Since 1995, October 25 has been celebrated as World Pasta Day. In a huge number of countries, pasta is the dish enjoyed most in the kitchen. Canadians, for example, have increased their annual consumption of pasta almost nine kilograms per capita over the past decade, making Canada one of the ten countries where people eat more pasta, according to pastacanada.com

So what better way would there be to celebrate the day honouring the food we love than speaking to chef Stefano Faita? The host of CBC's "In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita" is also a brand ambassador for Barilla pasta, and he was more than willing to reveal his secrets and tips for preparing pasta to perfection.

According to Faita, pasta is definitely one of the pillars of Italian cuisine. In addition to being nutritious, he claims, the dish allows people to gather around a table and share quality time with people you love.

And what are Faita's secrets for perfect pasta every time?

• Drain the pasta using a large colander and stir gently to remove the excess water.
• The pasta should be moist but not soggy.
• Do not rinse pasta after cooking. The natural starch pastes that emerge allow for the pasta sauce to "stick."
• Save a half-cup of the pasta water while draining — you can use this to dilute the sauce or add to the pasta sauce in a skillet just before serving.
• In Italy, we generally partially cook the pasta for three minutes in the cooking water, then pour it into a pan and add the sauce to complete the cooking process for three minutes, so that the pasta absorbs the flavours of the sauce.

Did all that make you feel like eating pasta tonight? Check out these recipes — and let us know if you have some of your own in the comments below!

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• Butternut Squash Ravioli With Sage Browned Butter

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://jennysteffens.blogspot.com/2011/09/butternut-squash-ravioli-with-sage.html" target="_hplink">Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Browned Butter recipe from Jenny Steffens</a></strong>

• Bacon And Egg Pasta (Carbonara Style)

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/bacon-and-egg-pasta-carb_n_1057316.html" target="_hplink">Bacon And Egg Pasta recipe</a></strong>

• Spicy Sausage And Rapini Pasta

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.crumbblog.com/2010/11/second-chances-spicy-sausage-and-rapini.html" target="_hplink">Spicy Sausage and Rapini Pasta recipe from Crumb</a></strong>

• Pasta Alla Norma

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/recipe/pasta-alla-norma/" target="_hplink">Pasta alla Norma recipe from Daily Unadventures In Cooking</a></strong>

• Creamy Pumpkin Pasta With Parmesan And Sage

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.bakeyourday.net/creamy-pumpkin-pasta-parmesan-sage/" target="_hplink">Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan and Sage recipe from Bake Your Day</a></strong>

• Penne With Cauliflower

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/penne-with-cauliflower_n_1057338.html" target="_hplink">Penne With Cauliflower recipe</a></strong>

• Lasagna With Mushrooms And Lamb Sausage

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/lasagna-with-mushrooms-an_n_1058515.html" target="_hplink">Lasagna with Mushrooms and Lamb Sausage recipe</a></strong>

• Bucatini All'Amatriciana

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/bucatini-allamatriciana_n_1058254.html" target="_hplink">Bucatini all'Amatriciana recipe</a></strong>

• Spicy Pappardelle With Sausage And Shiitake Mushrooms

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.savorysimple.net/pappardelle-with-sausage-and-mushrooms/" target="_hplink">Spicy Pappardelle with Sausage and Shiitake Mushrooms recipe from Savory Simple</a></strong>

• Cauliflower Puree And Spinach Lasagna

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/cauliflower-puree-and-spi_n_1059272.html" target="_hplink">Cauliflower Puree and Spinach Lasagna recipe</a></strong>

• Kale And Ricotta Stuffed Shells

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://afoodcentriclife.com/kale-and-ricotta-stuffed-shells/" target="_hplink">Kale and Ricotta Stuffed Shells recipe from A Food Centric Life</a></strong>

• Farfalle With Spicy Sausage And Butternut Squash

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/farfalle-with-spicy-sausa_n_1058381.html" target="_hplink">Farfalle with Spicy Sausage and Butternut Squash recipe</a></strong>

• Lentils And Shells With Cilantro-Scented Onions And Swiss Chard

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2011/03/lentils-and-shells-with-cilantro.html" target="_hplink">Lentils and Shells with Cilantro-Scented Onions and Swiss Chard recipe form Eats Well With Others</a></strong>

• Roasted Cauliflower Farfalle

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/roasted-cauliflower-farfa_n_1057113.html" target="_hplink">Roasted Cauliflower Farfalle recipe</a></strong>

• Butternut Squash Lasagna With Shiitake Mushrooms

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.foodiecrush.com/2012/01/craving-from-butternut-squash-to-bolognese-7-lasagna-recipes/" target="_hplink">Butternut Squash Lasagna with Shiitake Mushrooms recipe Foodie Crush</a></strong>

• Ham, Apple And Cabbage Linguine

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://passthesushi.com/ham-apple-and-cabbage-linguine-how-to-chase-down-pranksters/" target="_hplink">Ham, Apple and Cabbage Linguine recipe from Pass the Sushi</a></strong>

• Penne Rigate With Brussels Sprouts And Gorgonzola

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/penne-rigate-with-brussel_n_1058608.html" target="_hplink">Penne Rigate with Brussels Sprouts and Gorgonzola recipe</a></strong>

• Chiocciole With Sardines And Breadcrumbs

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/chiocciole-with-sardines-_n_1057151.html" target="_hplink">Chiocciole with Sardines and Breadcrumbs recipe</a></strong>

• Sweet Potato And Ricotta Gnocchi With Buttermilk Mornay, Fresh Figs And Pancetta

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://localmilk.blogspot.com/2012/10/sweet-potato-ricotta-gnocchi-with.html" target="_hplink">Sweet Potato and Ricotta Gnocchi with Buttermilk Mornay, Fresh Figs and Pancetta recipe form Local Milk</a></strong>

• Three-Cheese Mac And Cheese

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/three-cheese-mac-and-chee_n_1059212.html" target="_hplink">Three-Cheese Mac and Cheese recipe</a></strong>

• Fresh Sage And Brown Butter Fettuccine With Pine Nuts

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/fresh-sage-and-brown-butt_n_1059872.html" target="_hplink">Fresh Sage and Brown Butter Fettuccine with Pine Nuts recipe</a></strong>

• Spaghetti With Braised Kale

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.theparsleythief.com/2009/09/spaghetti-with-braised-kale.html" target="_hplink">Spaghetti with Braised Kale recipe from The Parsley Thief</a></strong>

• Pasta With Broccoli-Walnut Sauce

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://thatssovegan.blogspot.com/2012/01/pasta-with-broccoli-walnut-sauce.html" target="_hplink">Pasta with Broccoli-Walnut Sauce recipe from That's So Vegan</a></strong>

• Sweet Potato And Caramelized Onion Shells

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/11/sweet-potato-and-carameli_n_1088890.html" target="_hplink">Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Shells recipe</a></strong>

• Turkey Bolognese With Fettucine And Mushrooms

  <strong>Get the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/27/turkey--bolognese-with-fe_n_1059859.html" target="_hplink">Turkey Bolognese with Fettucine and Mushrooms recipe</a></strong>