Capellini, also known as angel hair pasta, is a thin spaghetti made with flour, egg, and salt. It cooks quickly and is often served with lighter sauces. It can be colored with ingredients like beetroot or spinach juice and used in various recipes, including Italian, Asian, and international dishes.
Capellini is a thin spaghetti often called angel hair pasta. It is shaped like spaghetti but about a third of its width and is produced and sold as long sticks or in circular bundles that look like nests. As with other forms of pasta, capellini are typically made with flour, egg, and salt and are cooked in boiling water. Because of its thinness, however, it can cook more quickly and is often accompanied by lighter sauces than those served with thicker pasta.
In its country of origin, Italy, capellini can be translated as hair or thin hair, and its name is descriptive of the soft, hairy appearance of the pasta when cooked. Some consider angel hair and capellini to be separate varieties, with one smaller than the other, but commonly the two are synonymous. Raw pasta can be found dry and canned or bagged in markets, or it can be purchased fresh and refrigerated. Homemade pasta can be made with simple dough and formed in pasta machines or cut by hand. As with other types of pasta, it is generally cooked until al dente or firm to the teeth.
Some varieties of capellini are colored according to the ingredients used. Beetroot and spinach juices, for example, can be used in the dough to change the more traditional color of golden dough to red or green. Darker blends of wheat flour can also be used to create a brown and sometimes more grainy angel hair. Cuttlefish ink can be used to dye pasta black and to add extra flavor.
There are countless pasta recipes available in print, on the internet and kept in memory by cooks all over the world. Those recipes that use capellini usually include ingredients with lighter textures and flavors. Fresh tomatoes and herbs like basil and oregano can be drizzled with olive oil and garlic for a simple meal that retains the flavor of the pasta. Shrimp and lemon are subtle additions, and butter and cheese alone can be drizzled over pasta and seasoned. Pesto, spinach and thinner sauces can also mix well.
While generally considered an Italian cooking ingredient, pasta can also be used in Asian and international preparations. When cooked and refrigerated, capellini can be fried and combined with vegetables and slices of meat in a stir-fry. Used cold, the noodles can be used for sesame salads or for olive paste and feta cheese salads. There are countless possibilities for this finely textured pasta.
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