Recipes
FRESH PASTA
AP Flour 4 oz
Semolina 4 oz
Salt ¼ tsp
EVOO 2 tsp
Water 1 tsp
Eggs 2 ea
*semolina bench flour
DRYING PASTA *replace egg with 6 oz water
On a tray or clean wooden bench form a well with combined flours and salt
Crack eggs into center of well
Combine eggs with flour using bench scraper or clean hands
Add oil and water as needed to form a smooth dough
Knead dough for up to 8 minutes
Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest for a minimum of 30 minutes
Using a rolling pin roll dough to fit in pasta machine or free form pasta
Use bench semolina to create a barrier to prevent pasta from sticking to each other
Fresh pasta keeps in refrigerator up to two days or frozen up to 30 days
Dry pasta can be kept for up to 30 days in airtight container once dried out
Orecchiette Verde
*fresh or dry pasta 1 cup
Broccolini (blanched) ½ cup
Asparagus (blanched) ½ cup
Garlic (minced) 4 clove
Calabrian Chili TT
Butter 2 oz
Olive Oil 2 tbs
Lemon Juice and Zest 1 ea
White Wine 2 oz
Parmigiano Reggiano TT
salt TT
pepper TT
Blanch vegetables then cut to be similar in size to the pasta.
Have a pot of salted water ready to cook pasta before the next step
In a pre-heated sauté
pan over medium heat add olive oil
Swirl oil to coat pan, add chilies to hot oil and toast about 5 seconds, add garlic and cook an extra 5 – 10 seconds
Add vegetables and season with salt, pepper and lemon zest
Add pasta to boiling water (reserve water from pasta for sauce)
Add white wine and cook until reduced by half
Add butter until just melted then add pasta and mix well
Add lemon juice and stir in cheese off the heat, serve immediately
Carbonara
*fresh or dry pasta 1 cup
Guanciale 4 oz
Egg and Yolk 1 each
Pecorino (grated) 2 oz
Parmigiano (grated) 2 oz
Pasta Water TT
Olive Oil 1 tbs
Salt TT
Black Pepper ½ tsp
Cut guanciale in ¼ inch strips similar size to the pasta (substitutions can be bacon or pancetta)
Have a pot of salted water ready to cook pasta before the next step
In a pre-heated sauté pan over medium heat add guanciale, this take about 8 to 10 minutes of slow cooking and rendering until meat is almost entirely crisped
Separate meat from fat and reserve both
While pork renders, in a separate bowl combine egg and egg yolk along with pecorino, salt and pepper. (taste the guanciale first to gauge how much salt you will need) you can always add salt, but you can’t remove it.
Add pasta to boiling water (reserve water from pasta for sauce)
Heat original sauté pan with pan drippings (add olive oil if you don’t have enough rendered pork fat.
Add strained pasta to hot pan to just coat in pork fat, then splash with boiling pasta water
Off the heat slowly add egg mixture to pasta and stir just until pasta and sauce starts to thicken up (start by tempering some pasta water with egg to achieve an almost velvet like consistency)
Add reserved guanciale and finish with Parmigiano Reggiano
Timing is a crucial component in this recipe as you could easily over cook the sauce and end up with scrambled egg pasta.
Ricotta Cheese
8 cups full fat milk
½ tsp salt
3 TBS lemon juice or white vinegar
Instructions
Line a colander with a large piece of lightly dampened cheesecloth that has been folded over itself at least 3-4 times. Place the colander over a bowl. Make sure to use non-reactive materials. (Alternatively, you can use a recycled ricotta basket placed on a bowl).
In a large heavy based saucepan, over medium heat, heat the milk.
Add the salt and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon. Make sure the milk does not scorch.
If you have a thermometer, heat to 185 F. If you do not have a thermometer, you need to reach a stage where there is a lot of steam, little bubbles close to the edge of the pot and the formation of a slight film. It should take about 20 minutes to get to this stage.
Lower the heat to low.
Add the lemon juice (or vinegar).
Slowly agitate the mixture for 2 minutes. You will notice the curds (the ricotta) separating from the whey (yellowish liquid).
Remove from heat.
Cover pot and let stand for about 20 minutes.
Carefully “ladle” your ricotta into the cheesecloth lined colander or your basket. The consistency of the final product will depend on the amount of time you leave the ricotta to drain. For a creamy ricotta, let it sit for 3-5 minutes; for a dryer ricotta, it can sit up to 20 minutes.
Use immediately. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
MOZZARELLA CHEESE
Source: The Culinary Institute of America©
MAKES 2 POUNDS
6 wt. oz. salt
1 gallon water
2lb. cheese curd, cut into ½ -inch cubes
1. Add the salt to the water and bring to a boil in a large pot. Remove the pot
from the heat.
2. Place the cheese curd in a bowl and pour enough water around the curd
To cover.
3. Wearing 2 pairs of gloves, work the curd with wooden spoons, stretching it until
It becomes a smooth, yet stringy mass. Maintain the water temperature at a
constant 160°F throughout this process.
4. Remove the cheese from the water and continue stretching until
smooth, being careful not to over work It or the cheese will become tough.
5. Shape the cheese into appropriate forms as demonstrated. Hold in the water
Until ready to serve.
PESTO
Basil leaves, picked off the stems 8 oz.
and weighed
Garlic (about 1 small clove) ¼ oz
Pine nuts ¼ cup
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed 1 cup
Kosher salt, as needed
Parmigiano-Reggiano ½ cup
Method
1. Slice the garlic and blanch it in a small amount of boiling water for 1 minute, if necessary
(see note).
2. In a blender, combine the basil, garlic, pine nuts, and ¾ cup of the oil and blend until
crushed; season with salt to taste. Add more olive oil if needed for good consistency.
3. Add cheese and blend to a smooth sauce. Do not run the blender at high speed or the
heat of the blade will change the color of the pesto. Set aside with a little oil on top to avoid
oxidation. After using the pesto, always flatten the surface and cover with a little oil.
Source: The Culinary Institute of America©
TOMATO SAUCE
Extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup
Onions, diced 2 cup
Garlic, mashed 2 tbs.
Red pepper flakes to taste
San Marzano tomatoes, canned 2 can. (28 OZ EACH CAN)
Bay leaf ½ ea.
Basil, chopped 3 Tbsp.
Oregano, chopped 1 Tbsp.
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a medium sauce pot, over medium heat
and sauté the onions until caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and continue to sauté until the garlic becomes aromatic.
Deglaze with cooking wine and cook out alcohol for about 3 minutes
Then add the crushed tomatoes and cook another 3 minutes.
Add bay leaf and oregano and simmer until the sauce
has thickened, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add the basil and season with
salt and pepper to taste.
MEATBALLS
Beef chuck ground 2#
Cured pork ground ½#
Chopped parsley ½ bunch
Thyme fresh chopped 2 tbs
Garlic ground 3-4 cloves
Onion grated or ground 1 cup
Day old bread torn and soaked in milk 2 cups dry bread 1 cup milk
Eggs 2 ea
Parmesan cheese ½ cup
Kosher salt 1 ½ tbs
Black pepper 2 tsp
Olive oil
Sauce to cook in
Soak torn bread in milk
Using a meat grinder, grind first 6 ingredients, once bread is soft also run through the grinder.
Combine all ingredients minus olive oil and sauce, cook off test piece.
Let mixture sit for 10 minutes before forming into balls.
Cook balls directly in sauce or in the oven
LASAGNA
Pasta sheets (cooked in boiling water)
Sliced meat balls cooked
Tomato sauce
Mascarpone
Ricotta
Mozzarella
Parmesan
Fresh herbs
Pre heat oven to 350*F
Combine ricotta and mascarpone and season with fresh herbs, place mix in piping bag
In a greased pan lay sheets of cooked pasta sheets to cover the bottom
Layers sauce then cheese and add sliced meatballs
Create and fill up to three layer minimum by repeating the process
Last layer just put sauce and mozzarella with parmesan cheese
Bake in the oven uncovered for 25- 35 minutes or until bubbly