PASTA from scratch
Dinner on a Tuesday….
Handmade Fresh Semolina Pasta | House Venison & Pork Meatballs | Garden Tomato Marinara | Fresh Basil
Wine Pairing
Altos De La Hoya — Oliveras 2016
Some of my fondest food memories are making pasta. From the feeling of the raw dough forming around your fingers to flinging flour across the marble at my wife. I absolutely love making fresh pasta. My passion in cooking is using nutrient rich foods from the best local artisans.
Organic Semolina Flour | Pasture-Raised Eggs | Raw Milk | Extra-Virgin Olive Oil | Sea Salt
Scratch pasta tastes and acts different then traditional out of a box pasta. The flavor, consistency, texture, aroma, cook time are all better and more influential to the dish. As many foodies will say, ‘‘al dente’’ or “to the tooth”. Making fresh pasta is the epitome of that perfect bite.
Chef tip— do not rinse fresh pasta, or any pasta that will be served warm for that matter. In doing so, you’re rinsing off all of the starch that has released from the noodles. The importance of the starch is to assist the adhering sauce. Many chefs use the starchy water for other cooking. Examples: bread, cooking of rice, loosen overly thickened sauces, finishing pasta dishes, etc.
Always remember to taste and Season, Season, Season
Semolina Pasta Recipe:
Semolina Flour 295 grams
Pasture-Raised Eggs 6 each egg yolk + 1 each whole egg
Whole Fat Milk 1-2 tbsp
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil 1 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp
*additional salt for boiling water
Procedure:
1. Use the Well method and place the liquid ingredients in the center of the flour. Wisk with a fork and slowly incorporate the flour into the egg, oil and milk mixture.
2. Slowly bring the mixture to form a dough and knead continously for 9 minutes. After the dough is kneaded, rest for one half hour before using.
3. roll out with rolling pin or a pasta machine
4. heat water with enough salt to taste. bring to a boil, add pasta, cook 2-3 minutes until floating. taste pasta.
5. strain and serve.
Garden Tomato Sauce
Cherry tomatoes 1 pint (package)
Garlic crushed. 2 ea. cloves
Garlic minced. 1 ea. cloves
Onion, diced 1 ea. small onion
Tomato Paste 1 can (6 ounces)
Red wine 6 ounce + more for drinking
Water 1 cup
Anchovy filets 3 ea. minced
Bay leaf. 1 ea.
Basil 8-10 leaves, broken and bruised with back of knife (this releases the natural oils
Parsley 2 tbsp, minced fine
Salt & Pepper To taste (tt)
Procedure:
Heat a sauce pan over medium-low heat, while heating add the crushed garlic and turn stove to low. this will create a garlic oil. add the diced onion, minced anchovy and minced garlic. Increase the heat to medium-low to ensure no color on the onion/garlic/anchovy mixture. add bay leaf and the tomato paste. cook until the tomato paste becomes a thicken mixture with a rust color.
*chef tip- tomato paste adds acidity, color and thickness to sauces and soups.
Deglaze the pan with the red white, add the cherry tomatoes and water and begin reducing. begin the seasoning process now, add a pinch of s&p.
Cook to your desired thickness, and taste. adjust if necessary!
ENJOY