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The shape

Pasta offers different forms and endless dining possibilities
From the chef | Search restaurants | Archives

July 11th, 2007 issue

Jan Přerovský/THE PRAGUE POST
Few items are as adaptable as pasta, here dolloped with a savory filling, rolled and perfect for any gathering.
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Pasta comes in many shapes and sizes, as anyone who ever browsed grocery aisles knows. This is the essential difference among most Italian pastas. They are, with a few exceptions, rolled from dough made with semolina flour.
But the shape determines whether a particular pasta ends up in meaty Bolognese, a thick cream sauce, broth or even salads. Twisty forms grab and hold small bits of meat and vegetables. Delicate strands disappear under heavy, meaty sauces, but work perfectly in soup. Flat sheets may be baked, as in lasagne, or cut and pieced into ravioli.
Chef Marek Raditsch’s recipe features cannelloni, a substantial pasta meant to hold a sweet or savory filling. Other styles perfect for stuffing include manicotti, tortellini and shells (those large, conch-shaped pieces). Heavy sauces demand pasta with a noticeable texture and, often, conspicuous pockets or dimples to collect hearty reductions. Weaker sauces call for capellini (angel hair) or tripolini — fragile lengths of dough enlivened by a coating of flavor. Orzo, acini di pepe (also known as peppercorn pasta) and small bow ties are perfect in soup, while fusilli, rotini and small shells add contrast to salad.
But the most popular pastas are versatile shapes, the names familiar to most home cooks: macaroni, spaghetti, penne and linguine. These can stand up to just about everything, from meaty dishes to a quick toss in melted butter and herbs. Still, it’s more common to see certain types — spaghetti, for instance — in a tomato-based dressing, while others are picked for creamy sauces.
For authenticity, it is therefore important to understand some of the basics. And the most enjoyable way to learn? Visit good restaurants and see how they marry shape and recipe.
When it comes to pasta, after all, research is part of the fun.
Marek Raditsch is executive chef for the Kampa Group restaurants: Kampa Park, La Provence, Cowboys, Square and Hergetova Cihelna.

 

ZUCCHINI CANNELLONI WITH BURATA CHEESE

For cannelloni (serves four)

150 grams (4.8 ounces) pasta dough
3 shallots, diced
3 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
250 grams ricotta cheese
2 egg yolks
100 grams Parmesan cheese, grated
50 milliliters (0.05 quart) olive oil
200 grams burata cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, chopped fine
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon basil, chopped
100 grams cherry tomatoes, halved
200 milliliters tomato juice
Salt and pepper to taste
For the garnish
3 tablespoons black olives
1 tablespoon capers
Fresh basil

Preparation
Pasta
Make pasta dough and, using a pasta machine or rolling pin, flatten to a thickness of about 1 millimeter.
Using a fluted pastry wheel or knife, cut into eight squares, each about the size of a CD case. 
Filling
In a medium pan over medium heat, sauté the diced shallots in butter until translucent, about two or three minutes
Add the diced zucchini, chopped garlic, thyme, olive oil and salt and pepper, and cook for another eight minutes
Add the ricotta cheese, parmesan, egg yolks, salt and pepper to taste.
Tomato sauce
In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the diced shallots, garlic and cherry tomatoes and cook for five minutes.
Add the tomato juice, basil, salt and pepper reduce by one-third of original amount.
Cannelloni
Add a dash of olive oil to a large pot of salted water and bring to a boil.
Drop the pasta sheets in and cook until just al dente, around two minutes.
When done, fill the sheets by feeding zucchini filling into a piping bag and squeezing on the pasta sheets, then rolling.
Cover the rolled cannelloni with dollops of burata cheese
Bake at 180 C (350 F) until golden brown and cheese is melted, about six minutes.
To plate, place cannelloni on each plate, cover with olives, capers and fresh basil leaves, then spoon the tomato sauce around each portion.
 


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