Celebrity chef James Martin revealed the pasta secrets he’s picked up from Italian chefs – including a “crucial” tip for perfect results
James Martin said a ‘crucial’ tip is key for flavoursome pasta (Image: GETTY)
Chef James Martin has revealed the “crucial” technique Italians swear by to amp up the flavour of pasta. Sharing advice he’s received from chefs of Italy over the years, the 53-year-old insists many pasta fans have been missing out on a vital cooking step.
While rustling up a lobster pasta dish on his Saturday Morning programme, James told viewers: “Now, my Italian friends have told me some decent things over the years, one of which is how to cook pasta.
“You don’t put oil in pasta water, the key to this is salted, boiling water.”
He then quipped: “They said, ‘It should taste of the sea’, clearly they’ve never been to Whitby and stuck their tongue in the water’.”
Dropping tagliatelle into the bubbling pot, James reminded viewers that fresh pasta cooks far quicker than its dried counterpart.
James Martin shared the tips he’s taken from Italian chefs over the years(Image: GETTY)
“Fresh pasta, like this, is only going to take two to three minutes to cook,” he explained. “You just boil it all up.”
Dried varieties generally need around 12 minutes simmering, though timing varies depending on shape and thickness.
Pressing on with his creation, James stressed: “Now the second thing the Italians chef have told me is, finish the pasta in the sauce, it’s really crucial not to just pile the pasta and then put the sauce on top.”
By tossing the pasta straight into the sauce, he noted: “It gets all those nice flavours.”
To elevate your dish even further, the chef suggests a sprinkle of fresh basil, a pinch of salt, a grind of black pepper and a dusting of parmesan cheese.
Meanwhile, Italian maestro Nima Safaei says there is also a one-minute trick that can transform your preferred pasta dish.
An Italian chef shared how a simple one-minute trick can make a difference to the taste(Image: GETTY)
The secret, he says, is to let it rest in its sauce before adding to the plate. “Remember to rest your pasta for one minute before serving, just like you rest a steak,” he divulged.
“Letting it sit in the sauce off the heat allows the flavours to settle and the texture to become perfectly supple.”
Additionally, the chef and restaurateur controversially suggests that soy sauce isn’t just for rice and noodle dishes.
According to him, adding a dash of the sauce can make ragú go from “fine to outstanding”.
“Adding soy sauce to a ragú gives it a deep, rich umami taste you can’t easily replicate with any other ingredient,” he revealed.
“Yes, the entire population of Italy may hate me for it, but there’s something about the sweet yet tangy profile soy sauce adds that can turn any ragú from fine to outstanding.”
Catch more cooking tips on James Martin’s Saturday Morning, airing weekly from 9.30am on ITV and ITVX.
Dining and Cooking