A beautiful plate of pasta is nothing short of enchanting – rich aromas, nuanced flavors and the painstaking presentation of the professional chef. It’s easy to boil a pot of noodles, but turning strands of wet spaghetti into a Michelin-starred dish can be a tall order for the home cook. Here, area chefs share their better-than-Nonna’s recipes and secrets for everything you need to take your pasta from basic to bellissima. Pro tip No. 1: Start with fresh pasta. Here’s where to get it in St. Louis.
Stellina: 3342 Watson Road, St. Louis, 314.256.1600, stellinapasta.com Pasta available: Semolina or whole-wheat fettuccine, semolina or whole-wheat walnut tagliatelle, agnolotti, lasagna (by special request)
Price: $3 per 5-oz. nest
Katie’s Pizza & Pasta: 9568 Manchester Road, Rock Hill, 314.942.6555, katiespizzaandpasta.com Pasta available: Arugula reginette, black spaghetti, bucatini, capellini, fiori, lemon pappardelle, paccheri, pappardelle, spaghetti, tagliatelle
Price: $5 per pound
Pastaria: 7734 Forsyth Blvd., Clayton, 314.862.6603, pastariastl.com Pasta available: Bucatini, canestri, chitarra, gargenelli, pappardelle, regular and whole-wheat strozzapreti
Price: $6.25 per pound
Midwest Pasta Co.: 2023 Cherokee St., St. Louis, 314-772-7560, midwestpastaco.com Pasta available:
Laminated – angel hair, vermicelli, spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, tagliatelle, pappardelle
Extruded – penne, rigatoni, ziti, conchiglie (shells), bucatini, rotelle, radiatore, macaroni, torini, fusilli, cresta di gallo, cavatappi
Gnocchi – egg, spinach, garlic, chive, sun-dried tomato, sweet potato
Ravioli – black bean, butternut squash, four cheese, goat cheese, gorgonzola, lobster, mushroom, spinach and walnut, ricotta and sun-dried tomato, white truffle
Tortellini and Tortelloni – beef and Pork, chicken
Gluten-Free – fettuccine, spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, farfalle (bow ties), lasagna sheets, gnocchi
Price: Approximately $4 per pound
-photo by Greg Rannells
This article appears in September 2015.