Basic Ingredients for Italian Recipes

So you decided you're going to start doing some morenoodle. Rather, keep a small amount of the most
Italian cooking. You found a great database of Italiancommon types, such as spaghetti, linguine, elbow
recipes and you're excited about wading into the worldmacaroni, small and large shells and wide egg noodles.
of pasta, pesto and parmagiana.For storage, it helps if you can keep long noodles in a
It would be helpful to have on hand some staplelong container. Most plastic ware makers have a
ingredients that are found in a lot of Italian cooking."pasta keeper" of some sort available.
That way, you'll be able to get your fix of Italian foodParmesan cheese: While it may not always be an
any day, without extensive grocery shopping. Let's lookingredient, freshly ground Parmesan is almost always a
at some of them!welcome addition on top of a pasta dish. Kraft has a
Garlic: It may sound like a cliché, but this humble bulbnew "fresh shreds" product with a block of cheese in
has a place in just about all-Italian cooking. Keep it in aa container with its own grater. It works very well, and
cool, dry place such as a root cellar or pantry. Whenthe price is not exorbitant.
buying garlic, look for bulbs with no dark discolorationOlive oil: One mistake many Italian-food rookies make
on the bottom. This may indicate age or molding.is using expensive extra-virgin olive oil for things like
Tomato sauce: Don't go expensive here. The housepan-frying. Use standard olive oil, which will be yellow in
brand at your local grocer and the national brands willcolor and as much as 50 percent cheaper, for these
be impossible to tell apart if you put them in a bowl.purposes. You'll still get all the health benefits!
Avoid the "preseasoned" blends, as you'll be addingKeep your pantry properly stocked, and you'll be
your own herbs and spices to your recipe.prepared to cook any Italian recipes you wish!
Pasta: Don't buy a huge amount of any one specific