We are indeed much more than what we eat; but what we eat can nevertheless help us be much more than what we are. — Adele Davis

.

Tasting Notes & Recipes
.

If Italy had contributed nothing but pasta dishes to the world of cuisine, it would have been sufficient for immortality. — Craig Claiborne

Spring has finally arrived in upstate New York! It’s about time. Today it was sunny, 70+ degrees Fahrenheit, just like the way it should be at this time of year. In any case, with spring comes produce that have made a comeback to remind us that life isn’t all about winter vegetables, though I do appreciate squash and the like. Fresh basil is finally back in full force, especially thanks to Finger Lakes Fresh, a local hydroponics greenhouse that produces lovely, fragrant bundles of basil right at my fingertips.

While I am living my day to day life in beautiful Ithaca, New York, I often dream about visiting the Northern Italian region of Liguria, where my other half is from. It has a remarkable resemblance to California in terms of climate and rich agriculture. Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea and the Alps, it’s a land of stark contrasts and beautiful sceneries, where farmers have carved every possible inch of land out of the steep hills to create masterful terraces where they have grown some of their best treasures for centuries, among which olives and basil reign supreme. Among rabbits and wild boar, Sanremo shrimps and breams, there is something that’s truly Ligurian and that blends the best ingredients of the region: pesto! A perfect combination of extra virgin olive oil, pignolia nuts (from the numerous pine trees found on the hills of the area), basil, garlic and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, this worldwide-appreciated sauce is as timeless as the flavors associated with this beautiful stretch of land.

Because spring is in the air, and because Italy is on my mind, I chose to highlight the freshness of basil pesto using Barilla Tortellini, topped with tender crisp green beans, potatoes, and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano — authenticity and simplicity at its finest. This can easily be served with a basic salad, such as mixed greens or arugula lightly dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper. To complement such a wonderful burst of flavors, a fine wine pairing is a rich and bright white wine from Sardinia, Argiola Costamolino Vermentino Di Sardegna. This pairing works particularly well given that the varietal Vermentino is the most-grown grape in Liguria, where it’s known as Pigato. Buon Appetito!

Tortellini al Pesto alla Genovese Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 35 basil leaves (large bunch)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/3 cup pignolia nuts
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for finishing
• Salt
• 2 cups green beans, halved
• 2 cups potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 package Barilla Tortellini (12 ounces), Cheese & Spinach variety found in the dried pasta section

Preparation

1. Begin to boil large pot of water. Meanwhile, prepare pesto: Add basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, and salt to a food processor/blender and pulse grind until smooth. Add Parmigiano and pulse grind again to combine.
2. Once water comes to boil, liberally salt water and add potatoes. Boil for 5 minutes, and then add green beans. Boil for an additional 5 minutes and drain with a slotted spoon.
3. Using the same pot of water, add dried tortellini and boil for about 9 minutes. Drain separately and divide equally into platters.
4. For each platter, gently combine tortellini with 2 tablespoons of pesto sauce. Top with potatoes, green beans, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Tools

• Large stockpot
• Food processor
• Cheese grater
• Chef knife
• Slotted spoon
• Colanders (2)

Buon cibo, buon vino, buoni amici – Unknown

When there’s a blizzard outside, having warmth, good food, wine, and company is priceless. A fireplace adds a nice touch as well. There are many foods that comfort the soul, but today’s choice is heavily influenced by my favorite person in the world who happens to come from Italy and knows a thing or two about pasta. Bucatini all’Amatriciana is a Roman dish that is very rich, but in a sensible and savory way that doesn’t weigh you down.  The Romans are well known for their conviviality and time well spent with friends and family, and these attributes are inherently well reflected in this dish.

Be prepared to indulge in a cornucopia of intense flavors: the underlying depth of onion and garlic, smoked aroma of pancetta, sweet and concentrated tomatoes, and boldness of the red wine…all lightly topped with aged and briny cheese. In the midst of this complexity, there is surprisingly an element of simplicity that is almost indefinable, but trust me, it exists. Perhaps this simplicity comes from the utmost importance of having quality ingredients – reputable pasta, San Marzano tomatoes, pure extra virgin olive oil, and the like. While ingredients are easy to swap and substitute, the final product is compensated as such. In other words, don’t skimp!

Bucatini all’Amatriciana Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried bucatini pasta (preferably Divella brand)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, slightly crushed
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 ounces pancetta affumicata (smoked), chopped
• 14 ounces canned whole San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup full body red wine (optional, but recommended)
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to taste

Preparation

1. Bring large pot of water to boil for bucatini and cook according to package, approximately 6-7 minutes for al dente.  Salt water right before adding pasta. Meanwhile, begin to prepare garlic, onion, and pancetta.
2. Heat olive oil in saucepan to medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, and pancetta and sauté until onions are translucent and pancetta is lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes to the pan and crush tomatoes with fork and wooden spoon. Add bouillon cubes, salt & pepper, and dried basil. Let sauce simmer over medium heat and reduce until nicely thickened, about 10 minutes. Add red wine and red pepper flakes and simmer for another 5 minutes.
4. Add pasta to sauce evenly toss to coat. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste.

[Crushing tomatoes with fork and spoon...]

Tools

• Large stock pot
• Chef knife
• Sauté pan
• Wooden spoon
• Fork
• Colander
• Grater

Selina’s Notes

• During the summer, seasonal fresh chopped basil is preferred
• Red wine options can include full bodied wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon,  Zinfandel, Chianti, etc. The added benefit is that you can enjoy it during your meal!

Buon Appetito

The class focused on the basic how-to of making pasta from scratch, from the dough formation all the way to making different kinds of strands and shapes. This post will be primarily picture-heavy to document my class experience. I’ll also add commentary and notes that I took for each of the steps. I’d like to thank Lauren, the fabulous sous chef at Terragusto, for teaching this class!

1. Pre-Class: I arrived early by mistake, but it gave me time to check out the equipment. You’ll notice many goodies in this picture, such as the french rolling pin, adjustable pasta cutter attachment, pasta machine, Kitchen Aid stand mixer, salt, and dough scraper. I will mention one thing about the pasta machine – the one here at the restaurant is a commercial machine that runs about $1500 from Italy, which is a hefty investment for a home cook. There are definitely less expensive machines for under $100 in the market. I also learned that the Kitchen Aid stand mixer attachments are not the best option because, well, they were not designed by an Italian pasta maker I will explain more in Step 6.

2. Pasta Ingredients: This is the most straightforward part because there are only three items to remember – 3 cups all-purpose flour, 4 eggs, and a pinch of salt. As far as what types of flour, eggs, and salt to use, the restaurant uses organic all-purpose flour (the actual ratio is 75% all-purpose and 25% semolina for a preferred texture), local farm fresh eggs, and sea salt.

3. Making the Dough: The pasta ingredients are combined using the stand mixer on a low setting. It is entirely possible to make the pasta dough by hand, but it is realistically much less time consuming to take advantage of the machine. The goal in the machine is to get the dough worked through until the dough has a semi smooth texture. The picture here is still in the beginning stages…

4. Kneading: Once the dough is in good shape, it is kneaded on a floured surface for about 2-3 minutes to let the gluten develop, which essentially creates the soft bite that we all love about pasta. After kneading, the dough should rest in a covered container for 15 minutes (use plastic wrap to cover).

5. Rolling/Flattening: Using a tapered rolling pin, the dough is rolled out starting from the center outward, in all directions, until it is flattened to the point where it can go into the pasta machine for further flattening. When it is ready, it should be a similar width to the machine.

6. Flattening via Pasta Machine: The dough gets fed into the machine at the widest setting during its first run-through. An important step not shown clearly in the pictures is that in between each pass through the machine, the dough is folded into three (as if folding up a letter), and then flattened out with the rolling pin until it is at a desired width for the machine again. Flour can be used between iterations to avoid sticking.

As mentioned in Step 1, Kitchen Aid is one of the most widely used appliances in many professional or home kitchens, but pasta making is not their forte. When making pasta, the dough should never hang or stretch. You’ll notice that the restaurant machine has a wooden tray on the top for the pasta layer to rest on when it gets fed into the roller. The Kitchen Aid attachment, however, is positioned at a height that would allow the pasta dough to hang because it doesn’t have a resting tray. I suppose you can improvise with something, but it’s just a small design detail that makes a difference.

7. Perfectly Flat: After multiple iterations, the pasta is finally at its desired thickness (the number of machine iterations varies, depending on the machine). The dough is now ready for cutting!

8. Tagliatelle: Pronounced tah-glyuh-ah-TEHL-eh, this pasta originates from northern Italy. It is similar to fettuccine, but the width differs by a mere 1 or 2 millimeters, tagliatelle being the narrower of the two. Tagliatelle is typically 6mm wide and 12 inches long. The rolled out pasta dough is finally run through the machine’s cutter attachment. The strands can be hung to dry at this point, or used for immediate cooking. The restaurant prefers to dry it for several hours to let it slightly harden so that it can absorb sauces better.

9. Pasta Playground: Lauren showed us various other simple pasta shapes, shown below. The more common ones you may be able to spot are pappardelle, farfalle, and ravioli. Pasta scraps and edges are sometimes made into maltagliati, which literally means badly cut pasta. Why let dough go to waste, right?

I’ve always wanted to make ravioli, so I gave it a go. Since I used scrap pieces of dough, my mock dough-filled ravioli turned out to appear more on the rustic side…

10. Cooking the Pasta: Finally, the home stretch is nearly reached. After the dough is flattened, rolled, cut, and possibly dried, the last step is to drop it into salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes, stirring gently to avoid sticking. The pasta is then strained (but not rinsed!) and added immediately to prepared sauce (recipe to follow).

The featured recipe prepared in class was tagliatelle with a classic mushroom ragu. It was amazing – earthy, rich with flavor but not weight, and very satisfying. This will indeed become one of my household staples!

Tagliatelle con Funghi di Bosco Recipe (ribbon pasta with mixed wild mushroom ragu)

Courtesy of Executive Chef Theodore Gilbert, Terragusto
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 24 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced (mix and match white button, cremini, oyster, shitake, morel)
• 4 ounces butter, divided (or a combination of butter and extra virgin olive oil)
• 2 ounces brandy or wine
• 2 cups veal, chicken, or mushroom stock
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs (mix and match parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme)
• 4 ounces diced tomatoes or 2 ounces tomato paste
• 1 pound fresh tagliatelle pasta, cooked as above
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 6-8 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated

Tools

• Large saute pan or skillet
• Wooden spoon
• Chef knife and cutting board
• Tongs for tossing pasta

Preparation

1. Saute mushrooms in butter over medium heat until brown and caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Set mushrooms aside.
2. Deglaze the pan with brandy or wine, scraping the brown bits off the pan with your wooden spoon; add stock.
3. Reduce the stock by 2/3 and add herbs and reserved mushrooms.
4. Add cooked pasta and tomato. Carefully toss to combine all ingredients to coat each ribbon, adding half the Parmigiano at this time.
5. Season to taste with salt and pepper; drizzle with truffle oil, and garnish with extra Parmigiano.

The final product Lauren made for our class (arguably one of the best pastas I’ve had in a long time):

I hope you enjoyed my pasta class debrief!