THE SIMPLE ART OF MAKING FRESH PASTA

I once thought making fresh pasta was what a short, pleasingly-plump Mama Rosa did in the mountains of rural Italy. 

I recently learned that isn't true. It's a simple, fun process. And DELICIOUS! Oh, my word, the difference in taste is amazing. Fresh pasta is delicate and rich, far removed from its dry cousin in a box.

My sister-in-law, June Willis, (more 'sister' than 'in-law') came to New Orleans this week with her friend, Tiya House.  I told her I planned on making fresh pasta, and she wanted to learn how to do it. 

So, we had a little lesson when they arrived.

The ingredients are deceptively simple (and inexpensive).

 For one batch, which serves 6-8, ,I use 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 

4 large eggs at room temp and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

S

 Mix the flour and salt on a hard surface. I use

my counter top. 

 Make a well in the middle with your fingers.

 Pour the eggs (room-temp) into the center of the flour.

Using a fork, whip the eggs and begin to incorporate

 the flour from the inside of the well working out.

This beautiful lady is Tiya House. She and her husband are 

missionaries to her native country, Malawi, South Africa.

She is stirring the eggs into the flour.

 Once the mixture gets thick,  set aside the fork and
 go in with your hands.You'll want to form the dough into a ball
incorporating the extra flour. If it feels too dry, add one or two teaspoons

of flour. When it's just right, it will feel like a shaggy mess. :) 

Tiya's helping me again. Start to knead the ball. You know it's
 right when it doesn't stick to the hard surface. If it's too wet and
 sticks, add a bit more flour. Knead for about 8-9 minutes to
 develop the gluten, using the palms of your hands as above.
You will feel the ball becoming silky and smooth.

 Cut the dough into two pieces and wrap in plastic 

wrap. Let it rest for twenty minutes or so.

 Once it has rested, press the dough flat with your hands. 

You can roll it out with a rolling pin to the desired thickness, 

or you can use a pasta roller (which is much easier and quicker.)
I bought my first one on Amazon for less than $20 to see if I liked the process.
I indeed loved it and upgraded to this one for about $60. It's an Atlas, from 

Italy. It has the flat roller, plus a fettuccine and angel hair cutter. 

 Back to the pasta. Insert the flattened dough into the

widest setting of the pasta roller, #0. 

Fold the flattened dough into thirds and run it back

through the roller three times. This, again, is to 

develop the gluten.

Move the dial to #1 and roll the dough through the pasta roller.

Continue to increase the increments on the roller and run the 

pasta through until you get it to the desired thickness. It will

become thinner and longer with each dial upward.

Once you have it the desired thickness, you can use
knife and cut it into lasagna noodles, or run it through the  other side
of the cutter for angel hair or fettuccine. Above is the latter. 

For the most delicate pastas, like angel hair,you will want to make it quite thin. 

For lasagna, I stop at #6 on my pasta roller, or about 1/16th" thick if you're rolling by hand. 

An interesting thing about authentic, Italian pasta is that it is much thinner than the dried pasta we find at the grocery store. They would never dream of using those fat slabs of pasta. The typical American lasagna has three layers of pasta. The Italian version may very well have 6-8 very thin layers. 

Making fresh pasta puts you in supreme control, not to mention, it costs pennies on the dollar of the purchased version. Literally.

The first time I made fresh pasta, Mical was watching his beloved Texas Rangers. He gasped after he sat down to eat, and I thought either they had made a great play or flubbed it. The he said, "That's delicious."

Made my night.

Have you tried making fresh pasta? I'd love to hear your story. Were you as surprised as I was at how quick and delicious it was?

Home Cooked, A Beautiful Cookbook, But Not Functional in My Southern Kitchen

I really wanted to love Home Cooked. It's a beautiful cookbook with personal stories of the author, Anya Fernald. The premise, to use fresh ingredients to produce robust dishes, fits my cooking esthetic perfectly.

The problem is the majority of the recipes are too foreign in concept to implement in my southern kitchen. Ones such as squid and beans, simple seared beef heart, grilled pork belly with anchovies and anchovies two ways.

There are some recipes I will try. Asado potatoes looks like a fun dish using russet potatoes sliced thinly, dotted with butter, salt and pepper and cooked in a hot oven in a cast-iron skillet until crispy. A blood orange salad and a few other recipes looked delightful.

It is a pleasant cookbook just to sit down and read. It transports me to other regions and ways of life. But, as a cookbook, it won't prove very useful.

I was given a copy of this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

THE EASIEST, BEST GNOCCHI EVER! Step-by-step Instructions

         

I love gnocchi!

The Italian Barrel, an authentic Italian restaurant on the corner of Chartres and Barracks in New Orleans, makes these little pillows of heaven with a parmesan Romano cream sauce.

I've tried many times to make them. They are basically potatoes and flour, right? How hard could it be?

However, after many attempts, my success ratio was bleak. Once, they were wonderful. From there, it's been a downhill slide. The last ones I made burst into tiny pieces when I put them in boiling water.

 

I recently came across a marvelous cookbook, Tasting Rome, by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill. Their recipe was foolproof and didn't take long to make. Amazing!

Here's the recipe:

1 pound dry, floury potatoes (I used russets.)
Sea salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

For a great, simple sauce

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan


Put the potatoes in cold, salted water and bring to a boil over med-high heat until fork-tender. Cool slightly and peel with a fork and knife (peelings slide off easily). Should still be steaming when you peel.

Pass through a ricer onto a floured surface.

 

Form the riced potatoes into a pile and make a well in the center.
Add flour, nutmeg and a pinch of salt. With your hands, work from the
edges to the center incorporating the ingredients into a dough.
 

Knead the dough just until incorporated. Allow to rest at room
temp about 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, form a fistful of dough into a log,
roughly 3/4" in diameter.

Using a knife, cut the log crosswise into 1/2" long pieces.
Repeat with remaining dough.

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt. Add the gnocchi
in batches.

Cook for an additional 20 seconds after it floats to the top.



This is a simple sauce that is amazing. Warm the heavy
whipping cream in a thick skillet. Grate the parmesan over it

and stir to dissolve. Add the gnocchi and gently stir.




Put the skillet under the broiler until the sauce bubbles and
browns lightly, about 2-3 minutes.

So delicious!!!

 

The recipe is from the cookbook, Tasting Rome, by Katie Parla and Kristina Gill. It is also a beautiful book with full-color pictures, suitable for a coffee-table. The recipes are do-able, yet authentic and delicious. I have a lot of cookbooks, but this is one of my favorites.
I was given a copy of this book by Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. After reading it, it's a must-have.