Semolina pasta: Italy at the table

Semolina pasta is one of the key products of Italian cuisine, it is the best known and most used ingredient for kitchen preparations, from the simplest to the most complex and elaborate. This is because pasta is very versatile, it can be used accompanied by many flavors, strong or delicate, and very different from each other.

What is semolina pasta?

Durum wheat semolina pasta, which is the main type of pasta, is made by mixing durum wheat semolina and water; then this preparation is processed in different forms.
This type of pasta is mainly produced industrially in pasta factories, which after preparing the different forms of pasta prepare them for drying: this is why semolina pasta is also referred to as “dry pasta”.

The particular properties of durum wheat ensure that the starch is not dispersed and therefore the pasta does not boil, ensuring durability during cooking and a dish with a unique and authentic taste.
Regarding the shape, semolina pasta is usually divided into long pasta (e.g. spaghetti, linguine) and short pasta (e.g. penne, rigatoni). The use of whole wheat semolina gives life to whole wheat pasta

Durum wheat and soft wheat pasta: the differences

Soft wheat is a type of wheat that breaks easily and is used to obtain so-called white flour, which can be of various types depending on the degree of refining: type 0, type 00, type 1, type 2 and whole wheat flour.
Wheat flour is generally used for leavened and baked goods, as the resulting dough has a medium-low tenacity and therefore good extensibility.
Soft wheat flour also contains less protein and a lower absorption capacity than durum wheat flour.

Durum wheat is a type of wheat that is difficult to break, has a coarse-grained grain and a yellow-amber color.
From its grinding, semolina, whole wheat semolina and re-milled semolina are obtained. Compared to white flour, semolina is grainer and has a more intense yellow color, due to the presence of carotenoids. Durum wheat semolina has a high tenacity and a lower extensibility than white flour and is therefore suitable both for baking and for the production of pasta.

Being composed of only two ingredients, the quality of the pasta depends almost exclusively on the quality of the durum wheat semolina, so it is very important to ensure the origin of this ingredient.

From a nutritional point of view, it contains more protein and gluten than soft wheat flour and the products derived from it have a better shelf life, a lower glycemic index and, containing carotenoids, these pigments are able to bind and eliminate free radicals.
In addition, the ability to retain starch ensures perfect cooking, preventing pasta from “sticking” like that produced with soft wheat

Semolina pasta in the kitchen: formats and combinations

In the kitchen with semolina, durum wheat or soft wheat pasta, you can really indulge yourself: pasta with tomato sauce, with vegetables, meat or fish ragout, the choice is very wide!

The shape of the pasta is important not only because of the different sensation for the eyes and the palate, but also for the combination with sauces.
Some types of pasta, due to their shape, harvest more sauce than others: let's think, for example, of a shell rather than a spaghetti!
Even the lines that we find externally on some types of pasta help to hold the sauces.

For example, spaghetti is normally combined with tomato-based sauces, or with the simple and classic 'garlic, oil and chilli', or with clams and, in general, seafood. So are linguine, which are also very well suited to white sauces based on soft cheeses.
The penne rigate, thanks to the stripe that holds the full-bodied sauces, go well with meat ragout and with sauces based on vegetables such as artichokes, zucchini or peppers. A well-known dish is that of penne all'Arrabbiata. Fusilli also go well with ragù, meat sauces and ricotta.