Pasta 101

The first cooking class of the season was a session of pasta making and it was fantastic. Pasta is simple to make, a two ingredient recipe, eggs and flour. For six to eight servings you will need four eggs and three cups of flour. Measure the flour into a food processor with a metal blade attachment. Break the eggs into a container with a pourable spout and then stir them up with a fork, just to break up the yolks and slightly mix the eggs. Pulse the processor to lightly sift the flour and with the processor spinning slowly add the eggs. The dough will quickly come together. This photo shows exactly what you are looking for--the dough should look like little yellow lentils and should hold together when compressed. If your dough looks like cornmeal, it is too dry. Turn on your processor and add water, one tablespoon at a time until you get lentil sized blobs. It may only take a tablespoon.

If your dough comes together in a big ball or the blobs are larger than lentils your dough is too wet. Again, with the processor spinning add flour a tablespoon at a time.

When your dough is the right consistency, remove your blade and dump the contents of the bowl onto a clean dry surface.

Gather it together into a small loaf and knead it a few times, just to compress it into shape and wrap it up in cling film. Let it rest for twenty minutes, this resting period allows gluten to form.

After twenty minutes unwrap the dough and knead it slightly. The gluten has begun to form and your dough should feel different--silkier and more pliable. If so, it is now ready for rolling.

Using a sharp knife, cut your loaf into equal sections.

Dust each portion of dough with flour and press out into about 1/2 inch thick ovals.

If you have a pasta roller/cutter, set your roller at the widest setting and roll each portion through the machine. Set each portion on a clean tea towel, do not allow rolled portions to overlap, they will stick, and cover each finished layer with a fresh towel so the pasta does not dry out.

When you have rolled each portion on the widest setting, adjust your rollers to the middle setting and roll each portion through again. Each time you roll your pasta through the machine you are elongating the gluten strands, creating pasta with a beautiful texture. Remember to put each portion on a towel, layering and covering each layer.

Now decide how thin you want your pasta, adjust your roller and roll each portion. If you are making fettuccini or capellini you may not want to roll the dough out to the thinnest setting, if you are making ravioli or any other filled pasta, the thinnest setting is advisable.

I am making ravioli so I used my thinnest setting. Put a portion of dough on a clean dry surface and cut off the curved edges. You can save these and make mezza luna--half moon shaped pasta.

Fold your strip of pasta in half horizontally and very lightly crease the center fold--this is just to give you a visual half way line--and unfold the pasta. Break an egg into a bowl and beat it with a fork, this is your ravioli "glue". Using a pastry brush paint a line of egg wash down the center of the pasta strip. Now outline the strip in egg wash and visually divide the strip into an equal grid, making each section about an inch and a half wide. In the photo below you can see the egg wash grid in the upper section of the strip of pasta.

Now put a small spoonful of filling into each section of the grid. Do not over fill the ravioli or they will not seal properly and all the good stuff will leak out during cooking. (My ricotta cheese filling recipe is written below.) Carefully fold the top section over onto the filled section and begin to press between each filled section to seal the ravioli. I start at the back, at the fold, and press between each section on the egg wash grid, in a "U" shape. Then I try to push out the air and seal up each ravioli on the front edge. Nanzie, the pasta mamma who taught me to make ravioli, stressed the importance of pushing the air out of each ravioli. If a ravioli is "inflated" as it were, it will float in the cooking water making it harder to cook properly. If your ravioli are air free they will not float until they are done, making it easier not to over cook your pasta. This is trickier than one would expect and takes a deft hand so just do your best and practice often.

If you are freezing your pasta transfer it to baking sheets liberally dusted with flour. Ravioli should not be touching, fettuccini and other long pastas can be formed into little nests, see photo from class below. Place your baking sheets in the freezer immediately just until the pasta is frozen through and then transfer it to portion sized freezer bags. Label and date your bags and return them to the freezer promptly. Frozen pasta will hold in the freezer for up to six months but is much nicer when used within three months.

If you are cooking your pasta right away make sure your sauce is ready and hot because it does not take long to cook fresh pasta. Fresh ravioli will only take three to five minutes to cook. If your sauce is not ready cover the ravioli with a towel and put it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to eat bring a large pot of water to the boil. I use a six quart pasta pot and add a TABLESPOON of salt. I know you are all gasping but this is one of the most important keys to good pasta--properly salted water. The Italians say the pasta water should be as the sea--that is a bit much for me, but if you under-salt your water the pasta will have half the flavor it should. Remember, you are pouring the water off and your pasta will not absorb all the salt added. According to a study the pasta will only absorb less than one percent of the salt; in fact, if my math is correct, it absorbs less than half a percent of the salt. If you are making eight servings of pasta that works out to be about of 28 mg of sodium per serving. (Just FYI there are 480 mg of sodium in a 1/2 cup serving of Prego Traditional sauce! At the bottom of this entry I have placed a link to this study.)

Enough on that subject, trust me and millions of Italians, you are getting more sodium in a single serving of any prepared food than in a pound of properly seasoned pasta! It just looks scary because the salt isn't hidden.

Any way, as soon as you have slipped your pasta into the water set a timer for three minutes. At the end of three minutes reset the timer for two more minutes and test a corner of the ravioli for doneness. Perfect homemade pasta should be cooked "al dente"--meaning to the tooth and have a substance and texture you can feel with your teeth. If you have had it you will know it, all other pasta is just soft and at worst, gummy! Do not let this happen, not after all your hard work--be diligent and hover over your pasta. Pasta will float when it is done so watch it and taste it. When it is cooked drain the pasta into a colander always reserving a cup or so of the cooking liquid. Spoon your beautiful ravioli onto warmed plates and serve with your favorite sauce.

This is a three cheese ravioli with my homemade red sauce, finished with a dollop of fresh ricotta cheese, a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated parmigiano.

Photos from our class:

After one demo batch of pasta dough Larinda mixed up the next. I just love avid pupils!

A perfect "catch" of fettuccini.


A very silly photo of myself--included because I want you to know how much fun we really do have. After all, the classes are held next door to the Wine Garden and most of my students take advantage of this fact. (Note the lovely glass of red to my left.)


Lisa is laying out freshly cut fettuccini. We had two pasta machines going during the class.


Beautiful fettucini nests ready for cooking or freezing.

Ricotta Ravioli Filing

1 c. ricotta cheese

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. salt

pepper

nutmeg

¼ c. parmigiano, finely grated

¼ c. fontina, grated

1 egg yolk

Put ricotta cheese, garlic powder, salt, a few grinds of fresh pepper and a few scrapings of fresh nutmeg into a small bowl and mix well. Stir in the parmigiano and fontina. Taste and adjust seasonings and add the egg yolk. Stir again to incorporate all the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate.

Red Sauce

3 tbs. EVOO

1 onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 large carrot, grated

3 tbs. tomato paste

1 tbs. basil, dried

1 tsp. oregano, dried

salt

pepper

½ c. white wine

2 cans whole tomatoes, squeezed

1 bay leaf

Over med. heat, film the bottom of a large heavy bottomed pan with EVOO. When the oil is warm add the onion, season with salt, stir and cook until translucent. Add the garlic, stir and cook 1 min. Add the celery and carrot, season with salt, stir and cook 5-7 min. Create a hot spot in the pan by moving the vegetables aside and add the tomato paste. As it begins to caramelize move it around the pan to allow maximum caramelization. Add the basil, oregano and a few grinds of fresh pepper, cook until herbs are fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, deglazing the pan with a wooden spoon. Let reduce about one minute and add the tomatoes. Stir and season to taste, bring to a low simmer. Add the bay leaf and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, taste and adjust any seasoning. For a smoother sauce, puree with an immersion blender to desired consistency.

Link to Food Standards Agency Report on Sodium Absorption. http://foodbase.org.uk/results.php?f_report_id=120