Thursday, March 08, 2012
vivopizza
Really, how is pasta made?
Ever wondered what this Italian staple food that comes in all shapes and sizes is made of? Regardless the colour, flavour or shape, pasta can be defined in two types: fresh (homemade) and dry. The latter is what you buy off the supermarket and stores that’s packaged and segregated according to its shape, be it linguini, spaghetti, angel hair, macaroni, penne or others. Pasta making at factories is rather a rigid process, so let’s look into the fun and hands-on approach of making pasta at home. It really is simpler than you think.
What you’ll need for 1 pound of pasta:
2 cups unbleached flour, 3 eggs, ½ teaspoon salt & a pasta machine.
- On a mound, gently stir in the egg mixture into the flour, using a fork then slowly mix with your fingers.
- Bring the mixture together with your hands to form a ball. Add a little more egg mixture if dough is too dry.
- Knead the pasta dough, pushing down and away with your palms until dough is smooth.
- Separate and roll into 3 equal sections. Flatten one dough ball and slot it into the pasta machine on its widest setting (1). Continue to do this making the slot smaller each time.
- Place your sheet of dough (in desired thickness) into the cutting blades. Immediately hang pasta strips on a rack for drying. Fresh pasta can be stored up to a week.
If you don't have a pasta machine, a rolling pin will work just fine
Yellow is boring!
Surely the first time you heard of squid ink pasta, you frowned at the thought of eating those coal black strips. The truth is, adding that extra ingredient to your pasta dough will not significantly increase its flavour but you will, however, enjoy the colour it produces.
For orange pasta, use either pumpkin or tomato paste. For green pasta, try blended spinach or pesto. For purple pasta, add dragon fruit or blueberry.
So, why the many shapes and sizes?
It isn’t just a modern marketing gimmick. In fact, they serve a good purpose. The wider the surface of pasta, the more space for sauces to cling on. Even the shape of pasta decides its ability to be stuffed, layered or provides versatility in recipe creation.
Stay tuned for more pasta and pizza education!