BY EUGENE RUFFOLO

Pasta. It’s the classic dish that immediately comes to mind when one thinks about Italian food. And with good reason. In most regions, from central Italy and all the way down through Sicily, pasta is the primo piatto—the first course eaten every day at the midday pranzo. The beauty of pasta is that it seems virtually infinite in its shapes and in the various sauces with which it is served. Pasta can be dried or freshly made at home—long, short, or filled with meats, herbs, cheeses, or vegetables. Boiled or baked. In short, pasta is an art form unto itself.

More beautiful still is its simplicity. It doesn’t take a lot of skill or cooking knowledge to make a wonderful plate of pasta, if one understands the few fundamental rules involved in its preparation.

Shape. I’ve heard people unfamiliar with Italian cooking ask the question: “Why are there so many pasta shapes—aren’t they all the same?” Nothing could be further from the truth! Pasta should be seen as a vehicle for the sauce that accompanies it—and therein lies the beauty of its design. When choosing the appropriate pasta to accompany a particular sauce, think of how the shape will serve to offer up the sauce. For example, when making Pasta Piselli (pasta and peas), a small shell (conchiglie) works perfectly. The peas will nest brilliantly inside the shell! Spaghetti would not be as good a choice. Let’s look at rigatoni. The name is derived from the fact that the pasta is rigate, which refers to the grooves that are etched into the pasta. Those grooves catch the sauce, which makes rigatoni a favorite pasta shape for eating various tomato-based sauces and ragouts.

Salt. Salt is a critical ingredient in all cooking, and pasta is no exception. In a world in creasingly concerned with health and wellbeing, salt is often villainized. But one of the biggest mistakes people make when cooking pasta is to under-salt. Wait until the water is at a rapid boil before adding salt and then salt before adding the pasta to the water. I suggest testing the water for salt throughout the cooking process, leaving several minutes of leeway for adjustments. The correct amount of salt must be present while the pasta is cooking, so it will inform the pasta as it cooks. Salting your pasta after the fact is not an option, so you need to be vigilant and get it right. Try not to be intimidated by the seemingly significant amount of salt necessary to properly flavor pasta. Much of it is going down the drain, so use your tongue and not your eyes to regulate.

The boil. Pasta must be cooked in rapidly boiling water. Allow the water to come to a full boil before adding your pasta to the pot, and do your best to keep the boil as lively as possible throughout. As soon as the pasta is added, the water will cease its full boil, so cover the pot partially until it returns to a vigorous boil. Stir immediately after the pasta is added to the pot, and several times throughout the cooking process, to keep the pasta from sticking to itself and to ensure even cooking.

Pot size. The size of the pot in which you cook your pasta is of seminal importance.

Beginning cooks often make the mistake of using a pot that is too small to adequately allow the pasta to cook. The main issue here

is starch. As pasta cooks, it releases starches,
which will later combine with the sauce, emulsifying and creating a wonderful texture. If the
pot size is inadequate, it can crowd the pasta
and inhibit the release of those critical starches. So make sure you use a pot that leaves sufficient room.

La cottura (cooking time). This is the last and perhaps the most critical of all elements to be considered when in pursuit of the perfectly cooked plate of pasta. Cottura is a difficult word to translate. Like many words in the Italian language, it can mean multiple things. On a box of pasta you may find something like “Cottura: 12 minutes.” In this context cottura refers to “cooking time.” But cottura can also be translated as the degree to which something is cooked. La cottura of the pasta means the cooked-ness of the pasta, if you will.

You probably know that pasta should be cooked “al dente,” which literally means “to the tooth.” This means the pasta should have a slight bite to it, that it should be firm and not at all mushy or starchy. Al dente is the gold standard when considering the cottura of the pasta. The exact degree to which pasta should remain al dente is slightly subjective and a matter of personal taste. But one thing is for sure—to overcook pasta is a cardinal sin.

When it comes to achieving al dente pasta, there are two things to consider: the length of cooking time (la cottura) and the quality of the pasta itself. There is an expression in Italian, tiene la cottura (“hold the cottura”), which refers to the ability of a pasta to reach a point at which it is perfectly al dente. An inferior pasta will go from undercooked to overcooked without ever reaching that sweet spot. When cooking the pasta, it is important to test it for salt and cottura a few minutes in advance of the suggested cooking time. Most pasta manufacturers now indicate the suggested cottura on the package, and I find they are surprisingly accurate! Follow the directions and begin testing the pasta two to three minutes before the suggested cooking time. You will be rewarded with a perfectly cooked plate!

Eugene Ruffolo is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and author of the forthcoming project Canto per Mangiare, which explores the connection between music and food. EugeneRuffolo.com

BY EUGENE RUFFOLO

Creativity is truly one of the great mysteries. How does one create something beautiful, original, and deeply meaningful? Artists speak of the inexplicable feeling of ideas flowing through them, of being mere vessels for some greater power. We are familiar with the image of the writer staring at a blank page—that daunting experience artists know too well. As a lifelong musician, I have devoted much of my time and energy to following the muse, instilling in me a sense of awe regarding all things creative. I am fascinated with the creative process—and the through line that connects every artistic discipline. They are surely all related. But as a professional musician and an ardent food lover and cook, it is the connection between these two particular art forms that captivates me the most.

Whether I am deeply immersed in writing a song or cooking a delicious meal, a similar feeling takes hold as I surrender to the process—the mysterious and wonderful alchemy of creating something unique and rich out of nothing. Surely creativity is pure magic. But maybe it can be broken down, and in doing so, might we unlock principles that also contribute to a life well-lived?

So what do a beautiful plate of pasta and a well-executed song have in common? More than you might imagine.

Simplicity

Consider the elegance of a simple tomato sauce—fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Sure, you could add more ingredients, but why? It’s perfect as it is. And in its simplicity lies its grace. As a young adult interested in cooking, I would observe my grandmother over and over as she created this signature Italian dish, and the one thing I marveled at each time? Simplicity. So simple and so good.

Now imagine your favorite Hank Williams song: three chords, a memorable hook, and an emotional message that shoots straight to the heart. Voila! This is not to say that more sophisticated recipes or forms of music don’t have their place, but isn’t it the simple things that delight the most?

Economy

Nothing exposes the amateur chef more strikingly than the overuse of spices. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had friends visit from Italy, only to sample Italian food here and deliver the same refrain, “What’s with the garlic?” Often we tend to overdo it. Cooking is about adding just what’s needed and making the recipe speak with the requisite amount of herbs and spices. More is less.

And just as the cook must resist the temptation to overseason, the songwriter must home in on the essence of the song, finding a way to strip away the unnecessary to reveal the emotional heart. In fact, lyrical economy is possibly the very quality that makes songwriting such a formidable task, and separates it from its close cousin poetry, and certainly novel writing. It is the unique job of the songwriter to craft a compelling story in three short minutes, all the while working with the added elements and constraints of rhyme, melody, and harmony! No easy task. But in keeping things simple and economical, we cut to the heart of things.

Balance

I remember clearly a moment early in my career. I was recording my first album with a producer much more experienced than I. I stood over the recording console and attempted to direct the process. The song had a cello part, and I wanted to hear more of it. “I love the cello—turn it up!” I barked. He paused the music, looked at me with a mixture of frustration and disgust, and admonished, “Just because you like the instrument doesn’t mean there should be too much of it in the mix!”

I learned an invaluable lesson that day, one I’ve carried with me and which serves me well both in the recording studio and in the kitchen: balance. One of the most notable details about eating in a restaurant in Italy is that you will likely find no salt or pepper shakers on your table. The chef has already decided how the meal should taste. So if you like parmigiana on your tomato sauce, that’s wonderful, but remember the balance!

Seasoned musicians live by the adage that in music, the notes not played are as important as the ones that are. We speak of the “space” and “silence” being as important as the music itself. In fact, in those very spaces we often find the sweetest music. Cooking is the same. What’s left out is as important as what’s put in. So honor the space, and remember the balance.

Tradition

If you want to write a song, study a Bach prelude or listen carefully to a Gershwin tune. In those time-honored pieces lies the key to musical architecture. Once you dissect and master those, creating your own musical gems will be that much easier.

Similarly, aspiring cooks might benefit from reading Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything or Macella Hazan’s Essentials of Italian Cooking. And if you don’t like cookbooks, keep a watchful eye on your grandmother. There is great wisdom in studying those who have come before. And although cooking, music, and life itself are creative acts inviting improvisation and free expression, it pays to keep a weather eye on form.

But in the end, isn’t it all about feel? A great musician can never be created, just as a truly gifted chef can’t be hatched in a cooking school. Ultimately, it all comes from somewhere deep inside. What differentiates any great artist from a less-gifted one is that intangible element of feel—the X factor that simply can’t be quantified. And therein lies the mystery.

But the arts are an open playing field for all. So whether it’s a song, a plate of pasta, or just a walk through the woods on an October day, embrace the moment and enjoy.

Eugene Ruffolo is an acclaimed singer/songwriter about to release his seventh CD, Canto per Mangiare, a collection of Italian songs and cherished family recipes. EugeneRuffolo.com