2020-02-13 11:39:59
Using Your Noodle
Making pasta from scratch was on the menu for students taking this culinary adventure.
Jennifer Parlin, program director at The Garden Kitchen, teaches classes on different aspects of preparing and cooking food. Her students collaborate in teams at workstations, which creates camaraderie. This particular class made fresh pasta from scratch. The skills used included how to mix, knead and roll dough to ready it for the pasta machine. The dough was run through the machine and cut into strips for fettuccine. The cooked pasta then was covered with a fresh, homemade sauce.
Homemade Rustic Pasta
Serves 6.
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (or substitute one cup whole wheat flour)
4 large eggs
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. water, if needed
Place flour in bowl and whisk to aerate. Make a well in the center. Crack eggs and pour oil into center of well. With a fork, whisk eggs and oil together. Then start to incorporate flour little by little around the edge until all of the flour is incorporated. Dough will be sticky and pliable. If not, add a tablespoon of water to dry section of dough and press into wet side of dough. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic. Press dough into a disk, wrap well in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
(Note: At this point, the dough can be refrigerated for up to one day, or frozen for as much as three months.)
After dough has rested, cut the dough in six equal pieces. Keep dough pieces covered with plastic to prevent them from drying out. Keeping pieces lightly floured, roll each piece through a pasta machine, at progressively thinner settings, into sheets until reaching the desired thickness. Slice sheets using the pasta machine attachment or cut by hand to desired size. Flour pasta to prevent sticking and place in nests on a lightly floured baking sheet.
Cook immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to two days. Pasta may be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Drop all the pasta into the pot at once, and stir to loosen and separate the strands. Return to a rapid boil. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente (when it is cooked through but still has a good bite), about 1-2 minutes. Serve pasta immediately with your favorite sauce.
Puttanesca Sauce
Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 anchovy fillets
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
1 Tbsp. capers, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Wash produce well and chop as directed. In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add anchovies and mash with a fork. Add olives, capers and garlic. Sauté until garlic is lightly browned, about 2-4 minutes. Add tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer sauce for 10-15 minutes to incorporate flavors. Serve over pasta and top with parsley and lemon.
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