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Mangia!
Cooking Authentic Italian
By Jacqueline Rupp
"If a sauce becomes too thick add a teaspoon or two of the pasta cooking water or if the sauce is too thin, cook it uncovered for a while to evaporate some of the water," Sanders says. Cooking meats like Italian sausage or meatballs directly into the simmering sauce to proper temperature can add flavor to the sauce and tenderize the meats.
"A good sauce to start with is a Pomodoro, which is just sauteed onions and garlic combined with crushed tomatoes that simmers for an hour or two to blend the flavors together," Sanders says. She says sauces are often referred to as an accompaniment, because they are combined with the pasta to coat it like a salad dressing. Sanders says that Italians generally don't ladle an accompaniment in heaping spoonfuls atop a plate of pasta. Pastas are tossed with the accompaniment to ensure that each piece of pasta has an equally light coating.
One thing also to keep in mind is the clock. Pasta should be timed to ensure that it is not overcooked. Make sure to use a lot of water in a big pot and salt the water. A common mistake is to cook the pasta until it becomes mushy, but at that point it loses all its flavor and texture. Look for the famous "al-dente" texture by taking a sample taste – the pasta should be just a bit chewy, not crunchy or soft. "And throwing the pasta against the wall to see if it sticks is meely one of those untrue legends, because if it does stick it's overcooked," Sanders says.