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Posted by Jacqueline Church Jul 12, 2007 |
Linguine con Vongole (linguine with clams) or Shrimp Scampi or Mussels Fra Diavolo. This week I give you an easy technique
Chitarra is a really fun pasta shape. The name comes from the square shape of this long pasta and its similarity to guitar strings. It’s well suited to a Carbonara or to a seafood pasta like this. Linguine or spaghetti or capellini all work well with this dish. Pasta shapes are often argued with ferocity that approaches soccer team allegiances. General rule of thumb is this: think about the sauce that will accompany your pasta. Do you want a pasta to scoop and catch the sauce – Orichietti or my new favorite Campanelle. If it’s a smooth sauce, one that would cling to long thin shapes try a long pasta.
You know Alton Brown’s refrain “no unitaskers!” He often reminds us that kitchen tools and gadgets should have more than one use. I concur. One of my favorite multi-use tools is the humble melon-baller. Not only will it help you make beautiful melon salads but a melon-baller will also core an apple quite efficiently. If you’re using capers for any sort of pasta other dish, keep this tool in mind. The tiny immature flower buds are prized for their piquancy in many recipes including: tartar sauce, many seafood preparations, deviled eggs, and pasta Puttanesca. They are often found in very narrow little bottles or cured in salt. The pickled capers in narrow bottles can be extracted with a melon-baller. The hole in the small end will drain away the liquid as you fish out a teaspoon or so at a time.