Ever since I started to make fermented tomato sauce, I have been looking forward to the moment of making cold angel hair pasta with this fermented tomato sauce. And it was heavenly delicious!
As I mentioned in the article of cold Cilantro Pesto Pasta, there is nothing like eating cold noodles in the summertime. It is very much a Japanese thing. I grew up loving to eat all of these Japanese cold noodles in the summer. For making cold pasta, angel hair, or the pasta that requires 6 minutes of cooking time, is the ideal. The thin, fresh, and possibly slightly crisp and cool texture is very pleasing for the mouth. Although I am on a whole grain diet, noodles are only one of the things that I truly enjoy from time to time which are not whole grain, because their texture cannot be realized through the whole grain noodle, and they taste simply beautiful. Probably once a week, we enjoy non-whole grain pasta.
Fermented tomato sauce with garlic
For this pasta, I used fermented tomato sauce which I made with tomato and garlic. There was no chili or other herbs in it. In my opinion, it is perfect for the pasta sauce. The flavor of garlic definitely adds a wonderful aroma and flavor to the sauce. Instead of making the sauce with the herb, I would add the fresh herbs when serving pasta. This fits much better to the cold and freshness of the pasta. Today, I used a good amount of cilantro, which was very delicious. At the same time, I can imagine it will also be wonderful with fresh basil or even fresh oregano!
Flax oil instead of olive oil for Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Using olive oil is certainly the standard way to go for pasta. But I used flax oil so that we can take more Omega-3 fatty acid. Some people might not like the flavor of the flax oil. I personally enjoy its bitterness, and it tastes beautiful together with this pasta. I also dress the salad regularly with flax oil instead of olive oil. There are so many health benefits of Omega-3, including it being good for cardiovascular health, the brain, as well as being an anti-depressant. One thing to be careful of is to remember to always store the flax oil in the fridge, as it is temperature sensitive!
A bowl of cold water—the key to success!
The key for the success to the cold pasta is how you treat the noodles after they are cooked. First, you rinse the cooked noodles with the filtered water to cool them down. Then put the noodles into the bowl filled with cold water. You can prepare the water with ice cubes in advance, or take the chilled water out from the fridge and use that. As the noodles soak in the cold water, they become slightly harder than the texture when you took them out from the boiling water. The fresh and al dente texture of the noodles make a big difference in the result!
