Butternut Squash, Italian Sausage and Sage Pasta

String Pasta
Fine, delicate string pasta (such as capellini, vermicelli or rice vermicelli) are great served with light sauces with ingredients diced or chopped small. It's best to use a sauce that clings.

Capellini (ka-pe-LEE-nee) or angel-hair pasta: Round, extra thin noodle; also known as capelli d'angelo (ka-PELL-ee DAN-zheh-low) in Italian.

Fettuccine (feh-tuh-CHEE-nee): Flat, thin noodles 1/8-1/4 inch (3-6 mm) wide.

Linguine (lin-GWEE-nee): Very narrow, flat, thick noodle approximately 1/8 inch (3 mm) wide.

Perciatelli (payr-chah-TEH-lee): Thicker, hollow version of spaghetti; also known as bucatini (book-kah-TEE-nee).

Rice vermicelli (also called rice-stick noodles): Round, very fine, transparent noodle made from rice flour.

Spaghetti (spuh-GEH-tee): Round, thin pasta. Comes from the Italian word for "strings."

Spaghettini (spay-ghe-TEE-nee): Thinner variety of spaghetti.

Vermicelli (ver-mih-CHEH-lee): Very thin spaghetti, slightly thinner than spaghettini but not as thin as capellini.

Spiral Pasta
Great served with chunky sauces and in baked dishes.

Fusilli (fyoo-SEE-lee): Thin corkscrew-shaped pasta, about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) long.

Gemelli (jay-MEH-lee): Short 1 1/2 inch (3.8 cm) twists that resemble two strands of spaghetti twisted together.

Radiatore (rah-dyah-TOR-ay): Resembles little radiators with rippled edges.

Rotini (roh-TEE-nee): Corkscrew-shaped pasta about 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) long, slightly thicker than fusilli.

Tiny Pasta
Especially good in soups or stews.

Acini di pepe (ah-CHEE-nee dee PAY-pay): Little peppercorn-shaped pasta.

Alphabets: Tiny letter-shaped pasta.

Anellini (ah-nehl-LEE-nee): Little ring-shaped pasta.

Conchigliette (kon-kee-YEH-tay): Smallest shell-shaped pasta available.

Farfallini (far-fah-LEE-nee): Smallest butterfly-shaped or bow tie pasta, with ruffled edge.

Orzo (OHR-zoh): Small rice-shaped pasta. Italian for "barley."  A favorite at our house as a substitute for rice.

Quadrettini (kwah-dreh-TEE-nee): Small, flat, square-shaped pasta.

Stelline (steh-LEE-nee): Small star-shaped pasta. Italian for "little stars."

Tripolini (tree-poh-LEE-nee): Very small bow tie pasta with rounded rather than ruffled edge.

Tubetti (too-BEH-tee): Tiny, narrow tube-shaped pasta. Italian for "little tubes."

Small Pasta
These are most commonly used in casseroles.

Cavatappi (kah-vah-TAH-pee): Short corkscrew-shaped ribbed macaroni.

Conchiglie (kon-KEE-yay): Small shell-shaped pasta.

Ditali (dee-TAH-lee): Short, straight tube-shaped pasta; a bit longer and wider than tubetti (see Very Small Pasta).

Elbow macaroni: Slightly curved tube-shaped, smooth-surfaced pasta.  Can you picture Mac N' Cheese?

Medium Pasta
These shapes are all very good with tomato, meat or cream sauces and work well in casseroles.

Farfalle (far-FAH-lay): Butterfly-shaped or bow tie pasta, with ruffled edge.  This is a favorite at our house.

Gnocchi (NYOH-kee): Small, fresh pasta dumpling made from potato and flour. Eggs, cheese or spinach are popular additions; generally shaped into little balls and cooked in boiling water. A dry variation, made with durum semolina, is also available.

Grande conchiglie (kon-KEE-yay): Large shell-shaped pasta, either ridged or smooth-surfaced; cavity is excellent for trapping meat sauces or creamy sauces.

Orecchiette (oh-rayk-kee-EHT-tay): Small disk-shaped pasta; Italian for "little ears."

Penne (PEH-nay): Short tube-shaped, ribbed pasta, about 1/4 inch (6 mm) in diameter and 2 inches (5 cm) long, cut on the diagonal.

Rotelle (roh-TEL-lay): Wagon wheel-shaped pasta.

Ziti (ZEE-tee): Tube-shaped, smooth-surfaced macaroni, about 1/2 inch (12 mm) in diameter and 11/2 inches (3.8 cm) long; similar to rigatoni (see Large Pasta).

Large Pasta
These pastas swell up quite large so be prepared; they can look impressive served in a large pasta bowl with a creamy or chunky, thick sauce that clings well; or bake with sauce for a casserole-type look.

Farfallone (far-fah-LOH-nee): Largest of the butterfly-shaped or bow tie pasta.

Lasagne (lah-ZAHN-yuh): Wide (about 2 inches, 5 cm), flat noodle, sometimes with ruffled edges.

Rigatoni (rig-ah-TOH-nee): Tube-shaped macaroni, about 1/2 inch (12 mm) in diameter and 2 inches (5 cm) long.

Stuffed Pasta
Delicious served with a variety of tomato or cream sauces.

Agnolotti (ah-nyoh-LAH-tee): Squares of pasta filled with meat or vegetables. Similar to ravioli, but slightly larger.

Cannelloni (kan-eh-LOH-nee): Large tube-shaped pasta (or square pasta that has been rolled into tube) that is boiled and then stuffed with a meat, cheese or vegetable filling.

Cappelletti (kah-peh-LEH-tee): Small dumplings made of 2 inch (5 cm) squares, stuffed and formed into a hat-like shape. Usually stuffed with ground beef, cheese or vegetables. The name is taken from the plural of the Italian word cappelletto, which means "little hat."

Conchiglioni (kon-KEE-yay-ON-ee): Jumbo shell-shaped pasta usually stuffed with cheese, meat or vegetable fillings.

Manicotti (man-eh-KAH-tee): Large tube-shaped, ribbed pasta cut on the diagonal.

Pansotti (pan-SOH-tee): A stuffed triangular-shaped dumpling. Usually stuffed with cheese and spinach, swiss chard or borage (a European herb; used like spinach). Italian for "pot bellied."

Ravioli (rav-ee-OH-lee): A square-shaped (or sometimes round-shaped) pasta dumpling. Usually stuffed with meat, cheese or vegetable fillings.

Tortellini (tor-teh-LEE-nee): Small, ring-shaped pasta dumplings. Usually filled with meat or cheese.

Tortelloni (tor-teh-LOH-nee): Larger version of tortellini.

Pasta Sauces:

Here's a great video about how to use sauce with pasta, less than two minutes, from Mario Batali: 

Mario Unclogged: How to Sauce Pasta

The key to great pasta sauces, in addition to proportion, is for the ingredients to be as fresh as possible.  Sometimes when we are watching our budget, fresh might seem a bit expensive, but in choosing to use a fresh onion and celery, we make our sauce all the more aromatic and increase our pleasure in eating and sharing it.  This is why I grow some herbs in a barrel just outside the kitchen on our deck.  Even when using canned tomatos, I can add fresh marjoram, basil, oregano, thyme or a variety of sage.  And growing your own is cheaper in the long run, you can dry some before the frost comes and replant in the Spring those that are killed by frost.

PASTA CARBONARA

1/4 lb. bacon
1 stick (1/4 lb.) butter
1 c. milk
2 tbsp. wine vinegar
1 lb. pasta (fettuccine or linguine)
2 eggs, whipped
1/2 c. fresh Parmesan

Cut the bacon into little pieces and cook in butter until clear. Heat milk in a small saucepan, and add the bacon and butter, add the vinegar; this will turn the milk to cheese. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce cooks smooth.

Boil the pasta al dente. Drain and return to pan. Immediately throw in the eggs, the bacon sauce and cheese. Toss and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.