Is Angel Hair a Legitimate Pasta?

I hate the stuff

Excellent question.

Yes, you just have to accept that not every pasta shape works for every dish. Angel hair is great for aglio, olio, e peperoncini

You’re cooking it too long or not draining it properly. It’s lightness is a real plus in many simple dishes.

You have to added it straight to the sauce from the boiling water, so that the sauce envelope the pasta and prevents it from clumping

To me it’s a very 1980s vessel to make vegetables more palatable ala pasta primavera.

I'm curious OP, what makes something a "legitimate" pasta and what is the opposite of that?

R5 here, meant to write "envelops" fucking damn autocorrect changed my word on me.

I have an extreme worm phobia, and the only spaghetti I can stomach is angel hair. The larger ones look just like the worms my late cat Keke vomited up back in 1981.

You have to drain, then rinse it.

Well that’s very much the question, r8.

Cool it directly in the sauce. Trust me.

Don’t drag me into this, cuntessa!

Illegitimate pasta: cheese used as a sauce. The pasta then becomes noodles

It's my favorite whether legit or bastard.

Do they eat it in Italy?

Well, that wouldn't be the pasta, R14, that would be the cheese. Cheese sauce turns pasta into noodles, much like ketchup turns anything it touches into garbage.

What about butter? If pasta is dressed solely with butter is it illegitimate? Does the butter turn the pasta into noodles? If parmesan and garlic are subsequently added does it turn back into pasta?

Yes- the addition of a flavor other than fat can induce the re-transformation.

I’m guessing the only way you can serve it without it looking vile is in tiny amounts or those nests.

I’ve seen pictures of large portions shaped like a big quenelle, but it looks like a horrifying burrito.

I think of it as the quick oats of pasta, it exists as a sometimes needed quick cooking pasta, but it’s never going to be an ideal.

I love angel hair. It and cavatappi are my favorite types of macaroni. I like egg pasta better, in general, but I no longer have the space or the energy to roll my own.

Capelli d'angelo is best when added directly to soups, if you boil it to have with a sauce, make sure you add olive oil to the water and only pair it with a light sauce.

The only time I've ever had it is back when I was broke and a box of Angel Hair Pasta Roni was all I could afford.

It can't take heavy sauce or a lot of other stuff. It's great when it's simple (i.e. small shrimp, olive oil, a little pasta water, herbs).

R4 has chosen violence.

Angel hair is best when you want pasta but not a heavy dish. You need to keep the sauce light and the number of ingredients limited. It's my favorite pasta to pair with seafood--I"ll usually do clams, mussels, and shrimp steamed and then lightly tossed in fried garlic with olive oil with salt, pepper, and red pepper, and then add a little more fresh olive oil once you toss it with the pasta. I also like it because I prefer pasta al dente and it's one you can get away with very little cooking time.

Years of living in Italy and never saw it on any menu, never was served it at a dinner.

Italians like their pasta to have a "bite".

Interesting, r25.

As the yutes say - sus!

It's my favorite for most things.

In fact, looking at the DeCecco website, it says the following for "Capellini" (Angel Hair pasta).

"Persino il nome dei Capellini richiama la caratteristica sottigliezza di questo formato consigliato nella dieta dei bambini dai 9 mesi in su, in modo da abituare i più piccoli ai cibi dei grandi."

"Even the name "Capellini" recalls the characteristic subtlety of this type of pasta, recommended in the diet of children aged 9 months and over, in order to accustom the little ones to the foods of grown-ups. "

In Italy it is more for small children or the sick.

We need to ask Stanley Tucci?

I HAVE seen it used to make sweets. One of Napoli's easter cakes "Pastiera di Pasta".

No, it’s illegitimate. Angel Hair’s parents Flour & Egg never married.

Why would it clump if you're making it properly? I prefer it because I make simple pasta dishes usually with just EVVO as the dressing.

It also cooks faster if you need to save a few minutes. LOL!

Why the LOL R32? Just a bizarre place to put an LOL after such a statement.

R33, because saving a few minutes - 6 minutes to cook vs 9 minutes to cook - is funny to me. It doesn't really save anything in the long run.

Would you like me to explain it further? LOL!

When I ate pasta, I’d toss it with my homemade basil pesto and add quartered grape tomatoes. Or just some olive oil, garlic and salt.

^^ Oh. Just like OP’s recipe.

R33 LOL can also mean "I'm a woman."

Me too, R35. Tomatoes and olive oil. Try adding tangerine bits. That started out as smoked salmon bits, tangerine/orange bits and diced onion. As my budget shrank during the pandemic I found it works fine with just onion and orange.

No, OP, it is illegitimate. This is why it is banned in so many countries.

I love angel’s hair.

[R19], just try to put that shit on a fork. It won't happen. These recipe pics exalting something are either CGI or the result of some OCD queen spending 14 hours to get it just right and then shrieking, NOW NOW NOW NOW! to some bewildered photographer.

My mom used it in soups. She’d break it into small pieces and brown it in oil before tossing it in the broth. We never had it in pasta dishes.

R41, seriously what is your problem. I don't mean to make fun if you have some disability. But are you confessing to not being able to use a fork?

[quote] Is Angel Hair a Legitimate Pasta?

She was on the ballot for California's governor, so she must be somewhat legit.

Was Pia Zadora a legitimate actress?

What?

When my customers demand angel hair pasta I serve it. Made the old-fashioned way.

With fiberglass.

I love Angel Hair pasta!

You have to cook it in a big pot OP and instantly drizzle a bit of olive oil over it. Then add whatever sauce you're serving with it. Light sauces like herbs, garlic and olive oil work fine for this pasta. Also nice with just some parmesan cheese and truffle or fresh cooked veggies.

I've always liked it with pesto sauce.

I make a sauce by toasting garlic slices in EVOO until they are brown, but not burned. Add a can of diced tomatoes, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (fresh grated). When the Angel hair is done (Al dente) I take a tongs and put the pasta in the sauce. Cook for about 1 minute, add fresh basil and serve immediately.

[quote]Capelli d'angelo is best when added directly to soups

What this poster said.

I don’t care for it. I like something hearty like bucatini.

[quote]ketchup turns anything it touches into garbage.

I don’t like ketchup or angel hair pasta.

[quote]It's my favorite pasta to pair with seafood--I"ll usually do clams, mussels, and shrimp steamed and then lightly tossed in fried garlic with olive oil with salt, pepper, and red pepper, and then add a little more fresh olive oil once you toss it with the pasta. I also like it because I prefer pasta al dente and it's one you can get away with very little cooking time.

I’d be willing to try this.

The Raman of Italy!

That photo looks like ramen to me.

"There are no illegitimate children; there are only illegitimate parents!" -- Greer Garson, [italic]Blossoms in the Dust[/italic]

Similarly, there are no illegitimate pastas; there are only illegitimate semolina flours.