Twombly Family Recipe

Pasta al Pomodoro

Everyone enjoys . It’s budget friendly, nutritious, delicious, and can be modified in a wide variety of ways. Our favorite additions include meatballs, ground beef, chicken, or sausage. Serena’s cultural and ethnic origins are from Sicily, so we make pasta her way, (I don’t argue), and it ends up being tender and delicious.

INTRODUCTION This recipe is for pasta al pomodoro, also known as pasta asciutta (or pastasciutta); cooked pasta with a (also known as Neapolitan sauce, and referred to in as Napoletana sauce).

HISTORY (and etymology) First attested in English in 1874, the word "pasta" comes from Italian pasta, in turn from Latin pasta "dough, pastry cake", itself the latinisation of the Greek παστά (pasta) "barley porridge". Pasta (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpasta]) is a staple food of traditional , with the first reference dating to 1154 in Sicily.

The term “pasta” is commonly used to refer to the variety of pasta dishes. Pasta is typically a noodle made from an unleavened dough of a durum wheat flour mixed with water or eggs and formed into sheets or various shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. It can also be made with flour from other cereals or grains. may be divided into two broad categories: dried (pasta secca) and fresh (pasta fresca).

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Most dried pasta is commercially produced via an extrusion process although it can be produced in most homes. Fresh pasta was traditionally produced by hand, sometimes with the aid of simple machines, but today many varieties of fresh pasta are also commercially produced by large-scale machines, and the products are widely available in supermarkets.

Basic pasta dough is typically made of wheat flour or semolina with durum wheat. Durum wheat is used predominantly in the South of Italy and soft wheat in the North. Regionally, other grains have been used, including those from barley, buckwheat, rye, rice, and maize, as well as chestnut and chickpea flours.

Image: Wheat used to produce semolina.

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple food. Botanically, the wheat kernel is a type of fruit called a caryopsis. There are many species of wheat which together make up the genus Triticum; the most widely grown is common wheat (T. aestivum). Cultivation of wheat began to spread beyond the Fertile Crescent after about 8000 BCE. Durum wheat (Triticeae durum) was developed by artificial selection of the domesticated emmer wheat strains formerly grown in Central Europe and the Near East around 7000 BC. Durum in Latin means "hard", and the species is the hardest of all wheats.

Wheat is grown on more land area than any other food crop (220.4 million hectares, 2014). World trade in wheat is greater than for all other crops combined. In 2016, world production of wheat was 749 million tonnes, making it the second most-produced cereal after maize. Since 1960, world production of wheat and other grain crops has tripled and is expected to grow further through the middle of the 21st century. Globally, wheat is the leading source of vegetal protein in human food, having a protein content of about 13%, which is relatively high compared to other major cereals and staple foods.

Both dried and fresh pasta is available in a wide variety of shapes, with 310 specific forms known variably by over 1300 names having been documented. In Italy, the names of specific pasta shapes or types often vary with locale. For example, the form cavatelli is known by 28 different, names depending on region and town. Common forms of pasta include long shapes, short shapes, tubes, flat shapes and sheets, miniature soup shapes, filled or stuffed and specialty or decorative shapes.

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Image: Short cut pasta from the Encyclopedia of Pasta.

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Image: Minute pasta from the Encyclopedia of Pasta.

As a category in Italian cuisine, both fresh and dried pastas are classically used in one of three kinds of prepared dishes. (1) As pasta asciutta (or pastasciutta) cooked pasta is plated and served with a complementary sauce or . E.g. . (2) A second classification of pasta dishes is pasta in brodo in which the pasta is part of a soup-type dish. (3) A third category is pasta al forno in which the pasta incorporated into a dish that is subsequently baked. E.g. .

In the 1st century AD writings of Horace, lagana (singular: laganum) were fine sheets of fried dough and were an everyday foodstuff. Writing in the 2nd century, Athenaeus of Naucratis provides a recipe for lagana, which he attributes to the 1st century Chrysippus of Tyana: sheets of dough made of wheat flour and the juice of crushed lettuce, then flavored with spices and deep-fried in oil. An early 5th century cookbook describes a dish called lagana that consisted of layers of dough with meat stuffing, a possible ancestor of modern-day lasagna. However, the method of cooking these sheets of dough does not correspond to our modern definition of either a fresh or dry pasta product, which only had similar basic

Twombly Family Recipe Pasta al Pomodoro Page 4 Twombly Family Recipe ingredients and perhaps the shape. The first concrete information concerning pasta products in Italy dates from the 13th or 14th century.

Historians have noted several lexical milestones relevant to pasta, none of which changes these basic characteristics. For example, the works of the 2nd century AD Greek physician Galen mention itrion, homogeneous compounds made of flour and water. The Jerusalem Talmud records that itrium, a kind of boiled dough, was common in Palestine from the 3rd to 5th centuries AD. A dictionary compiled by the 9th century Arab physician and lexicographer Isho bar Ali defines itriyya, the Arabic cognate, as string-like shapes made of semolina and dried before cooking. The geographical text of Muhammad al-Idrisi, compiled for the Norman King of Sicily Roger II in 1154, mentions itriyya manufactured and exported from Norman Sicily:

Image: Stuffed pasta from the Encyclopedia of Pasta. Stuffed pasta originated in Norther Italy, where meats and cheeses dominate the cuisine.

West of Termini there is a delightful settlement called Trabia. Its ever-flowing streams propel several mills. Here there are huge buildings in the countryside where they make vast quantities of itriyya which is exported everywhere: to Calabria, to Muslim and Christian countries. Multiple shiploads are sent. Itriyya gives rise to trie in Italian, signifying long strips such as tagliatelle and trenette. One form of itriyya with a long history is laganum (plural lagana), which in Latin refers to a thin sheet of dough, and gives rise to Italian lasagna.

According to historians like Charles Perry, the Arabs adapted noodles for long journeys in the 5th century, the first written record of dry pasta. The dried pasta introduced was being produced in great quantities in Palermo at that time.

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Image: Ribbon cut pasta from the Encyclopedia of Pasta.

There is a legend of Marco Polo importing pasta from China which originated with the Macaroni Journal, published by an association of food industries with the goal of promoting pasta in the United States.

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Rustichello da Pisa writes in his Travels that Marco Polo described a food similar to "lagana". Jeffrey Steingarten asserts that Arabs introduced pasta in the Emirate of Sicily in the ninth century, mentioning also that traces of pasta have been found in ancient Greece and that Jane Grigson believed the Marco Polo story to have originated in the 1920s or 30s in an advertisement for a Canadian spaghetti company.

In Greek mythology, it is believed that the god Hephaestus invented a device that made strings of dough. This was the earliest reference to a pasta maker. In the 14th and 15th centuries, dried pasta became popular for its easy storage. This allowed people to store pasta on ships when exploring the New World. A century later, pasta was present around the globe during the voyages of discovery.

In North Africa, a food similar to pasta, known as couscous, has been eaten for centuries. However, it lacks the distinguishing malleable nature of pasta, couscous being more akin to droplets of dough. At first, dry pasta was a luxury item in Italy because of high labor costs; durum wheat semolina had to be kneaded for a long time.

Image: Boy with Spaghetti by Julius Moser, c. 1808.

Pasta exhibits an amorphous (random) molecular order rather than a crystalline structure. The moisture content of dried pasta is typically around 12%, indicating that dried pasta will remain a brittle solid until it is cooked and becomes malleable. The cooked product is, as a result, softer, more flexible, and chewy. Semolina flour is the ground endosperm of durum wheat, producing granules that absorb water during heating and an increase in viscosity due to semi-reordering of starch molecules.

Another major component of durum wheat is protein which plays a large role in pasta dough rheology (Ben’s academic studies, and extensive commercial industrial experience, is in the theory, design, development and application of the science of rheology and its instrumentation). Gluten proteins, which include monomeric gliadins and polymeric glutenin, make up the major protein component of durum wheat (about 75–80%). As more water is added and shear stress is applied, gluten proteins take on an elastic characteristic and begin to form strands and sheets. The gluten matrix that results during forming of the dough becomes irreversibly associated during drying as the moisture content is lowered to form the dried pasta product. Starch gelatinization and protein coagulation are the major changes that take place when pasta is cooked in boiling water. Protein and starch competing for water within the pasta cause a constant change in structure as the pasta cooks.

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Image: Long cut pasta from the Encyclopedia of Pasta.

Pasta is generally a simple dish, but comes in many varieties due to its versatility. Some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy because the portion sizes are small and simple. Pasta is also prepared in light lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner. It can be prepared by hand or food processor and served hot or cold.

SAUCES Pasta vary in taste, color and texture. When choosing which type of pasta and sauce to serve together, there is a general rule regarding compatibility. Simple sauces like are ideal for long and thin strands of pasta while combines well with thicker pastas. Thicker and chunkier sauces have the better ability to cling onto the holes and cuts of short, tubular, twisted pastas. The extra sauce left on the plate after all of the pasta is eaten is often mopped up with a piece of bread.

It is to be noted that the idea of using tomato sauce to give pasta its flavor was revolutionary since it was originally eaten plain. The consumption of pasta has changed over time; it was once a small, simple item, but it is now often eaten in much larger portions and as part of complex, sophisticated dishes. Factors such as low prices and ease of cooking contribute to the growing popularity of this staple item

The invention of the first tomato sauces dates from the late 18th century: the first written record of pasta with tomato sauce can be found in the 1790 cookbook L'Apicio Moderno by Roman chef Francesco

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Leonardi. Before tomato sauce was introduced, pasta was eaten dry with the fingers; the liquid sauce demanded the use of a fork.

Tomato sauce (also known as Neapolitan sauce, and referred to in Italy as Napoletana sauce), refers to any of a very large number of sauces made primarily from tomatoes, usually to be served as part of a dish (rather than as a condiment). Tomato sauces are common for meat and vegetables, but they are perhaps best known as sauces for pasta dishes.

Italian varieties of tomato sauce range from the very simple pasta al pomodoro to the piquant puttanesca and arrabbiata sauces. Tomato sauce with pasta can stand on its own or it can also be paired with ingredients such as Italian sausage, shrimp, meatballs or vegetables, for a more lively pasta dish.

The use of tomato sauce with pasta appears for the first time in the Italian cookbook L'Apicio moderno, by Roman chef Francesco Leonardi, edited in 1790. Tomatoes have a rich flavor, high liquid content, very soft flesh which breaks down easily, and the right composition to thicken into a sauce when they are cooked (without the need of thickeners such as roux). All of these qualities make them ideal for simple and appealing sauces. The simplest tomato sauces consist of just chopped tomato flesh cooked in a little , simmered until it loses its raw flavor, and seasoned with salt. Optionally, tomato skins may be scalded and peeled according to texture (especially thicker pelati paste varieties) and tomato seeds may be removed to avoid their bitterness. Water (or another, more flavorful liquid such as stock or wine) is sometimes added to keep it from drying out too much. and are almost always sweated or sautéed at the beginning before the tomato is added. Other seasonings typically include , , parsley, and possibly some spicy red pepper or . Ground or chopped meat is also common. In countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, the term "tomato sauce" is used to describe a condiment similar to . In some of these countries, both terms are used for the condiment.

Recipe  Serves: 6.  Costs: About $3.00/Total. About $0.50/serving.  Time: Preparation: About 10 minutes.  Time: Cooking: About 25 minutes.  Difficulty Level (10 = Easy, 100 = Difficult): 10 EASY.

Key Tools  1 pasta stock pot (8 quarts) and colander.  1 sauce stock pot (8 quarts).  Measuring cups and spoons.  Cutting board and knife.

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INGREDIENTS You may wish to separate this page from the recipe, or reprint it, to identify what ingredients you have and what you need to buy. It’s also handy separated from the recipe so you can see the amounts you will need when cooking. PASTA [$2.19 total]  1 lb. (454 g) pasta. [$1.99/lb. Used $1.99]  3 Tbsp. (44 mL) olive oil for pasta (1 Tbsp. before boiling, 2 Tbsp. after draining). [$5.99/16.9 oz., 500mL, $0.20]  2 Tbsp. (30 mL) chopped Italian parsley. Italian “flat leaf” parsley has a much less bitter taste, a bit like cilantro.

SAUCE [$2.69 for 3.3 Qt. Used $0.81]  1 jar (15 oz., 443 mL) pasta sauce. If you are making your own sauce, the ingredients are below. We love pasta and al Pomodoro sauce, so lately we have been making pasta sauce “big”. The big can is an amazing buy and it ends the debate about which brand of pasta sauce is best, just make your own. There is a recipe on the can for pasta sauce. This makes about 3.3 Quarts (3.1 L) of sauce.  105 oz. can (6 lbs. 9 oz., 2.97 kg; 105 fl. oz., 3.1 L) Tomato sauce. [$1.99/105 oz. Used $1.99]  ¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil (for sautéing the garlic and ). [$5.99/16.9 oz., 500mL, Used $0.20]  4 coves sautéed garlic. [$0.50/bud, $0.10]  2 medium sautéed yellow onion. [$3.00/3 lb., $0.40]  1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Italian dried leaf oregano. Optional. [$ scant]  1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Italian dried leaf basil. Optional. [$ scant]  1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Italian parsley. Optional. [$ scant]  ¼ tsp. (1 mL) red pepper. Optional. [$ scant]  1 Tbsp. (15 mL) granulated sugar. [$ scant]  2 Tbsp. (30 mL) red wine (Mark West Pinot Noir). Optional. [$15.00/bottle, $0.20] (Dry goods weight in grams, and liquid volumes in milliliters, is approximated)

Image: Pasta sauce ingredients.

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OVERVIEW This recipe will yield about 6 servings. 1. Boil pasta. 2. Make sauce. 3. Drain pasta. 4. Plate, garnish and serve.

STEPS PASTA 1. Fill a stock pot (8 qt.) ¾ full with water (tap is ok), add 1 tbsp. olive oil, place on the stove. 2. Set to high heat. Bring to rapidly rolling boil. 3. Add pasta and stir immediately to prevent sticking and clumping. 4. Cook pasta for about 20 minutes, or until very tender. I pull out one strand and test by taste. When it is very soft, and the dried pasta taste is gone, it is ready. Some chefs cook pasta until it is “al dente”, which means literally, “to the tooth.” This method calls for serving the pasta slightly undercooked. Often, one can still taste the dried pasta flavor. We don’t prefer this. Serena waits about 5 to 10 minutes longer (more than I had been used to) and her pasta is tender and delicious.

Putting a wooden spoon over the boiling pasta does indeed keep it from boiling over. 5. Pour cooked pasta into colander and drain. 6. Let it rest for about 1 minute. DO NOT RINSE. Rinsing cools the pasta and takes some of the flavor away. 7. Shake colander VIGEROUSLY to remove any additional moisture. 8. Return pasta to pot. Add 2 tbsp. olive oil and stir in. This prevents sticking and clumping of the pasta and adds a nice flavor. SAUCE 9. Chop and sauté garlic and onions in olive oil.

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Image: Sautéed garlic and onions in olive oil. 10. Pour sauce in a large sauce pot.

Image: Sauce right from the can. 11. Add sautéed garlic, onions and spices.

Image: Spices added to the sauce. 12. Add any optional add ins you prefer. This is typically ground beef, sausage, etc. 13. Turn down to low heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Simmering longer only improves the flavor – sometimes I simmer for 5 hours. Letting the sauce cool, even refrigerate overnight, and the heating again only improves the flavor further. SERVE 14. Plate pasta. 15. Pour sauce over the pasta.

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16. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Finely ground, chopped, or shaved. Shavings are most attractive. 17. Sprinkle with parsley. 18. Enjoy.

Image: Serving suggestion. RESULTS We love our pasta and have it several times a week.

DRINKS (WINE PARINGS) Traditionally pasta has two main ingredients: tomato sauce and pasta. The best wines for pasta take into consideration these ingredients. While fuller-bodied white wines, and even Champagne or sparkling wine, can be delicious with the right pasta. It is no surprise that the source of some of the best wines is also the home of pasta. I completely agree with Mary Gorman-McAdams article; The 6 Best Styles of Wine to Drink with . (Oct, 2012, Tips from the Kitchen); While not exhaustive, in my opinion the following six wines will pair with any pasta: (1) Barbera d'Asti or Barbera d'Alba, Piedmont – Italy Barbera is the first wine that comes to mind when I think of pizza. From Piedmont in Northern Italy, Alba and Asti are two communes that are demarcated for Barbera. Barbera is noted for its high acidity and low tannin. Barbera wines are very juicy and packed with cherry-berry flavors. Go for the simpler, fruity unoaked versions. [Although much lighter, younger, I also enjoy Dolcettos from the same region.] (2) Ceresuolo di Vittoria DOCG, Sicily – Italy Sicily is a much-overlooked region when it comes to quality wine. It is the source of this lively, fruity red made from a blend of Nero d'Avola and Frappato. Frappato, the lighter of the two grapes, adds brightness, lightness, and perfume as well as a savory gamey note. (3) Chianti DOCG, Tuscany – Italy No need to aim for the weightier Classico style — just straight-up, straightforward Chianti is a natural pizza partner. Made from Sangiovese, simple Chianti is less concentrated and less tannic than its classico big brother. Typically unoaked or very lightly oaked, the wines tend to be jucier and lighter-bodied. (4) Beaujolais Villages or Mâcon Rouge – France, While I could easily stay in Italy, with so many pasta-friendly wines, I am veering west to France and specifically to the Gamay grape. Beaujolais, the Macon, and Anjou (Loire) are great sources of fresh, light-to-medium-bodied, fruity Gamay wines. Gamay wines also have a delicious earthiness which is another plus when eating pasta. (5) Blaufranckish - Austria Don't let the name turn you off. Over the past five or so years, Austria has been making great strides

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with its red wines. Blaufranckish, an indigenous black variety, is all about the fruit — bramble fruit, black cherries, and plums — with sufficient but supple tannins. It is a recent addition to my list of pizza wines. (6) Zinfandel, California - The United States Across the Atlantic and the United States to California, you'll find our much-loved Zinfandel. However, a caveat: Avoid the blockbuster, full-bodied, heavily extracted (and expensive) styles when having pizza. Instead look for the fruitier, unoaked (or lightly oaked), medium-bodied wines. Simple Zinfandel at its best is juicy, only moderately tannic, and packed with wild and juicy blue, black, and red fruits.

AMBIANCE With a bottle of wine, your beloved beside you, follow up your pasta experience with a classic Sophia Loren comedy, Marriage Italian Style (Matrimonio all’italilana). Master of Italian neo-realist cinema Vittorio De Sica (The Bicycle Thief) explores matrimonial entanglements, featuring two of the biggest names in Italian cinema. Handsome and debonair playboy, Domenico Soriano (Marcello Mastroianni), first encounters 17-year-old prostitute Filumena Marturano (Sophia Loren) in a Neapolitan brothel during WWII. It is a meeting of souls destined to last and when the war concludes, the two become lovers on and off for 22 years. Renting an apartment for Filumena, Domenico lets her run his various business interests – but ever the flirt, he is often distracted by other women and refuses to settle down. However, when facing her own mortality, Filumena convinces Domenico to a change of heart – not only agreeing to marry her, but accepting her secret offspring into his life and home.

Nutritional Information (estimated) http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5798/2  Serving size: 1 cup (140 grams).  Calories: 220cal  Total Fat: 1g  Sodium: 183mg  Protein: 8g

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