Using the right seasoning for pasta is about putting the finishing touches on the perfect Italian meal.
First you add salt and pepper and then…? Yes, then what? What are tasty pasta seasonings? Do you grab dried or fresh herbs for pasta? And can you also use a spice mix? In this blog we will try to help you a little bit with the pasta seasoning.
Seasoning pasta, how do you do that?
A ready-made Italian herb mix; it is not that we are against it, just that we want to be against it.
If you are not yet very handy in the kitchen and can’t distinguish basil, parsley and oregano, then it is a great tool. But ready-made and Italian cuisine just do not go well together.
Simple recipes with beautiful, fresh ingredients; that combination has made Italian dishes famous throughout the world. That’s why we prefer to choose the spices ourselves.
There are several well-known combinations of pasta dishes and spices, but ultimately your own taste is leading.
Pasta seasoning without sachets
In an ideal world we might only use fresh herbs, but not all of us have room for a large herb garden of our own, as many restaurants have.
That’s not a bad thing at all, either. You can easily keep a base of dried Italian herbs on hand: bay leaves, rosemary, oregano, thyme, marjoram. Then you are already well on your way.
You then finish most dishes with fresh Italian herbs. It is an enormous wealth to be able to pick them yourself and it does not require that much space to grow fresh basil, fresh parsley, fresh thyme, fresh oregano or fresh chives. You can do that well on a modest balcony, too.
Basil is a notorious “early dieter” if you just put up a plant and then don’t look at it again, but with a little care you can prevent that. Give basil space, sun and water and you will enjoy its wonderful fragrance and flavor for a long time.
Spicing up pasta
But how will you use them? What herbs for spaghetti, what herbs for macaroni; in a general sense, what combination of herbs – pasta sauce is irresistible?
There is no such thing as a golden formula, because personal taste always comes into play. We can say that especially basil and oregano characterize Italian cuisine in terms of herbs. They both combine fantastically with meat and tomato dishes and thus with many popular pasta recipes.
Equally versatile is rosemary. It too goes perfectly with meat, vegetables, but also, for example, with a pasta with shellfish. Thyme and strong (meat) sauces also make a beautiful marriage. Parsley is an all-rounder. It is very healthy and can be used both with meat and fish.
You can use chives or dill for pasta with fish, but there is so much more. Sage, juniper, tarragon, marjoram; cooking is trying and cooking is tasting.
You can be inspired by the recipes on this website and vary them as much as you like. Make something beautiful and delicious out of it! Good luck!