LESSON 9

STARCHES

Chapter Learning Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, the student should be able to...
1. Understand the structure of grains used in starches;

2. Recognize the different varieties of grains and starches;

3. Identify the different pasta and noodle products; and
4. Apply various cooking methods to grains, starches, pasta, and noodles.
This chapter continues the discussion of starchy foods. The previous chapter focuses on a fresh
vegetable, the potato, one of the most important starches on European and North American
menus. This chapter, by contrast, discusses preparations based on dried foods: legumes and
grains.
For most of human history—and prehistory-grains have been the most important source of
nutrients and calories to sustain life, and this remains true today in many parts of the world. For
example, in parts of Asia, rice is eaten at nearly every meal. In Japan, the standard words for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be translated as “morning rice, " "noon rice," and "evening
rice."
In many regions, dried beans, eaten together with rice, are a more common source of protein
than meat or fish. Dried legumes are actually matured, dried versions of some of the fresh
vegetables discussed in earlier chapters and are not immediately thought of as starches.
However, they do have a high starch content and, because of their dried nature, are handled
much like grains. Pastas and noodles are important starchy foods made from grains, usually
wheat, but also rice and other grains.
In this chapter we look primarily at the noodle products inherited from Italian cuisine, but we
also learn about noodles from other cuisines.
PASTA, NOODLES AND DUMPLINGS

Macaroni products, or pastas, are popular alternatives to other starch foods. The word pasta is
Italian for “paste," so called because pasta is made from a mixture of wheat flour and water
and sometimes, eggs.
Not so many years ago, many of us knew only spaghetti with tomato sauce and elbow macaroni
with cheese, among all pasta products. Today, thanks to the influence of Italian cooks, we have
a choice of a great variety of pasta dishes. In addition, noodle products play an important role
in other cuisines, notably those of Asia. These include not only wheat noodles but also noodles
made of rice and other starches. Although most of our attention here is devoted to Italian-style
pastas, we take a look at these other products as well.
ITALIAN-STYLE PASTAS
Italian pastas have spread beyond their original borders to become one of the most popular
foods in North America and Europe. Please note that when we use the term Italian-style pasta
we are referring only to the noodle products themselves, not to the dishes prepared from
them. Appearing on menus are many dishes that are made with Italian-style pastas but that are
not recognizably Italian in any way, as they use ingredients from other cuisines, including those
of Asia and Latin America. Adopted by chefs from many cultures, Italian pastas have become
citizens of the world.
 Kinds, Characteristics, and Quality Factors
Commercial dried pasta is made from dough that has been shaped and dried. To refer to this
category of food, we sometimes use the term macaroni, meaning any dried pasta made from
flour and water. These include spaghetti, lasagne, elbow macaroni, and many other shapes.
The best dried macaroni pastas are made from semolina, a high-protein flour from the inner
part of durum wheat kernels. Lower-quality products are made from farina, a softer flour.
Specialty pastas include ingredients in addition to semolina and water. Whole wheat pasta may
be made with all whole wheat flour or a mixture of semolina and whole wheat. Other grain
flours, including buckwheat and farro (spelt), are used in other specialty items.
Spinach pasta is perhaps the most popular of the pastas that contain vegetable purées. Others
include red peppers, hot chile, seaweed, beet, tomato, and pumpkin.

Pasta containing squid ink is black in color and goes well with seafood sauces.
When purchasing macaroni products (unflavored), look for a good yellow color, not gray-white.
The product should be very hard, brittle, and springy, and it should snap with a clean, sharp-
edged break. When cooked.
In addition to pastas made of flour and water, dried egg pastas are also available. They contain
at least 54 percent egg solids in addition to the flour and water. They are usually sold as flat
noodles of various widths.
Fresh egg pasta is made from flour and eggs and, sometimes, a small quantity of water and/or
oil. Use a regular all-purpose or bread flour. Hard semolina flour, used for factory-made
spaghetti and macaroni, is not appropriate for fresh egg pasta. Softer flour makes a more
tender pasta. Soft egg noodle products are also available fresh and frozen from manufacturers.
They take less time to cook than dried macaroni products.
Other flours, such as whole wheat flour, can be used to make fresh noodles. When you are
making them yourself, you can experiment with ingredients. Keep in mind that flours other
than wheat flour don't form much gluten so they should be mixed with some wheat flour.
Buckwheat flour added to white flour makes especially tasty noodles that are featured in a
northern Italian classic called Pizzoccheri

Shapes and Their Uses

Pasta is made in hundreds of shapes and sizes. Each shape is appropriate for different
preparations because of the way different kinds of sauce cling to them or the way their textures
complement the texture of the topping. The illustration shows some of the most popular kinds
Table 19.2 describes the most common shapes and gives suggestions for use.
Remember that fresh egg pasta and factory-made spaghetti and macaroni are different
products. It makes no sense to say that one type is better than the other. Italian cooks use fresh
and dried pasta in different ways, with different recipes for each type. Factory pasta has a
chewy, robust texture, good with robust sauces, while fresh egg pasta is tender and more
delicate. Fresh egg pasta absorbs sauces more deeply than factory macaroni products. In
general, factory-made pasta is ideal for olive oil-based sauces, and fresh homemade pasta is
better with butter or cream-based sauces.
Starches are a food group predominantly made from grains and grain products, main
contributor to the supply of carbohydrates in the human diet. It can be whole grains or refined
grains, which are milled and with bran and germ.
Usually, grains contain three parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran serves as
the outer layer and is the part rich in fiber. That part in the inner layer of the kernel is called the
germ, where most of the nutrients reside. The bulk of the kernel, which also contains vitamins
and minerals, is called the endosperm. It is the part that is used for milled products such as
flour.

Classification
Whole grains can be classified as follows:

1. Corn - This is a grain that is also eaten as a vegetable. Variations include cornmeal, hominy,
and grits.
2. Rice - This is a staple food from a semi aquatic grass. This is a Filipino staple food which is
also predominant in Southeast Asia. Variations include short grain, long grain, Basmati, brown,
and sticky rice.

3. Wheat this is the primary ingredient in the making of the common flour. Its product is also a
famous thickener for soups and sauces. Variations include cracked wheat, bulgur, and
couscous.
4. Other Grains - This group includes other grains used in cooking, such as barley, buckwheat,
millet, oats, and quinoa.

Grain products, on the other hand, can be classified as follows:

1. Italian Style Pasta - These are unleavened dough which has been mixed with water and
pass through solid forms of shapes and sizes. Variations on shapes and sizes include the
following:
 Ribbons and Strands
a. Lasagne
b. Spaghetti
C. Tagliatelle
d. Linguine
e. Fettucine
f. Papardelle
g. Vermicelli
h. Angel Hair

Macaroni and Shapes

a. Elbow macaroni
b. Shell macaroni
C. Rigatoni
d. Ravioli
e. Cannelloni
f. Penne
g. Fusilli
h. Orecchiette
i. Farfalle
j. Manicoti
k. Tortelloni

2. Asian Noodles - similar to the Italian pasta with some ingredients, but different in
shapes and sizes as these noodles are usually uneven in length and shapes and usually
varies from the ingredient used.

Examples include the following:

a. Somen - Japanese thin, egg noodles

b. Udon - Japanese thick, egg noodles
c. Spring Rajn Noodles - noodles made from bean starch
d. Soba - Japanese buckwheat noodles
e. Misua - Chinese salted noodles made with wheat flour
f. Sotanghon - also called cellophane or glass noodles; made from bean mung
starch
g. Rice Vermicelli – also known in the Philippines as bihon, a staple ingredient for
noodle dishes.