We would like to introduce you to this special pasta: elicoidali. With this tubular pasta you can really do anything. Read all about it here!
What is elicoidali?
The Italian word “elica” means spiral. Probably the name of the pasta is also named after this. Elicoidali is a tubular pasta with ridges on the outside.
This makes it look a bit like the pasta form rigatoni. The difference is that the ribs of elicoidali curve in around the tube instead of straight, as with the rigatoni. In addition, elicoidali is a bit narrower than the rigatoni. Despite the differences, you can use them both for the same types of recipes.
Above all, use your imagination.
Recipes for elicoidali
Elicoidali is a very suitable pasta for use in a pasta salad. The ridges on the outside of the pasta ensure that sauce sticks well to the pasta. In Italy, it is often combined with sauces with meat. The sauce tends to creep into the cavity of the pasta. For exactly this reason, we recommend combining elicoidali with a hearty sauce.
We like to combine elicoidali with pasta alla norma or salad caprese with pasta. Because elicoidali is a versatile pasta you can use it in all kinds of dishes.
Want more inspiration on pasta recipes? Take a look at all our pasta recipes and get inspired!
How should you cook elicoidali?
Our whole wheat elicoidali has about 7 minutes to cook until tender. Super nice for when you do not want to or can not stand too long in the kitchen. A dish with elicoidali you’ve cooked in no time and is on the table in no time!
Did you know there are ways to cook elicoidali even faster? We have listed all the tips and tricks on how to do this. You can read these tips in our blog ‘How to cook pasta quickly’.
Below are a number of steps that you can use to cook the elicoidali. Stick to these steps and you will see that you cook the elicoidali just right.
Elicoidali are cooked in the following 6 steps:
Use a large pan to cook the elicoidali in
Take a large pan, the bigger the better. The elicoidali must be able to move around in the pan. This prevents the elicoidali from sticking together. Fill the large pan for 75% with hot water, by using hot water you save time because the water needs less time to boil. Do you want to save a lot of time? Then use a kettle so the water is already boiling.
Add some salt to the water
Make your pasta dish more delicious by adding a little extra salt to the boiling water. The salt gives the flavors in a dish an extra boost. This makes all the flavors more intense and delicious! Be careful, because too much salt can ruin your dish. We keep a guideline of about 10 grams of salt per 3 liters of water. You can read more about cooking pasta and salt in our blog: ‘Cooking pasta with or without salt’.
Do not use a lid while cooking elicoidali
By not using a lid the cooking water will not foam. For this reason, we always recommend not using a lid. It is also easier to keep the pasta moving this way. Read more about this in our next tip.
Keep the elicoidali moving
Like any pasta, elicoidali has a tendency to stick together. By keeping the pasta moving, you can prevent this from happening. Stir every minute with a spaghetti spoon in the pan. This way you keep the elicoidali moving sufficiently.
Taste the elicoidali before pouring.
If you want to know if the elicoidali is good, it is wise to taste the elicoidali. You do this before draining, so you can determine whether it is necessary to cook the pasta longer. In addition, you will immediately taste whether you have put enough salt in water. You can choose to add some more salt to taste.
Add the elicoidali to the pasta sauce at once
In Italy, they always add the pasta to the pasta sauce right away. This makes it less likely that the elicoidali will stick together. By doing this you never have problems with sticky pasta. A good tip we would like to give you!
How long should you cook elicoidali?
To cook elicoidali until tender you need about 7 minutes. We always recommend to look carefully at the packaging. Here you will find the exact cooking time of the pasta. By sticking to the cooking time you will cook elicoidali just right.
Some people like a somewhat harder pasta, with a ‘bite’. In Italy they call this ‘al dente’. You can achieve this by cooking the pasta one minute shorter than stated on the package.
Taste for yourself when you think the pasta is good enough to use. You can read more tips on how to do this in our blog: ‘How to cook pasta al dente!
How much elicoidali do you need per person?
Always look first at the dish you want to make with elicoidali. Is it a hearty, well-filled sauce or is it a lighter version? The amount of elicoidali we recommend to use per person depends on the dish you are going to make with it. The firmer the sauce, the less elicoidali you need for a filling pasta dish.
For a typical pasta dish, we use about 100 grams of pasta per person. Of course, this is personal and you may be a small or large eater. In that case, adjust the number of grams.
We also recommend looking at the type of sauce you would like to combine the pasta with. Do you opt for a strong sauce? Then use a little less pasta, 80 grams per person.
Determining the right amount of pasta for each person can be tricky. If you’re having trouble determining how much pasta you need, read more about the quantities of pasta per person on our blog: “How much pasta do you cook per person?”