Jamie Oliver Pasta Food

A BASIC RECIPE FOR FRESH EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Place the flour on a board or in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork until smooth.
• Using the tips of your fingers, mix the eggs with the flour, incorporating a little at a time, until everything is combined.
• Knead the pieces of dough together - with a bit of work and some love and attention they'll all bind together to give you one big, smooth lump of dough!
• Once you've made your dough you need to knead and work it with your hands to develop the gluten in the flour, otherwise your pasta will be flabby and soft when you cook it, instead of springy and al dente. There's no secret to kneading. You just have to bash the dough about a bit with your hands, squashing it into the table, reshaping it, pulling it, stretching it, squashing it again. It's quite hard work, and after a few minutes it's easy to see why the average Italian grandmother has arms like Frank Bruno! You'll know when to stop - it's when your pasta starts to feel smooth and silky instead of rough and floury.
• Wrap the dough in clingfilm and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes - make sure the clingfilm covers it well or it will dry out and go crusty round the edges (this will give you crusty lumps through your pasta when you roll it out, and nobody likes crusty lumps!).
• How to roll your pasta: first of all, if you haven't got a pasta machine it's not the end of the world! All the mammas I met while travelling round Italy rolled pasta with their trusty rolling pins and they wouldn't even consider having a pasta machine in the house! When it comes to rolling, the main problem you'll have is getting the pasta thin enough to work with. It's quite difficult to get a big lump of dough rolled out in one piece, and you need a very long rolling pin to do the job properly. The way around this is to roll lots of small pieces of pasta rather than a few big ones. You'll be rolling your pasta into a more circular shape than the long rectangular shapes you'll get from a machine, but use your head and you'll be all right!
• If using a machine to roll your pasta, make sure it's clamped firmly to a clean work surface before you start (use the longest available work surface you have). If your surface is cluttered with bits of paper, the kettle, the bread bin, the kids' homework and stuff like that, shift all this out of the way for the time being. It won't take a minute, and starting with a clear space to work in will make things much easier, I promise.
• Dust your work surface with some Tipo 00 flour, take a lump of pasta dough the size of a large orange and press it out flat with your fingertips. Set the pasta machine at its widest setting - and roll the lump of pasta dough through it. Lightly dust the pasta with flour if it sticks at all.
• Click the machine down a setting and roll the pasta dough through again. Fold the pasta in half, click the pasta machine back up to the widest setting and roll the dough through again. Repeat this process five or six times. It might seem like you're getting nowhere, but in fact you're working the dough, and once you've folded it and fed it through the rollers a few times, you'll feel the difference. It'll be smooth as silk and this means you're making wicked pasta!
• Now it's time to roll the dough out properly, working it through all the settings on the machine, from the widest down to around the narrowest. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta with a little flour every time you run it through.
• When you've got down to the narrowest setting, to give yourself a tidy sheet of pasta, fold the pasta in half lengthways, then in half again, then in half again once more until you've got a square-ish piece of dough. Turn it 90 degrees and feed it through the machine at the widest setting. As you roll it down through the settings for the last time, you should end up with a lovely rectangular silky sheet of dough with straight sides - just like a real pro! If your dough is a little cracked at the edges, fold it in half just once, click the machine back two settings and feed it through again. That should sort things out.
• Whether you're rolling by hand or by machine you'll need to know when to stop. If you're making pasta like tagliatelle, lasagne or stracchi you'll need to roll the pasta down to between the thickness of a beer mat and a playing card; if you're making a stuffed pasta like ravioli or tortellini, you'll need to roll it down slightly thinner or to the point where you can clearly see your hand or lines of newsprint through it.
• Once you've rolled your pasta the way you want it, you need to shape or cut it straight away. Pasta dries much quicker than you think, so whatever recipe you're doing, don't leave it more than a minute or two before cutting or shaping it. You can lay over a damp clean tea towel which will stop it from drying.

GAME RAGU WITH PAPPARDELLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pour a glug of olive oil into a casserole type pan and put it on the heat. Add the onion, carrots, rutabaga, rosemary, thyme and bay leaves and cook gently for 10 minutes. Stir in the meat and the flour, pour in the wine and add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in the stock, there should be enough to just cover the meat. Bring to a gentle boil, put a lid on and place in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat falls apart easily.
• When the stew looks good, bring a very large pan of salted water to the boil and stir in the pappardelle. Cook according to the package instructions.
• While the pasta's cooking, you can get your ragu sauce rockin' and rollin'! Remove the bay leaves from the sauce and add the butter to it. Beat in half the Parmesan and half the orange zest, just a hint will make all the difference. Place the lid on top. Pick and chop your parsley leaves now, you want them to be nice and fresh, with as much color and flavor as possible, so don't do this any earlier.
• Drain the pasta in a colander, reserving some of the cooking water. Get everyone around the table, then toss the pasta with the sauce and the chopped parsley (you may have to do this in batches), adding some of the reserved cooking water if need be, to make the sauce silky and loose - very important for good texture. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve with the remaining grated Parmesan and orange zest sprinkled over and a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil. What an incredible pasta dish!
• "Our agreement with the producers of "Jamie at Home" only permit us to make 2 recipes per episode available online. Food Network regrets the inconvenience to our viewers and foodnetwork.com users"

MEATBALLS & PASTA

Steps:

• Wrap the crackers in a tea towel and smash up until fine, breaking up any big bits with your hands, then tip into a large bowl.
• Pick and finely chop the rosemary, then add to the bowl with the mustard, minced meat and oregano.
• Crack the egg into the bowl, then add a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
• With clean hands, scrunch and mix everything up well. Divide into 4 large and balls, then with wet hands divide each ball into 6 and roll into little meatballs - you should end up with 24.
• Place the meatballs onto a plate, drizzle with oil and jiggle about to coat, then cover and place in the fridge until needed - this will help to firm them up.
• Pick the basil leaves, keeping any smaller ones to one side for later. Peel and finely chop the onion and the garlic, and trim and finely slice or crumble the chilli.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, add the onion and cook for 7 minutes, or until softened and lightly golden.
• Add the garlic and chilli, and as soon as they start to get some colour add the large basil leaves.
• Tip in the the tomatoes, breaking them up with the back of a spoon, then add the balsamic vinegar, and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer until needed, stirring regularly.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in another large frying pan over a medium heat, add the meatballs and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning regularly To check if they're cooked, cut one opening - there should be no sign of pink.
• Once cooked, add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer while you cook the pasta.
• Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain, reserving a mugful of cooking water. Return the pasta to the pan.
• Spoon half the tomato sauce over the pasta and toss together, adding a little splash of reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed
• Transfer to a large platter or divide between bowls, serving the remaining sauce and meatballs on top. Add a fine grating of Parmesan and scatter over the reserved basil, then tuck in.

JAMIE OLIVER'S QUICK GREEN PASTA

Steps:

• 1. Trim and slice the spring onions. Trim the leek, halve it lengthways, wash it, then finely slice. Finely slice the broccoli stalks, reserving the tips. 2. Put a large, non-stick, shallow casserole pan on a medium heat. 3. Put 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan, with the spring onions, leeks and broccoli stalks. Peel and finely chop the garlic and add to the pan. 4. Add the frozen spinach and peas, then add a pinch of sea salt and black pepper. 5. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until soft but not coloured and the spinach has defrosted, stirring regularly. 6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water, according to the packet instructions, adding the broccoli florets for the last 2 minutes. 7. While everything is ticking away, finely grate the parmesan. 8. Scoop or pour out about 200ml of cooking water from the pasta into your veg pan. Now, you can either leave your sauce chunky, blitz it until smooth in a blender, or use a hand blender to go somewhere in between - it's up to you. 9. Drain the pasta and broccoli, and tip it into the sauce. Add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and the grated parmesan, and toss it all together. 10. I like to finish this with a sprinkling of fresh herbs - parsley, basil, thyme, whatever you've got. A little extra grating of parmesan is always nice, and a big salad on the side. Tips: You can easily turn this into a gratin. One you've tossed the pasta and sauce together, tip it into an ovenproof frying pan or dish, sprinkle over some stale breadcrumbs or grated cheese, and pop under a hot grill for a few minutes, until golden and bubbling. Easy swaps • Finely chopped white or red onions would work in place of the spring onions and the leek. • Use regular broccoli, by all means - finely chop the stalk and add it to the mix at the beginning, keeping the cute little florets until the end. • You can add any green veg you have: kale, cabbage, broad beans, runner beans, green beans. • If you don't have any parmesan, try a different cheese in its place, make it work for you. Jamie: Keep Cooking and Carry On, Fridays 7:30pm only on 10.

JAMIE OLIVERS PASTA CARBONARA

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the farfalle, and cook according to the packet instructions.
• Whisk the egg in a bowl with the cream, salt and pepper.
• Put the pancetta or bacon into a second pan and cook until crispy and golden.
• When the farfalle is nearly cooked, add the peas for the last minute and a half. This way they will burst in your mouth and be lovely and sweet.
• When cooked, drain in a colander, saving a little of the cooking water.
• Add the pasta to the pancetta and stir in most of the mint, finely sliced - if the pan isn't big enough, mix it all together in a large warmed bowl.
• Now add the egg and cream mix to the pasta. What's important here is that you add it while the pasta is still hot. This way, the residual heat of the pasta will cook the eggs, but not so that they resemble scrambled eggs.
• The pasta will actually cook the egg enough to give you a silky smooth sauce.
• Toss together and loosen with a little of the reserved cooking water if necessary.
• Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with the Parmesan and the rest of the mint leaves, and serve as soon as possible.

PASTA E CECI (JAMIE OLIVER)

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet or soup pot over medium-low heat, and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute the onion, celery, celery leaves, and garlic, covered, until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.
• Add the rosemary, chickpeas and stock and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer for 20 minutes until the chickpeas are soft. Remove half the chickpeas with a slotted spoon, and purée the remaining soup in a blender, through a food mill, or with an immersion blender. Return the purée and reserved chickpeas to the pot, and add the pasta.
• Cook until the pasta is tender, adding boiling water if necessary to loosen. Season to taste with salt and pepper and the lemon juice. Serve with parsley or basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

JAMIE OLIVER'S BEST PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
• Throw in the pasta and garlic and simmer for about 5 minutes or until al dente, and drain.
• Put the garlic to one side for the dressing.
• Put the pasta in a bowl.
• Chop the tomatoes, olives, chives, basil and cucumber into pieces about half the size of the pasta and add to the bowl.
• Squash the garlic cloves out of their skins and pound in a pestle and mortar.
• Add the vinegar, oil and seasoning.
• Drizzle this over the salad, adding a little more seasoning to taste.

JAMIE OLIVER'S PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the flour on a clean surface.
• Make a well in the centre and add the eggs and yolks.
• Use a fork to break up the eggs, then start bringing in the flour.
• Stir with the fork until you have a dough which is easily workable with your hands.
• Knead well until it becomes smooth, silky and elastic and the surface is clean.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest in the fridge for a while.
• When you are ready to shape the pasta, break the dough into four pieces.
• Take one ball at a time, flatten it with your hand and run it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine.
• Fold in half and repeat this several times.
• Start narrowing down the settings, dusting the dough with flour each time you run it through, stopping when the sheet is 1-2mm thick.
• You can also use a rolling pin but it will take longer than if you have a pasta machine.
• When you have a thin sheet, shape as desired.
• To cook, drop the pasta into boiling water and cook just until al dente-- no more than five minutes and perhaps as little as two minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.
• Store any extra in the fridge for up to half a day or you can dry it and store in airtight containers.

SPAGHETTI PUTTANESCA

Steps:

• Cook the spaghetti in salted, boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile fry the garlic, capers, olives, anchovies, chiles, and oregano in a little olive oil for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, and continue to cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until you have a lovely tomato sauce consistency. Remove from the heat, plunge the drained spaghetti into it, toss it over, and cover with the sauce. Rip all the basil over it, correct the seasoning, and drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil.

TAGLIATELLE WITH SAFFRON, SEAFOOD, AND CREAM

Steps:

• Soak the saffron in the white wine. Add a little oil and the garlic to a frying pan, and cook until softened. Add the clams and mussels, shake the pan around, and add the white wine and saffron mixture. Bring to a boil and cook until the shellfish opens, discard any shellfish that remain closed.
• Then, lay the rest of the seafood, parsley, and the cream on top. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes and season to taste. Cook the tagliatelle in salted, boiling water until al dente. Drain and add to the fish, serve scattered with some of the leftover parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil.