Durum Wheat Pasta

• Southern Italian
• South Dakota – So close you can’t tell
  • Florence Gormet, Inc

CLICK HERE FOR ANOTHER TAKE ON
COOKING PASTA FROM SCRATCH

Tips

• Keep pasta from air, light, and weevils.  Store in a plastic airtight container.
• Cook small pastas in a stock pot covering with 1 inch of water
• Cook long pasta in a 12 inch skillet
• Reserve liquid for soup thickeners or Cacio e Pepe
  • Mix 2 TBL black pepper
  • 3.5 oz (100 gm) Pecorina Romano grated cheese
  • 50 gm grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 C EVOO
    • Stir with a wooden spoon to create a paste
  • Add 2 oz starchy water and mix to combine (about 3/4 C total)
    • Whisk slowly to combine
  • Add spaghetti pasta and stir for 2 full minutes
  • Finish with 2 TBL Pecorino Romano
  • Add 1/2  more black pepper

Making your Own Pasta

Semolina flour, salt, eggs – and then EVOO – not too much

• Approx 100 gm 00 semolina flour per egg
• Approx 2 C flour for 3 eggs
• Add 2 TBL EVOO (mostly on hands)

1. Make nest of flour and salt mixture
2. Oil your hands
3. Add eggs into the well
4. Mix with hands to combine
5. Bench knife until it starts to come together
6. Keep hands oiled
7. Add another egg yolk if necessary
8. Drizzle water if necessary, but it will probably be OK
9. If too sticky, add a bit more flour
10. Knead on floured surface with oiled hands until it becomes springy
11. Roll into a thick rope, and wrap in plastic for 30 minutes – This is a must
12. Cut into equal sized pieces, depending on how you will use the pasta
    • Golf ball sized pieces is a good size if you are going to cut strips manually,
    • Tennis ball sized if you will put them through a roller
13. Roll, fold, repeat about 8 times
14. Cut and flour
15. Let dry for about an hour
16. Cook in large pot of boiling water
17. Only needs to cook 3-5 minutes

Types of Pasta

• Lasagna Noodles About 2 inches wide
• Pappardelle About 1 inch wide
• Tagliatelli ½ inch wide
• Fettuccini ¼ inch wide
• Linguini 1/8 inch wide
• Spaghetti 1/16 inch wide
• Angel Hair 1/32 inch wide

Pasta will last a long time, but keep it in a dark airtight container

Five Shapes

• Strings
  • Vermicelli
  • Spaghetti
  • Capellini
  • Fedelini
• Ribbons
  • Linguini
  • Fettucini
  • Tagliatelle
  • Bavetti
• Tubes
  • Penne Rigata
  • Tubetti
  • Zitti
  • Rigatoni
  • Tortiglioni
  • Mostaccioli
• Shapes
  • Dischetti
  • Fusili
  • Farfalle
  • Orchiette
  • Radiatore
• Micro Pasta
  • Orzo
  • Pastina

Preparing Pasta

• Dry pasta – is essentially already cooked
  1. Put into a pan or skillet.
  2. Cover with a asmall amount of cold water- just to cover by an inch
  3. Add 1 TBL salt Bring to a boil
  4. Remove the lid, give it a quick stir, and simmer only 8-10 minutes
  5. Pull out pasta with a strainer or tongs
  6. KEEP pasta water, thicken or finish sauces with pasta water
• For Spaghetti, use a 12 inch sautee pan, lay noodles flat , barely cover, bring to a boil, add salt

Serving Suggestion

• Serve hot pasta on top of EVOO and minced garlic
• Top with grated cheese, sundried tomatoes, black pepper

Step by Step

1. Bake 1/2 of a butternut squash at 375º for 30 minutes
2. Scrape out the meat
3. Chop and squeeze the liquid out of it
4. Push through a ricer or food mill
5. Mix with one boiled (peeled) cooled pototo, also through a food mill
6. Mix with 1 egg and salt and pepper to taste
7. Mix with 1/4 C Parmesan cheese
8. Finally, mix with 1/2 C flour (add flour only if needed to keep it light)
9. Mix by hand only until combined
10. Roll out ropes of dough and cut equal pieces
    (about the size of a tootsie roll segment
11. Roll on a fork (or similar) to push groves into the gnocci
12. Refrigerate 1 hour – or freeze
13. Do not defrost
14. Shake off excess flour
15. Put into heavily salted water and boil 60-120 minutes
    … or until they start to rise
16. Bake an additional 60 minutes for small gnocci

For sauce

• Add 2 TBL butter and several leaves of sage
• Add 1/3 C of potato water
• Pour this over the cooked gnocci

You will need two large sheets of pasta

• 1/2 pound 00 flour (about 2 C)
• 2 whole eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1 TBL water or more if needed
• 1 tsp EVOO
• Kosher salt

Alternately, use won ton wrappers

Ingredients for Filling

• 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano, plus more for garnish
• 2 TBL thawed frozen chopped spinach (squeeze out excess liquid)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 2 ounces freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 1 large egg yolks plus 1 egg yolks
• 1 slices bacon
• 2 TBL chopped fresh Italian parsley
• All-purpose flour, as needed

Step by Step

1. Finely chop spinach and add to a medium bowl along with soft cheese and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano
   Cheese options:  Ricotta, robiola, brie, piedmont, cream cheese
2. Season with nutmeg, salt, and white pepper
3. Saute bacon and render until crisp – Drain on paper towel, then break into pieces
4. Stir all of the above to combine
5. Transfer filling mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round plain tip; set aside
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil
   Making the Pasta Sheets – INSTRUCTIONS HERE
   Assembling the Raviolo
7. Pipe filling into 2&1/2 inch “tires” forming a 1-inch-high edge with a hole in the middle – – – like a doughnut
8. Place 1 egg yolk in the center of each circle; season with salt and white pepper
9. Spray a little cold water around filling and gently place second piece of dough over filling and yolks to cover
10. Gently press edges together to seal, eliminating as much air as possible.  DO NOT press down on the yolk.
11. Use an upside down cutter to budge the tire into a perfectly round little pillow
12. Center a 4-inch fluted round cutter around filling and cut each raviolo
    Cooking the Raviolo
13. Add salt to boiling water and return to boil
14. Gently transfer ravioli to boiling water and cook for 4 minutes
15. Meanwhile, place remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat
16. Cook until melted and lightly browned
17. Drain ravioli and divide among 4 serving plates
18. Pour browned butter over ravioli and garnish with remaining cheese and shaved truffles.  Serve with seared asparagus.

Thanks to Cousin Sue for telling me about this Alaskan Staple.  Pilot Bread, also known as Survival Bread, Ship Biscuit or Sea Bread is something with a a shelf life of 2 years when stored in airtight containers.  Commercial containers of Pilot Bread could last for up to 30 years. Here is a recipe (modified slightly) from the Internet.

Ingredients

• 4 C Flour
• 1 TBL Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Water (approx 2 C)

Step by Step

1. Preheat oven to 400º
2. Stir together flour and salt
3. Add water only until mixture starts to clump together
4. Roll flat and shape into a rectangular sheet
5. Use a butcher knife or pizza cutter to cut the sheet into 2×3 inch crackers
   ALT: Use a round biscuit cutter to make circles.  Roll the remainder flat and repeat until finished.
6. Use a toothpick to poke a crosshatched series of holes to allow for easier breaking
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7. Put the squares on a dry cookies sheet and bake at 350º for 20 minutes
8. Turn off oven, keep door closed, and let the bread completely dry out before removing it
9. Store the survival bread in a baggie for a month or two, or a completely airtight container for many years.

Any potato can be used, but the sweet potato has a deeper flavor than white.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Peeled and boiled sweet potatoes
• 1/4 C cane syrup
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp alspice
• 1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 C ricotta – drained and set onto a paper towel
• salt
• white pepper
• 2 C AP flour
• 2 TBL EVOO

STEP BY STEP

1. Put all into a food processor
2. Have a container of chicken broth available
3. Process ingredients drizzling in broth until the dough comes together into a ball
4. Remove it to a floured surface and finish by hand
5. Roll into a thick rope
6. Cut off pieces about the size of a golf ball
7. Roll into a thinner rope about the diameter of your thumb
8. Use a bench knife and cut off one inch pieces
9. Using a fork, press and roll creating the traditional gnocci groves
10. In water that is at a light boil, drop in about 8 at a time
11. Let them cook until they start to float to the surface (2-5 minutes depending on size)
12. Remove them and set onto a paper towel

CREATE YOUR BROWN BUTTER SAUCE

13. Put a stick of butter into a skillet over medium heat
14. Add a bit of sage, parsley and oregano
15. Once completely melted, add 1 TBL of EVOO
16. When it starts to brown (first around the edges) add your gnocci
17. Cook and toss until well covered.
18. DO NOT LET YOUR BUTTER BLACKEN or it will turn bitter and ruin the dish
19. Serve on a plate topped with crumbled feta cheese

INGREDIENTS


• 1 C whole wheat flour
• 2 C bread flour
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 
1 C lukewarm water
• 1/4 C yogurt
• 2 TBL olive oil
• 2 tsp sugar
  TOPPING FOR FINAL RISE (Step 7)
  
• 1 TBL olive oil to coat bowl
• 1 TBL coarse salt

STEP BY STEP

1. Mix and knead the dough ingredients for at least 5 minutes together to make a soft, smooth very slightly sticky dough.
2. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
3. Preheat the oven to 500°F, with a baking stone on the middle rack.
4. Gently deflate the dough, and divide it into 8 pieces, and shape each into a ball.
5. Cover, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, and let rest for 10 minutes.
6. Roll balls into 6″ flattened circles and cover with a damp cloth to rest for 10 more minutes.
7. Place pitas on the hot stone.
8. Bake for 3-4 minutes, until puffy. Turn them over, and bake for one more minute.  The key is to set the top and bottom so the inside has a chance to expand.
9. Remove from the oven, and place on a rack to cool.
10. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.
11. Once the pitas are cool, separate the two sides of each to make 16 thin rounds. These will become your pitas.
12. Brush rough side with oil or butter, and sprinkle with salt