|
Pasta!
Mar 4, 2010 15:56:29 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 4, 2010 15:56:29 GMT
What an oversight. This forum has no thread devoted exclusively to pasta that I can find. There are at least four about rice, but not a one for that most versatile of foods enjoyed around the world. We have scattered recipes, yes, and a spirited discussion, but need a dedicated corner for putting up our own pasta recipes. This is the place. Please post your recipes for the best bolognese, yummiest yaki soba, mom's macaroni & cheese, etc.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 4, 2010 16:08:34 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 4, 2010 16:08:34 GMT
A friend and I have long obsessed over the best way to get really garlicky pasta. I think I've succeeded.
Creamy Garlic Pasta
200 g. pasta of your choice generous amount of olive oil lots & lots of minced garlic 1 dried smoked chile, minced --morita if you can get it. (or use a canned chipotle or a dried cayenne) boiling water salt 2 ounces (at least) of crème fraîche or crema chopped parsley, basil, chervil, or ... (optional)
Saute the garlic in the olive oil until it's almost golden, but not crisp. Immediately throw in the dry pasta and toss it around to coat with the oil. (if using spaghetti, you'll need to break it. Sorry.) Pour in the boiling water and add salt. This is the tricky part. You want to use enough water so that the pasta will cook and absorb it without having to pour any out at the end. Cover the pot and let the pasta cook. When it's done, stir in the crème fraîche. Sprinkle with the chopped herb, if using.
That's it. This is truly more than the sum of its parts, as the crème not only adds richness but somehow carries and amps up the garlic.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 4, 2010 18:21:48 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Mar 4, 2010 18:21:48 GMT
ah, Bixabella, ma non e possibile di vivere senza la pasta!
I must say, for me, nothing beats a good plate of spaghetti al sugo. (I think my basic tomato sauce recipe is somewhere on here)
another easy and quick is spaghetti alio e olio: when you put the spaghetti in the boiling water, heat some oil in a frying pan, quickly fry some chopped garlic in it. put the cooked spaghetti in a serving dish and pour the garlic and oil on top. mix well and serve. particularly good in summer when it's too hot to cook much.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 4, 2010 19:35:07 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 4, 2010 19:35:07 GMT
I found your bolognese recipe here, Annie (#36), wherein you allude to your basic sauce, but can't find the recipe for the basic sauce. (& I'd forgotten about that "what are you" thread) My recipe in #1 above grew out of the classic spaghetti alio e olio. That was because sometimes the classic just didn't deliver enough oomph. Give it a try when you have a chance.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 4, 2010 19:56:10 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Mar 4, 2010 19:56:10 GMT
some italian families do add a little chilli to "aglio et olio".
It doesn't matter about my sugo, bixa, I am sure yours is best and better described. and my dad's is excellent, but I think there's a secret that hasn't been left out of the kitchen.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 5, 2010 16:13:25 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 5, 2010 16:13:25 GMT
My mother used to make a pasta recipe she got from a neighbor. It involved fresh noodle dough pushed through a colander (I think). The name sounded like "niffleys", which I assume is a corruption of a non-English word. Does anyone know what this might be?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 5, 2010 18:31:03 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Mar 5, 2010 18:31:03 GMT
I wonder if it's what we call "Cheveux d'ange" in french... the german word escapes me now, but would be sounding approx like niffleys. Are they very very thin (thick hair like) pasta?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 5, 2010 18:33:03 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Mar 5, 2010 18:33:03 GMT
Riki, what is the proper German word for "Spaetzle"?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 2:47:25 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 8, 2010 2:47:25 GMT
I was looking for something completely unrelated to pasta just now (black bean chili, if you must know), and came across this form of pasta completely unknown to me: gnudi. Apparently it was a "top trend of 2006". Oh well, better late than never. Who couldn't love a fluffy little carb food with a fun name? Has anyone made it? Here are two online recipes: Gnudi from Giada De Laurentiis 6 servings * 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese * 1 pound frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry * 1 cup grated Parmesan * 2 eggs * 2 egg yolks * 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg * 1 teaspoon salt * 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper * 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus 1 cup for coating * 1 jar store bought marinara sauce, heated Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large bowl, mix ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, eggs, and yolks. Stir in nutmeg, salt, pepper, and flour. Form mixture in to small, flattened balls. Dredge the formed gnudi in flour to coat, tapping off the excess. Slide formed gnudi into the boiling water. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; work in batches if necessary. Remove the gnudi using a slotted spoon after they float to the top and have cooked for about 4 minutes. Arrange gnudi on a platter and lightly drizzle with marinara sauce. [Don't you love how it specifies store-bought marinara? Like, if you have some lovely homemade stuff, you shouldn't use it? ]Gnudi - Bon Apetit magazine with comments by the delightful blogger at Deviant Domesticity1) drain 1 cup fresh ricotta over paper towels for half an hour 2) beat 1 egg and mix with 1/3 cup pecorino romano, 1/2 tsp salt, and a bit of white pepper as you see fit (i used black) 3) mix in ricotta 4) sprinkle 3/4 cup flour and gently combine 5) cover & chill for 1 hour 6) roll 1 tsp of gnudi dough into a ball, toss with flour to coat and shape (i made mine to look like deceptively like gnocchi) 7) cover with plastic wrap until ready to cook to cook, simply throw the gnudi in lots of boiling water seasoned with salt. the recipe said to boil it about 8 minutes, but i found that to be too long. pasta's ready once it floats. i think just 4 minutes does the trick. it's fully cooked through by then. gnudi is pretty flavorful just on its own, so you don't need heavy sauces. still, it pairs just fine with a little canned marinara. [she also made a brown butter version]I'd love to know if anyone does a version of this. Looking online, I see there are spinach gnudi, swiss chard gnudi, squash blossom gnudi, and any number of flavor and saucing combinations.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 17:21:09 GMT
Post by lagatta on Mar 8, 2010 17:21:09 GMT
I've made something very similar - didn't know it was a trend - but we just callled them spinach-ricotta gnocchi.
I wouldn't serve those with marinara, personally. And why on earth "store-bought"? Marinara isn't hard to make.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 17:45:00 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 8, 2010 17:45:00 GMT
Yes, and the recipe from Bon Apetit even specifies canned! I agree with you about the marinara. Why go to the trouble to make something that delicate, then overwhelm it? As far as I can tell, the difference between gnocchi & gnudi is that gnocchi is generally potato-based, and gnudi generally based on ricotta. But I don't know if those are hard and fast rules. LaGatta, did you see my question about the "niffleys"? Any idea on what they might be, please?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 18:19:49 GMT
Post by lagatta on Mar 8, 2010 18:19:49 GMT
I dunno, never heard that word, but the type of pasta reminds me of some kind of Spätzle - also called Knöpfle and many other names. They are typical of southern Germany along the Rhine and Alsace on the other side, also parts of Switzerland and Northern Italy. The wikipedia article describes how these are made: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spätzle
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 18:55:22 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 8, 2010 18:55:22 GMT
(How odd -- the link to the wiki article cannot be copied and pasted. It can be accessed through here, by clicking on the first hit.) Thanks, LaGatta. I am guessing that Knöpfle, even though a different form of pasta, had its name co-opted and corrupted into something that sounded like niffley. This recipe for Spätzle has rave reader reviews. I have a pasta maker at my sister's house. It's never made it here to mine because of its weight. Looks like I could turn out Spätzle by using my colander.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 19:11:50 GMT
Post by lagatta on Mar 8, 2010 19:11:50 GMT
You don't need a pasta maker for Spätzle. You can make the dough by hand, and use a colander, a grater, if you are fast enough even a knife, so they say. I've never made them, though I suppose I should try. We all need more white carbs after all.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 20:11:42 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 8, 2010 20:11:42 GMT
"Oh, I agree!" she cried, as she leaned over her flabby gut to get to the computer keys.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 20:25:38 GMT
Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2010 20:25:38 GMT
Although I like lots of different pasta, my favorites will always be spaghetti and macaroni, probably because those were the only pasta dishes of my childhood. (Oh, I guess I could add the tiny vermicelli in soup, or even alphabets, but that was SOUP, not PASTA.
When I took my mother on her first and only trip to my brother's current residence in California, I was distressed to cook one night and to discover that only linguini was on hand and not spaghetti. I felt that I was betraying my origins.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 8, 2010 22:10:16 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 8, 2010 22:10:16 GMT
Here is a recipe for you, then, Kerouac. If you were to spend a week in Mexico eating in in "regular" places and family-style in people's homes, you might wind up having this soup at least five times. I'd say it is the ultimate Mexican comfort food, much as macaroni & cheese might be in the US. It's not an exciting dish, but always regarded with affection and pleasure.
Sopa de Fideos
A couple of tablespoons of oil 100 -- 200 grams of fideos / or angel hair pasta / or fidelini 1 pound ripe tomatoes, cut up enough to put in the blender 1 clove garlic, peeled & roughly chopped 1/4 medium onion, roughly chopped 7 -- 10 cups of chicken broth, or chicken broth cut with water, or water + chicken bouillon cubes couple of sprigs of Italian parsley.
Heat the oil and put in the dry pasta, tossing it about until golden. Blend the tomatoes, garlic, & onion together until smooth and add it to the fried pasta over high heat, stirring until the mixture is almost dry. Add the liquid & the parsley and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer until the pasta is soft.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 9, 2010 8:16:24 GMT
Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 9, 2010 8:16:24 GMT
I've only made spatzle once, and I used a knife. The trick is to keep your fingers wet so the dough doesn't stick to your fingers. It is a bit tedious though... but spatzle with cheese is such a treat!
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 9, 2010 18:46:35 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Mar 9, 2010 18:46:35 GMT
knoedel, bixa... that's the word. similar to knoepfli.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 10, 2010 4:58:43 GMT
Post by hwinpp on Mar 10, 2010 4:58:43 GMT
Riki, what is the proper German word for "Spaetzle"? Spaetzle. Never heard anything else used. And I think we don't have a Germanised word for 'angel hair' pasta, I think we use the Italian word, ist it spaghettini? I agree with LaGatta re the spaetzle, all you need is a wooden board and a knife. That's how a friend of mine does it in his restaurant here. His roesti is also excellent but that doesn't belong here. My favourite pastas are also spaghetti and maccaroni. But I also like those short, 1 inch tubes, rigatoni? They're easier to cook in a small pot.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 11, 2010 10:42:48 GMT
Post by gertie on Mar 11, 2010 10:42:48 GMT
Bixa thank you for those lovely recipes. I'm going to try the gnudi tonight. I'm so glad to see pasta that won't look like pasta to my dear hubs. As long as it doesn't look like pasta, he likes it fine. Sometimes I make homemade alfredo sauce and serve it with those little rice shaped pasta called orzo and he likes it a lot. I'm pretty sure he thinks he is eating some form of rice. My Grandmother always made Spaetzle using her metal colander and I have seen chefs do that on tv, too, so that is how I always made it. Seems to work fine and no clutter from one use kitchen gizmo involved. I tried making gnocchi once and it didn't come out so well. Now I get a rich chicken soup containing them at a German deli whenever I head down to my sister-in-law's for a visit.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 11, 2010 18:15:43 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Mar 11, 2010 18:15:43 GMT
mom uses knife and cutting board firmly held hovering over the pan of boiling water for her spaetzli.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 11, 2010 19:17:10 GMT
Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 11, 2010 19:17:10 GMT
I thought spaghettini was one size up from angel hair?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 11, 2010 20:16:18 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 11, 2010 20:16:18 GMT
I have trouble remembering which is which. We must all commit this to memory. ;D
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 12, 2010 8:17:46 GMT
Post by hwinpp on Mar 12, 2010 8:17:46 GMT
Something wrong with the link... get it fixed on the double, please I need to see those shapes pdq! Nothing like standing in front of a big poster with pictures and descriptions of pasta, fish from the Pacific ocean or cuts of beef!
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 12, 2010 8:29:06 GMT
Post by bixaorellana on Mar 12, 2010 8:29:06 GMT
Something wrong with the link-accesser. Have him fixed immediately! (wait ... that doesn't sound right) HW, it's working for me. Here's the link sans text -- see if it opens for you. www.ilovepasta.org/shapes.html
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 12, 2010 8:46:47 GMT
Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 12, 2010 8:46:47 GMT
So is spaghettini thin spaghetti?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 12, 2010 9:46:58 GMT
Post by hwinpp on Mar 12, 2010 9:46:58 GMT
Thanks, Bix. That saved my boring Friday afternoon EC, angel hair is capellini.
|
|
|
Pasta!
Mar 13, 2010 21:20:47 GMT
Post by existentialcrisis on Mar 13, 2010 21:20:47 GMT
How did I miss that?
|
|
|
Pasta!
Apr 2, 2010 21:21:19 GMT
Post by Deleted on Apr 2, 2010 21:21:19 GMT
I can't figure out why I don't like linguini while I love spaghetti.
|
|