Penne

[pen-ey]

Penne ((UK), or /ˈpɛneɪ/ (US)) is a type of pasta with cylinder-shaped pieces, usually with a ridged surface with the ends cut on the diagonal. The same or similar shape is also called mostaccioli and ziti, which also refer to particular dishes made from penne-shaped pasta. Penne is the plural form of the Italian penna, deriving from Latin penna (meaning "feather" or "quill").

In Italy, penne are produced in two variants: "penne lisce" (smooth) and "penne rigate" (furrowed), the latter having ridges on each noodle.

Penne is traditionally cooked to al dente and served with pasta sauces such as pesto. Penne is a popular ingredient in pasta salads. Penne makes an excellent and versatile pasta for many applications because of its very practical design. The hollow center allows it to hold sauce, while the angular ends act as scoops. Penne's ridges allow it to hold still more sauce, as well as lending it an appealing texture.

Dishes and names

In general, the dish "mostaccioli" means the pasta served with marinara sauce and, sometimes, baked in a casserole, a staple of American school cafeterias and Italian-American weddings.

The word mostaccioli can also refer to a kind of cookie, historically sweetened with grape must or mosto.

Zito is Italian for "bridegroom." (Ziti is plural). Although the common form of modern ziti is about 5 cm (2 inches) long, the name makes more sense when considering the classic form of ziti, which was over 45 cm (18 inches) long.

Baked ziti is a popular baked Italian American casserole dish made with ziti macaroni and sauce. In many recipes, the ziti are first cooked separately while a tomato and cheese sauce is prepared, which may include meat, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, onions, and more. The cooked and drained ziti are then combined with the cooked sauce, which may be layered with additional varieties of cheeses, baked in the oven, and served hot. A similar al forno dish with a different type of pasta is baked mostaccioli, which, in Italian, means (loosely) "of the chicken."

Notes and references

Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes, Clarkson Potter Publishers, 2005.
Marguerite DiMino Buonopane, The North End Italian Cookbook, Globe Pequot Press, 2004.
John Mariani, The Italian-American Cookbook: A Feast of Food from a Great American Cooking Tradition, Harvard Common Press, 2000.