Following the golden rule "if you don't love it, don't do it", I've always had fun in the kitchen. Sometimes it may be a great deal of work but it's always enjoyable and extremely satisfying to see people eat your food; it's as if they are eating a part of me. So, the build up to Easter can often be fraught with great expectation. One fasts, attends church (often) and in addition to that, there are the dietary restrictions to consider (no meat being the rule). That said deciding what to eat and what you can't eat, on which day, must be met with imagination.
I decided to make Tagliatelle al Tónno on Good Friday. Considering it was truly the only meal of the day, it was appropriate that there was a bit of substance. That and a great salad of hearts of romaine lettuce, apples, avocados and blue cheese, it made a great meal to break the fast.
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| Tagliatelle al Tónno |
It is not difficult to make fresh pasta; you just have to know what you're doing. I've been making pasta in a food processor and a hand cranked pasta machine for years now and it's always worked just fine. However, recently I've found that using a stand mixer with a dough hook is a gentler way of kneading the dough and a far better mode of producing la Sfolgia. Literally translated, it means "sheet", which when rolled ultra thin becomes transparent, just like a sheet billowing in the wind. You should be able to see your hand through the pasta sheet. There is a well in the center of the flour in which the egg mixture is added and the dough hook mixes in a circular fashion incorporating all of the flour, little by little, until it results in a large mass (no dry bits of flour should remain on the bottom or sides of the bowl). The flour and the egg are thus cajoled into binding together whereas the food processor violently shocks the ingredients into submission. Much better for the dough, just like Julia's chicken!
I made my "sfolgia" with "00" flour and I think it was the best noodle I ever produced. It had texture and depth and it wasn't wilted or limp, which often can be the case with fresh pasta. And it stretched to a good 15 inches by the time we were at no. 9 on the roller. Paper thin slices through which I could see my hand.
La Sfolgia
3 cups "00" flour
Pinch of Kosher salt
4 eggs
1 tbs. Olive Oil
Put the flour in the bowl of a stand mixer with the salt. Mix the eggs with the olive oil. Make a small well in the center of the flour pour the egg mixture into that and lower your dough hook into the well. Start out at a slow speed and gradually turn the motor to a higher speed but not too fast. Let this mix for about 2-3 minutes or longer, until everything comes together in one mass. When you have reached the point where all of the dough is collected into one ball, remove from the mixer and cover the bowl with a damp towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
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| Tagliatelle |
While the pasta is resting, you can make the sauce.
Tomato Sauce with Tuna
Olive oil
Optional: a pinch of red pepper flakes
Collectively called Soffrito
1 medium onion, minced
1 stalk celery minced
1 small carrot, minced
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
16 fresh basil leaves cut into chiffonade
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 lb. fresh tuna in oil
(Please refer to my blog entry of January 12, 2014 for the recipe for Tuna in Oil)
2 28 oz. cans peeled plum tomatoes in juice (preferably San Marzano) placed in a large mixing bowl and broken up with your hands
Fresh flat leaf parsley coarsely chopped
Salt and Pepper
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed cast iron or stainless steel saucepan until it ripples and is about to smoke (you can add the pepper flakes at this stage if using). Add the onions, celery and carrots and cook them until the onions become translucent. Add the thyme and the tuna and blend into the soffrito. Breaking up the tuna as you stir is okay. Immediately add the tomatoes, bring to a boil and turn down the heat to a simmer. Add half the basil salt and pepper to taste and cover. Simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. When getting ready to serve, add the rest of the basil and the parsley and mix with the sauce.
For specific instructions on rolling out the dough and making noodles see my entry dated November 2, 2012 ("What I did during Hurricane Sandy Part II").
Fill a large pot with water. I use a stock pot; the more water the better. Put on high heat and cover and bring the water to the boil. When the water boils add about 4 tbs. Kosher salt (and handful is good). Add the pasta and cook for about 4 minutes. Since you will have quite a bit of sauce, it's best to prepare a large serving bowl by putting some of the sauce in the bowl with a ladleful of the pasta cooking water. Mix thoroughly and after draining the pasta in a colander, add the pasta and toss. Serve immediately with more sauce. Sorry: it's fish. No cheese!
Buon Appetito!
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