"John Gaughan" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I tried whole wheat pasta the other day. My wife and I both think it tastes good, but it does not
> hold sauce well. Most likely this is due to the fact that it has less starch, which helps bond
> sauce to the pasta.
>
> Is this true of all whole wheat pasta? What brands do you guys recommend? Any cooking tips, should
> I cook it differently than normal pasta? Normally I boil it until al dente, rinse in hot water,
> and toss in olive oil.
>
> --
> John Gaughan
http://www.johngaughan.net/ [email protected]
Trader Joe's sells a whole wheat penne which I find very satisfying. Currently (at least in Los
Angeles) they are not selling, because, according to the manager I asked there, they are going
through a standard nutritional evaluation (never heard of that before, but I hope the label is still
valid because, in addition to [or because of] the value of the fiber, you get about a 1/3 more pasta
for the caloric equivalent of non-whole wheat [half wheat?]). In the absence of the penne, the
linguini is fine; I have a personal preference for the penne. I cook the penne about 8 minutes and
the linguini for 5 because of their relative densities. It's cheap, too, a buck for a pound, whereas
Whole Foods sells their house brand of whole wheat pasta for 2.29.
While I'm getting the pasta ready (about a 15 minute process, all in), I brown a little ground
turkey with garlic, onion and parsley then remove and stir up some more onion, garlic and diced
vegetables du jour -- I like julienne eggplant (pre-baked and split,at 350 for an hour, then pre-
cooled) mushrooms and maybe some peppers adding whatever spice I'm in the mood for. Simmer in about
a cup of tomato sauce (thinned w/water as needed), a little red wine and about a tablespoon of
tomato paste, returning the browned meat and then a few more pinches of fresh minced parsley for
color on the final serve (and maybe a little sugar). Yum. Did it last night, in fact.