How To Boost The Flavor Of Pasta Food

FLAVORED PASTA DOUGH-HOMEMADE RECIPE - (4.1/5)

Steps:

• Make the basic pasta dough Sift the flour onto a clean work surface and make a well in the center with your fist. Break the eggs into the well and add the oil and a pinch of salt to the well. Gradually mix the egg mixture into the flour using the fingers of one hand, bringing the ingredients together into a firm dough. If the dough feels too dry, add a few drops of water; if it's too wet, add a little more flour. (You will soon grow accustomed to how the dough should feel after you've made it a few times.) Knead the pasta until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes. Lightly massage it with a hint of olive oil, pop the dough into a plastic food bag, and allow it to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The pasta will be much more elastic after resting. Start to feed the blob of pasta dough through the widest setting of a pasta machine. As the sheet of dough comes out of the machine, fold it into thirds and then feed it through the rollers again, still on the widest setting. Pass the dough through this setting a total of 4 or 5 times. This effectively kneads the dough, ensuring the resulting pasta is silky smooth. Pass the pasta through the machine again, starting at the widest setting and gradually reducing the settings, one pass at a time, until the pasta achieves the required thickness.

HOW TO BOOST THE FLAVOR OF PASTA

Steps:

• STEP ONE. Only partially cook dry pasta. In a pot of abundantly salted boiling water, cook dry pasta for only half or three-quarters of the recommended time. The timing depends on the brand, shape and size; I recommend reading the back of the package instructions. Tasting pasta is the best indication of doneness, and in this case, it should be too hard to eat, but soft enough that you can taste the dough.
• STEP TWO. Add the semi-cooked pasta to a pan sauce. Using a slotted spoon (for shaped pasta) or tongs (for spaghetti), remove the partially cooked pasta from the water, reserving the water for later use. Add the pasta to the pan of sauce. For example, when I cook spaghetti with clams, I saute the clams in olive oil, garlic and wine, and as they open and release their liquid, I transfer the semi-cooked pasta straight from the pot of boiling water in the pan with the clams.
• STEP THREE. Adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding the reserved water. Finish cooking the pasta in the cuisson (cooking liquid). Add the reserved water to adjust the thickness of the sauce. Reduce by simmering and season as necessary, bearing in mind that the pasta water you are adding to the pan is heavily salted. If you reduce it too much, the dish can get salty.