2971 Pasta please..

Is this another ploy to keep Aliena in the kitchen? I agree to cook if you agree to do the washing up!

What would you like for lunch.. apart from someones head on a plate?

:) :)

Hai una chittarra?

I had no idea you were musical Tinks.. :D

You can serenade Aliena after dinner.. but lets think about lunch first.. how about spaghetti alla vongole.. or pasta e fagioli.. or mostaccioli e polpetti?

Should we use fresh or dried pasta and do we really need to make it ourselves?

:) :)

You have not read my profile...I am a skilled pianist ;)

Well, let's see...had penne carbonara (ran out of spaghetti I'm afraid) made with our own eggs (no cream!) last night, and am having seafoody tomato stuff for dinner today, so how about chittara ai funghi?:)

I don't think you would enjoy actually eating the chitarra Tinks..

I'm in discussion with Ronni as to why we cant upload images at the moment.. so lunch may be a little late today, as I'm awaiting a reply! :D

:) :)

As you well know, my dear, maccheroni alla chitarra is an Abruzzese speciality.:)

I have the chitarra...do you have the time?

Apologies to all for the late lunch.. so you all want maccheroni made with a guitar? OK..let me rummage in the cupboards and see if I can find one.

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This is what they look like.. and what they produce when you press the pasta dough through.
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But we need to make the dough first.. so which flour should we use?

:) :)

Tesco's value?

More important is the eggs...these I have in abundance, fresh from the chickens on the farm...;)

A bit about pasta....

Basic fresh pasta contains only three ingredients: flour, salt, and eggs. Superior pasta is made from semolina flour. Semolina is a high-quality flour derived from a special variety of hard wheat called Durum wheat. Semolina is golden in color and its grains are coarser than those of all-purpose flour. The high protein content of semolina allows it to build a strong gluten structure, giving pasta a resilient texture, allowing it to be rolled very thin without falling apart, and preventing it from absorbing too much water as the pasta cooks. Salt adds flavor, and eggs provide richness in addition to strengthening and binding the dough. There are, of course, variations on the flour-salt-eggs formula. Some fresh pasta recipes also include olive oil to make the texture more silky and pliable. Pasta that is intended to be dried out and stored is often made with water instead of eggs, and contains no olive oil lest it go rancid on the shelf.

Interesting about the dried pasta - is that why "homemade" pasta has a "taste" of its own, which the dried shop bought (plain) pasta doesn't?

Last night ours had bacon, red pepper flakes, tomatoes, spinich, basil parsley, and lots of silky parmesean cheese. And it was yummy!

As we all know, carbonara goes with spaghetti...except according to the ladies from the River Cafe, who insist that only penne can go with carbonara (test: who knows who the Penne Carbonara were?). Anyway there are several recipes. My favourite is:

Pan fry some thick sliced pancetta (waitrose smoked lardons are good too, or choped bacon if you've nothing else) and a couple of garlic cloves lightly crushed (whole or half, crushed with the flat of a knife) until crispy.

Beat 3 eggs (whole) in a bowl and add a tablespoon of finely grated parmesan and some freshly grated pepper. When the pasta is cooked, drain quickly and throw into the bowl with the beaten eggs. Put the cooked pancetta on top (stir it in if poss) and cover with the lid and leave to "cook" for a few minutes.

The eggs will be lightly cooked and creamy. You can apply a little heat if you want them set further, but be careful or you'll get scrambled eggs!

Mrs Tinker likes peas in her's - so I add them to the pancetta as it cooks.

Serve with crusty bread, more parmesan and black peper - and lashings of vino..:)

Yummmm!!! :)

Thanks for your pasta specialties jane2ron and Wishful Thinker!

When it comes to pasta, homemade is better because you can control the quality of ingredients and method you use to make it. Using things like fresh eggs and a good olive oil makes a big difference. Also kneading the dough to make it smooth, and then letting it rest (to relax the gluten).

These are some of the reasons why a home made pasta can have a different texture and flavor than a dried pasta.

GreatScott.. you forgot one main 'ingredient'.. WATER!!

Tinks.. the 'Carbonara' you ate was the original version of the recipe.. I think it came from Rome.. without cream!
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Spaghetti Carbonara[/CENTER]
[B]A bit of history..[/B]

The first 'official' mention of pasta was in 1279.. a [B]Notaios[/B] inventory of an inheritance speaks of 'a bariscela piena di maccheroni'. In 1577, the 'Regolazione dell'Arte dei Maestri Fidelari' (Rules for the Pasta Masters' Art Corporation) were drawn up in Savona.

[B]Naples.. capital of pasta[/B] (Sorry!) :D
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Napoli[/CENTER]

In Naples.. pasta was made by mixing the dough by foot. The pasta maker sat on a long bench and used his feet to mix and knead the dough. The king of Naples, Ferdinando II, was not happy with this method and hired a famous engineer (Cesare Spadaccini) to improve the procedure.

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Fresh eggs.. the finest durum wheat flour.. olive oil.. and the water[/CENTER]

The new system consisted of adding boiling water to freshly ground flour and kneading by foot was replaced by a machine made of bronze and the mechanical press made it possible to produce pasta at a much lower price. Pasta then became the food of the people.

Several pasta makers from Amalfi opened a true industry of pasta at Torre Anunziata. Machines brought with them market development, competition and exportation.

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Amalfi[/CENTER]

The wheat most beloved by the best pasta makers was the 'Taganrog' variety, the unsurpassed durum wheat imported from Russia. The port of Taganrog, in Crimea, shipped off the wheat the Neapolitan pasta makers preferred.

:) :)

....and water. I like to use room temperature water, but whatever works for the cook is good.

Thank you Aliena. :)

Thats OK greatscott.. would Gin work? :)

Pasta was an expensive food to produce due to the high costs of importing the proper wheat.. the intensive labour required for making pasta and the precise weather requirements necessary for drying and preserving pasta.
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The Amalfi coast became the center for pasta production. This location along the coast was ideal for importing the durum wheat that is essential to pasta making. The warm breezes that gently blow inland from the sea were perfect for drying fresh pasta. Artesian shops popped up all over the area, primarily in Naples, Palermo and Genoa.
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One could walk along the streets and see festoons of spaghetti and vermicelli drying on canes stretched out across chairs or hung along balcony railings, or any other available drying space. The pasta was dried to perfection by the alternating mild sea breezes and the hot winds blowing from Mount Vesuvius..
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:) :)

Wow, sitting here at my desk yearning for some decent spaghetti carbonara now!!!

Thanks for the luvvly recipes and the insights into pasta making... :)

Can't wait to get home... ;)

Dinner tonight: Linguine with seafood salad, rocket, lemon juice and pine nuts. :)

I would have popped over for some (my favourite) but don't live near you anymore! Phew! ;)

[CENTER]Tinks would have charged you eighty quid for a plate anyway Trulli..

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Come to Alienas house and eat the real thing.. for the modest payment of a bit of help with the washing up.. :D[/CENTER]

:) :)

at her gaff, you need to do the washing up before dinner, as well as after ;)

do you like to like the aroma of cat wee, Trulli? :)

Only if I can do the washing up in the sea, all expenses paid! :D

Tinks..

Don't worry.. I wont tell Trulli that the smell of cat wee is 'cus you sprayed your scent.. and if she doesn't come until next week.. I have plenty of time to clean up the mess you made. :p

:) :)

Madam, you're lowering the tone. You will upset everybody again. This is a serious place, only for lovers of Italy :)

Now, can we get back to the serious business of pasta making. What do we think of flavoured pasta? I had only the other day that was like think spag, and 1% chilli. I was great. :)

Do they make cat shaped pasta?

[URL="http://www.foodsubs.com/PastaShapes.html"]http://www.foodsubs.com/PastaShapes.html[/URL]

Nope couldn't see any! Thank god for that put me right off! ;)

[quote=Wishful Thinker]Madam, you're lowering the tone. You will upset everybody again. This is a serious place, only for lovers of Italy :)

Now, can we get back to the serious business of pasta making. What do we think of flavoured pasta? I had only the other day that was like think spag, and 1% chilli. [B]I was great.[/B] :)[/quote]

Umm, self appriciation society, says it all really. ;)

just cooked for my veggie daughter something she found as a takeaway snack in Sainsburys and was paying far too much for -farfalle tossed in spinach with a tablespoon of pine nuts all shaken and stirred with two teaspoons of pesto - yummy (and quick):)

[QUOTE=Wishful Thinker]Madam, you're lowering the tone. You will upset everybody again.[/QUOTE]
I wont lower the tone any further.. perche' io ho mangiato abbastanza qui e questa filo non e' il pane della mia vita.

Buon appetito.

If you've had enough pasta, maybe we should move on to pudding?

I assume that sfogliatelle is strictly for mid meals with coffee? What should we have after a nice plate of pasta?

The wretched chickens are producing more eggs than I can eat...which pudding can we make with eggs?

I shall retire alla cucina adesso...I shall see if I can whip up some humble pie.;)

Can you sing us a song of old Napoli why we're waiting? The public must be entertained. :)

Where did your eggy pudding go then, it was on here once. :)

My request for recipes is still there. But there are no suggestions. Maybe we will have to stick to bread and butter pudding and custard. That should please stodge ;)

[QUOTE=Wishful Thinker] What do we think of flavoured pasta? I had only the other day that was like think spag, and 1% chilli. I was great. :)[/QUOTE]

There are several things that you can add to fresh pasta to give it flavors. Many people use vegetable powders or herbs such as: spinach, beet, basil, carrot, tomato, mushroom, fennel, chili and/or cumin.

I find that fresh vegetables (instead of the powders) softened, with the liquids drained and dried as well as possible (taking in mind to reduce some of the liquid from the original pasta recipe) can make some of the best tasting and prettiest pasta dishes. Squid ink is even used to make black pasta.

All that's needed with fresh flavored pasta is some carmelized onion and/or garlic, a bit of butter, a little sea salt, grated pepper, (maybe a hint of nutmeg or hot pepper flakes, depending on the vegetables used) and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

It's a bit of work but can be fun with a group of friends making different flavored pastas and helping to cook at a dinner party.