands of Canadian pasta (no idea if these are found in the States): Lancia, Catelli, Gattuso, Primo, Italpasta, Bertolli, and something called Giardino by Grishpasta. I only buy LANCIA because the other brands cannot hold an al dente ("firm to the bite") texture reliably.


> Boil a litre of water for each 100 grams of pasta; when water is boiling add salt (the quantity depends on the quality of the salt and the quantity of pasta: I usually add half a fistful) and pour pasta in.
> Let it boil, stir it with a spoon now and then, for about 12 minutes (after ten or eleven minutes, test it: it should be not too hard and not too soft).
>
> Add a bit of butter (just a bit), tomato juice and/or cheese, as you like, and serve.
>
> If all's well, a fork is all that you need to eat.
>
> All this applies to all kinds and brands of Italian pasta, including spaghetti.
>
> AP.
>

I use about the same amount of salt (half a palmful) in a litre and a half of boiling water. Do Italians ever drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the water, before adding in the dry pasta?

Wolf "uses a fork" spirit