Fresh Pasta Sheets With Parsley Food

PASTA CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Steps:

• Combine the parsley and 2 of the eggs in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a measuring cup and add enough water to make 3/4 cup puree. Rinse out the blender.
• Combine the beets and 3 of the eggs in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
• Put 6 ounces of the flour and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the parsley puree and, using your fingertips or a fork, start to mix the flour into the puree. Once it is all combined, turn it out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Put the remaining 10 ounces flour and a large pinch of salt in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Add the beet puree and, using your fingertips or a fork, start to mix the flour into the puree. Once it is all combined, turn it out onto a flour-dusted work surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes (see Cook's Note). Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
• Combine the beef with the breadcrumbs, milk, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, two-thirds of the grated garlic, the remaining egg, 1 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Form the mixture into 12 meatballs. Put the meatballs in a medium saucepan with the marinara sauce and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook until the meatballs are cooked and the sauce is reduced by half, about 20 minutes.
• Prepare the spinach according to the package instructions. Mix in the remaining grated garlic, 1 cup of the mozzarella, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
• Prepare the penne according to the package instructions. Combine the penne with the heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan in a medium bowl.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bring 2 large stockpots of salted water to a boil and add a generous drizzle of olive oil to each. Prepare 2 bowls of ice water.
• Working quickly so the dough doesn't get too dry or discolor, cut the parsley dough in half and roll each half through settings 1 through 4 of a pasta roller, ending on setting 4.
• Cut the beet dough in half, wrapping up half of the dough for another use (see Cook's Note). Cut the remaining beet dough in half again and roll each half through settings 1 through 4 of the pasta roller, ending on setting 4.
• Using a pizza wheel, cut the parsley pasta sheets into three 20-by-1-inch strips and four 5-inch squares. Cut each beet pasta sheet into a 20-by-5-inch piece, so you have 2 pieces total.
• Slowly lower the parsley pasta pieces into one stockpot of boiling water, making sure they don't stick to themselves. Cook until the pasta is just cooked through (it will take on a firm texture), about 30 seconds, then immediately drain the pasta. Submerge the pasta in one of the bowls of ice water until completely cold. Remove from the water, liberally coat with oil and set aside. Repeat with the beet dough in the other stockpot of boiling water and the other bowl of ice water.
• Lay 2 of the long strips of parsley pasta in a 7-inch square springform pan so they cross in the middle on the bottom of the pan like ribbons of a present, letting the ends hang evenly over the sides. Neatly line 1 of the pieces of beet pasta across the center of the springform pan, then lay the second piece of beet pasta in the opposite direction, letting the ends hang evenly over the sides. Evenly spread the penne mixture over the beet pasta and top with 2 of the parsley pasta squares, overlapping the pasta as needed. Evenly spread the spinach mixture on top and top with the remaining parsley pasta squares. Evenly spread the meatballs and sauce on top. Fold the hanging beet pasta strips up and over to enclose the filling. Fold the hanging parsley pasta strips up and over to meet in the middle. Tie a bow with the remaining parsley pasta strip and arrange it on top.
• Bake the pasta present until hot throughout and the edges of the bow are light golden, about 30 minutes. Let rest for 15 minutes, then unmold and serve.

HERBED PAPPARDELLE WITH PARSLEY AND GARLIC

Steps:

• Set a large pot filled with 5 quarts of water over high heat, cover, and bring to a boil. Add 6 tablespoons fine sea salt or 1/2 cup kosher salt. Set a colander in the sink.
• Lightly dust a sheet of pasta with semolina flour, then loosely roll into thirds lengthwise, like folding a letter. Using a sharp knife, cut noodles in 3/4-inch increments. Shake off the excess semolina, and repeat with remaining pasta sheets. Form pasta into small nests (about 3 ounces per portion) on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and dusted with semolina.
• Add 4 nests of pasta to the water and stir. (Freeze the rest of the pasta for later use.)
• Set a large frying pan over medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until the garlic threatens to turn golden, about 1 minute.
• Just before the garlic begins to brown, add 1 cup pasta cooking water and increase heat to medium-high. Let the sauce simmer until it reduces by about a third.
• Cook pasta until al dente, about 3 minutes, and drain, reserving another cup of pasta water.
• Add drained pasta to the pan and toss. Add parsley, and continue cooking over medium heat for 1 minute, tossing continuously with tongs. If pasta looks dry, add a little pasta water. It should be slightly wetter than you are comfortable with, because the pasta will continue to absorb sauce even after you pull it from the heat. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Remove from heat, and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan.

LASAGNA

Steps:

• For the Tomato Sauce: Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and red chili flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bring to boil, season with salt and pepper and cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and basil.
• For the Bolognese Sauce: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat.
• Season the shanks on both sides with salt and pepper, place in the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side.
• Remove the shanks to a plate. Remove fat from the pan. Add the pancetta to the pan and cook until golden brown. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.
• Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the pan and cook until soft and lightly golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Add the red wine, scrape the bottom of the pan and cook until completely reduced. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and parsley and bring to a simmer. Add the shanks and 1/3 of the pancetta back to the pan, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender and falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Remove the shanks to a cutting board and when cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-size pieces and place in a bowl.
• Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl. Place 3 cups of the cooking liquid into a large high-sided saute pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the liquid is reduced to about 3/4 cup. Add the shredded meat and the remaining cooked pancetta to the pan along with 1 cup of the tomato sauce, parsley and basil and stir to combine and just heat through.
• For the Ricotta Mixture: Stir together the ricotta, eggs, parsley, basil, cheese and salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.
• For the Bechamel (Mornay) Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and let cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in 2 cups of the hot milk and continue whisking until the sauce is thickened and loses its raw flavor, about 5 to 7 minutes. Season the sauce with nutmeg, salt and pepper and whisk in the cheeses. If the sauce is too thick, whisk in some of the remaining milk.
• For Assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with the butter. Ladle a thin layer of bechamel evenly over the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of pasta dough, cut to fit the inside of the pan on top of the bechamel and top the pasta with the ricotta mixture and spread evenly. Spread a thin layer of bechamel over the ricotta, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan and some basil leaves. Top with another layer of pasta and spread the Bolognese sauce evenly over the top. Ladle an even layer of bechamel over the Bolognese sauce, sprinkle with a few tablespoons of Parmesan and some basil leaves. Place the final layer of pasta dough over the meat mixture and ladle the bechamel over the top to completely cover the pasta and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of Parmesan.
• Place the pan on a baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F, remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, about 25 to 35 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into slices and top with some of the remaining tomato sauce, more grated cheese and chopped parsley and basil.

FRESH PARSLEY TAGLIATELLE WITH PORCINI

Steps:

• Make pasta:
• In a food processor blend together 2 1/2 cups flour, oil, yolks, and 6 tablespoons water, incorporating as much of additional 2 tablespoons water as necessary, until mixture just begins to form a ball. On a lightly floured surface knead dough, incorporating as much of additional flour as necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Quarter dough and wrap 3 pieces separately in plastic wrap.
• Set smooth rollers of a pasta machine at widest setting. Flatten unwrapped piece of dough into a rectangle and fee through rollers. Fold rectangle in half and feed through rollers 8 more times, folding in half crosswise each time and dusting with flour as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Turn dial to next (narrower) setting and feed through rollers without folding. Continue to feed dough through, without folding, turning dial to make space between rollers narrower each time, until dough has been rolled through narrowest setting and is a smooth sheet, about 2 1/2 feet by 4 inches. Halve pasta sheet crosswise. Lightly brush 1 side of 1 pasta sheet with cold water and evenly arrange 1/2 cup parsley over it. Drape remaining half sheet over parsley-topped pasta sheet, gently pressing down to force out any air. Set rollers to second narrowest setting and feed filled pasta sheet between rollers. Put pasta sheet on a dry kitchen towel. Roll out and fill remaining 3 pieces dough in same manner, putting each on a dry kitchen towel.
• Attach ribbon pasta cutters to pasta machine and attach handle to widest cutter. Line a tray with another dry kitchen towel. Feed first pasta sheet, which will have dried slightly but should still be soft and pliable, through cutter and toss tagliatelle generously with flour. Form tagliatelle loosely into a nest and arrange on towel-lined tray. Make more tagliatelle in same manner with remaining pasta sheets. Makes about 3/4 pound.
• Fill a 6-quart kettle three fourths full with salted water and bring to a boil for tagliatelle.
• Trim mushrooms and cut stems from caps. Separately cut stems and caps into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Mince garlic. In a large skillet cook stems in 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until stems are tender and liquid they give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer stems to a small bowl. In skillet cook caps in remaining 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until caps are tender and liquid they give off is evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add stems, garlic, and butter and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine is evaporated. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper.
• Cook _tagliatelle_in boiling water until al dente about 1 1/2 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain tagliatelle in colander. Add tagliatelle and reserved cooking water to mushroom mixture and toss to combine.
• Serve tagliatelle immediately with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
• *Available at specialty foods shops and by mail order from Dean & DeLuca, (800) 221-7714.
• **Available seasonally at many specialty food shops and by mail order from Comptoir Exotique, (888) 547-5471.

MARY'S LASAGNA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the noodles. Put a bowl of ice water near the stove, and set out a few towels next to the bowl to drain the pasta.
• Generously grease a 10 by 14-inch baking pan using 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, egg, and parsley together. Rip up the basil leaves and fold them into the ricotta mixture. Season with salt and set aside.
• With a slotted spoon, transfer the pieces of pork, sausage, and meatballs from the Sunday Gravy to a separate bowl. They will be coated with some of the tomato gravy. That's okay. Set the remaining gravy and bowl of meats aside.
• Generously salt the boiling water and cook the lasagne sheets, a few at a time, at a rolling boil for 1 minute. The noodles will be very firm; they will cook further in the oven. Transfer the pasta to the ice water with a long-handled flat skimmer or strainer. As soon as they are cool to the touch- less than a minute- lift them out, shaking off excess water, and lay the noodles out on towels to drain. Repeat the process until all the pasta is cooked.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cover the bottom of the baking pan with a layer of lasagne sheets, allowing the pasta to hang over all sides of the pan. Top with another layer of lasagne sheets cut to fit the bottom of the pan without an overhang.
• Cover the pasta with 1/2 of the reserved meats. Spoon over enough gravy to moisten well, about 1 cup. Sprinkle with a rounded 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano. Cover with another layer of pasta cut to fit without an overhang. Top with 1 cup gravy. Dollop 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over the gravy and top with half of the mozzarella and a rounded 1/4 cup of Pecorino Romano. Repeat the pasta and meat layer and the pasta and ricotta mixture layer.
• Cover with a final layer of pasta (you may not have used all the lasagne sheets) cut to fit the inside of the pan without an overhang. Top with the remaining gravy and Pecorino Romano. Bring up the overhang of pasta and fold over the top of the lasagne to enclose the filling. Dot with remaining butter and loosely cover with foil.
• Bake the lasagne for 25 minutes, uncover, and continue to bake until very lightly browned and bubbling hot, an additional 10 to 15 minutes. To keep the top noodles soft without browning, bake the lasagne covered with foil for 35 minutes and uncovered for the last 5 to 10 minutes in the oven. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
• Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the pork chops and sausages and brown on all sides. Transfer the pork chops and sausages to a plate to make room for the onions. Toss the onions into the pot with the garlic, fennel, and salt. Saute over moderate heat, stirring frequently and scraping up any bits left behind by the pork and sausages, until the onions are soft and golden.
• Put the pork chops and sausages back in the pot with any juices on the plate. Add the tomatoes, water, and tomato paste. Drop in a few cheese rinds or ends if you have any. They are completely optional but give a nice flavor to the sauce. Cover the pot, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Gently drop in the meatballs, 1 at a time, shaking the pot a bit to encourage the meatballs to nestle in with the pork and sausage and to make room for the addition of more meatballs. After all the meatballs have been added, continue to simmer, covered, for an hour longer or until the pork chops are very tender.
• To finish the gravy, transfer the pork chops to a cutting board. Remove and discard the bones, chop up the meat, and return it to the sauce. Keep warm over low heat.
• Homemade, fresh pasta is glorious and well worth the effort. Nothing compares to the silky, light, slippery noodles you can produce in your own kitchen. This is a quick recipe. The dough is mixed in a food processor and a pasta machine kneads and rolls the dough. George's whips this up easily, in 5 minutes tops.
• There are minor variations depending on the weather and the moisture in your flour (you may have to knead in an extra tablespoon or 2 of flour) but if you follow these proportions you will have excellent pasta.
• The organic eggs we buy at the farmers' market vary in size. The most reliable way to get an accurate measurement is with a portion scale. The measuring cup method will work, too (crack eggs into a small mixing bowl, whisk to combine, pour the required amount into a liquid measuring cup, and discard or save any excess for another use). In making pasta, skill is developed through repetition. Each batch will be easier than the last and with a little experience exact measurements will be less important.
• Don't fret if the final dimensions of the pasta are different from those specified in the recipe. The strips coming through the rollers of the pasta machine may be longer and/or not as wide. The ends may also narrow rather than being perfectly square. For instance, the edge going through the rollers first will be u-shaped (they can be cut later to square the noodle, if you like). Practice does make a difference in developing a feel for the process. Try to roll the dough as wide as possible--a little less than the width of the rollers, but don't be discouraged if that doesn't happen the first time. Adjust the cutting of the pasta to the strips you have--less wide sheets of lasagna noodles, for instance.
• Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. With the motor running pour the eggs through the feed tube. Stop the machine as soon as the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Run the motor again pouring the hot water through the feed tube. Pulse on and off for 10 seconds; stop the motor. The dough should stick together when pressed between your fingertips. If not add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon hot water and run the motor again. Turn out onto a cool, smooth surface--marble is ideal. Knead for 1 to 2 minutes until the dough is smooth and pliable. If it is sticky, knead in 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Shape into a ball and cover the dough completely with plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator. If the dough is refrigerated, remove it from the refrigerator about 20 minutes before proceeding with the recipe.
• Set up the pasta machine with the rollers at their widest opening.
• Divide the dough in 1/2. If the dough is sticky, dust it with flour. Flatten the dough half with the heel of your hand, and feed it through the rollers of pasta machine. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and feed it through the rollers again. Repeat 20 to 30 times occasionally folding widthwise to fit between the guides. This kneads and smoothes the dough further, creating silky and supple pasta.
• Now you can roll the pasta into thin sheets by feeding it through each successive setting of the pasta machine until you have passed it through the second thinnest opening (dust with just enough flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking). This process is done without folding. If the sheet of pasta becomes cumbersomely long cut it crosswise into 2 pieces to make it more manageable. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Lay the dough out on a barely floured counter or clean, dry kitchen towels. Each half of dough will yield 2 strips of pasta roughly measuring 3 feet by 4 inches.
• Try to make lasagna noodles as wide as your pasta machine allows (4 to 5-inches); cut the lengths the most appropriate size for the pan you plan to use--anywhere from 8 to 12-inches long (longer if you like, or shorter if smaller noodles are easier for you to handle. Lasagna noodles can be cut and patched together in assembly). Keep in mind the pasta will grow, or expand, when it boils, increasing its dimensions.
• After you have cut the noodles, you can cook them right away or lay them out in a single layer without touching on a lightly floured surface or on clean, dry kitchen towels until ready to cook (flour dusted or towel lined baking trays work well if you don't have counter) If you are not using the pasta the same day, allow it to dry completely, then transfer to long, shallow containers with lids. You can keep it in a cool, dry place for 1 week.

FRESH PASTA SHEETS FOR TORTELLI DI RICOTTA

Steps:

• Mound flour in center of a large work surface, and make a well in the middle. Beat eggs, olive oil, and salt in a small bowl and pour into well.
• Using a fork, slowly incorporate flour, beginning with outer rim of well. When flour is incorporated, gather dough together to form a rounded mass. Lightly flour work surface and hands, and begin kneading dough with the palms of your hands until no longer wet and sticky.
• Lightly flour work surface; knead dough until smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes. Continue kneading 4 minutes more, dusting work surface and hands with flour as necessary. Divide dough in half and flatten each half into a small rectangle. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature.
• Set the rollers of a hand-cranked or electric pasta machine at their widest opening. Working with one piece of dough at a time, run dough once through the machine. Remove and lightly dust with flour. Fold the dough in thirds, like a book, pressing down with your fingers, and run through the machine again. Repeat this step at least two more times, dusting lightly with flour if needed, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Now change the rollers of the pasta machine to the next decreasing setting, and roll out the dough once without folding. Keep rolling the sheet through the machine on decreasing settings until you have rolled it through the last (thinnest) setting. Cut the pasta strip into 18-inch sheets. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let stand for 30 minutes. Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
• Run each sheet of pasta through the narrowest setting of the pasta machine two more times each. Keep covered until ready to use.

FRESH PASTA SHEETS WITH PARSLEY

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse the flour and salt to blend. With the machine on, add the eggs, one at a time, and the water. Process until the dough forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead into a smooth ball Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Sprinkle 2 large cookie sheets with cornmeal. Lightly flour a work surface. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the dough with your hand and run it through a pasta machine: Begin at the thickest setting and work your way through consecutively thinner settings until you reach the thinnest one. Spread the sheet on the prepared cookie sheet, brushing away any excess flour. With a moistened finger, make 18 dots of water on the left half of each pasta sheet randomly or in rows; they should be 2 inches apart. Set a parsley leaf on each dot and press down lightly. Fold the other half of the pasta sheet over to cover the parsley leaves. Run the folded sheet through the pasta machine on the next-to-thinnest setting. You may need to cut the pasta dough in half, partway through rolling out. Cut the parsley-flecked sheets into 8-by-6-inch rectangles of dough. Repeat with the second piece of dough and the remaining parsley leaves.