Eating Healthy, Eating Better

     Recently Maria Speck wrote about whole grain pastas.  In her article in Fine Cooking magazine she said, "They  may be lower in calories and higher in fiber, vitamins, and minerals than regular pastas, but if they don't taste good, who cares?"  She then defends whole grain pasta by describing how they differ from regular pastas and then teaches us to adjust our way of preparing and presenting them.

    
      Two things set whole grain pastas apart from regular pasta.  First is their coarser, chewier texture and second, their more assertive flavor.  Consider the difference between steak and chicken breast.  We couldn't think of substituting one for the other in a dinner recipe.  And the same goes for whole grain vs. regular pasta.  The take-away from that for us is to combine whole grain pastas with ingredients that highlight rather than compete with their unique characteristics.

     To that end Maria recommends choosing deeply savory flavors like roasted or caramelized vegetables like butternut squash, red onions and radicchio.  Earthy mushrooms, aged cheeses, spicy chiles, fragrant herbs, smokey bacon and salty prosciutto are all natural parings, as are anchovies, tuna and sardines.  "Ingredients like these will not only stand up to whole grain pastas' nutty flavors, but they'll enhance and harmonize them, too."

     By adding complimentary textures you can also enhance the rustic quality of whole grain pasta.  Add some toothy, chewy or crunchy ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, corn, beans or nuts and you'll have a dish that's much more balanced and enticing.

Tomorrow: Some ways to serve whole grain pastas!