Pasta pasta... noodles noodles

by Lisa Vines

How many kinds of pasta can you name?
(What? Another quiz?)

Alphabets, tubettini, cavatelli, shells, wagon wheels, corkscrews, elbow, mostaccioli, rigatoni, ziti, bow ties, rigatoni, radiatore, manicotti, angel hair, vermicelli, spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, lasagna — and those are just some of the Italian pastas. Although most of us associate pasta with Italy, almost the entire world loves noodles. There are also American egg noodles, Greek orzo (kritharakia), Mexican fideos, Japanese soba (buckwheat flour in addition to wheat flour), Chinese mung bean threads (a translucent gelatin-like noodle), Thai rice sticks.…

Noodles are a comfort food, non-confrontational, and fun to eat. They’re good plain, but also good as a base. Noodles are naturally low in fat, sodium and cholesterol. The familiar shapes of the Italian pastas listed above are now made with flours other than semolina, which is the term usually used for coarsely ground durum wheat with the germ and bran removed. The addition of other flours supplements the nutritional value but detracts from the elasticity. All that gluten protein present in durum wheat—the hardest wheat—is responsible for the stretch and pull of traditional pasta.

One now finds pasta made with flours from: whole wheat (the inclusion of germ and bran makes these pastas grainier and not as elastic as pasta made with semolina); buckwheat (from the seeds of the buckwheat plant, producing an even grainier pasta than whole wheat flour and with a distinctively different flavor); quinoa (“the mother grain” — tiny grains containing a hefty amount of protein as well as iron, potassium, magnesium, and lysine, an essential amino acid); amaranthe (a tiny grain second only to quinoa in its iron content, and also rich in calcium); Jerusalem artichokes (neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke, but rather a tuber); soy (high quality proteins, with all nine essential amino acids in appropriate ratios for healthy humans; often de-fatted); corn; rice; and spelt (an ancient strain of wheat with a more digestible form of gluten).

Pasta made from the last flour, spelt, tends to be the closest to the traditional wheat pastas, primarily for the gluten content. Some people who suffer from mild gluten intolerance are able to eat foods made with spelt. An individual who is unable to digest gluten should read the list of ingredients carefully, as some multigrain pastas include wheat for its elasticity. To add to the dizzying array of possibilities, some pastas are made with extra ingredients in the pasta dough. These ingredients add predictable flavor and color. Finely chopped spinach or broccoli give the pasta a green hue (“and a pasty, gummy quality,” adds my husband); tomato paste imparts a reddish-orange color, and pureed carrots turn the pasta orange.

Have we whetted your appetite? How does one fix these noodles? Anyone preparing these nontraditional pastas should fix the noodles carefully, with an eye on the clock. The old adage — “toss it to the ceiling and when it sticks, it’s done” — doesn’t work here. Pastas from nontraditional flours present a challenge to the cook, who must watch them carefully. Some of these noodles could boil into a gelatinous mess. So, yes, it might stick on the ceiling if tossed, but would anyone want to eat it? Having boiled (unintentionally) some quinoa spaghetti to the point of past gumminess, I would say “no.” Despite this caveat, these pastas offer a window into a new world of cooking opportunities.

When choosing the sauce to accompany the noodles, remember to consider the size and shape of the noodle. Generally, big noodles need a heavy sauce, and small or thin noodles pair better with a light sauce. Co-op shoppers will find the Japanese soba (buckwheat and whole wheat flours) and udon (whole wheat and wheat flours) noodles in the main bulk aisle, on a high shelf; the other pastas are in the pasta corner. Some combinations there include the following noodles: quinoa veggie curls (made with quinoa and corn flours and pureed vegetables); artichoke shells (durum semolina and Jerusalem artichokes); semolina soy elbows (durum semolina and defatted soy flours); organic whole wheat spinach spaghetti (durum whole wheat with spinach); wheat-free corn spaghetti (various corn flours); and spelt elbows (spelt flour, an ancient relative of wheat).

My final advice? Check the sale listing and try what’s on sale for the month. Usually a few different pastas are available at a reduced price. Take advantage of the sales to try some new, usually organic, pastas. Run your own test kitchen. Have fun testing and comparing different pastas.

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