my not so everyday cooking

Being of an Italian heritage, it’s no surprise that I grew up with pasta. It’s such a basic staple that can be whipped up in the same day with just a few basic ingredients. Of course, nothing can be more simple, homely and comforting than a bowl of pasta. It’s so easy to cook and prepare as well.Within ten minutes, a bowl of fettucine drizzled with some cold pressed olive oil, some minced garlic stirred through it and dusted with some fresh grated parmesan could be in front of you, a peasants meal that is fit for royalty.

When it comes to satisfaction, nothing beats home made fresh pasta.

The Therapuatic act of making it is only enhanced by the sensous silky texture of the pasta sliding past your lips.

So, let us start with the basics.There are only four base recipes for pasta. Actually, there is only one, but for the sake of argument, let us assume four:

“Basic” Pasta
100grams Sifted Flour
1 Lightly beaten egg

“Egg” Pasta:
100grams Sifted Flour
1 Lightly beaten egg
1 egg yolk

“Restuarant” Pasta
100grams Sifted Flour
1 Lightly beaten egg
1 teaspoon oil
1 pinch salt

“ButterMilk” Pasta
100grams Sifted Flour
60ml Buttermilk
1 egg yolk

The deviations utilised for any particular pasta are always based on one of these recipes.

Flours

You may have noticed that there are different flours on the market. While there is no “wrong” flour to use in making pasta, some may be better suited to your goals. These goals may include ease of working the dough, flavour and final textures.

All Purpose Flour – is usually made from a blend of wheats. It’s usually a mix of lower protein and mixed gluten flours. All purpose flour is just that and can generally be used in all recipes, including making pasta. However, I tend to favour a few others.

Bakers Flour – contains a higher gluten content (more protein) in and of itself, but is usually mixed with a small amount of malted barley flour, Thiamine (Vitamin B1) and/or potassium bromate to increase the elasticity of the gluten, creating a dough with which can very easily be worked. This is a favourite base for my breads as well.

Whole Grain Wheat Flour – Thicker, grittier flours that contain a fair bit of extra fibre and roughage. Many shied away from these flours in the past because of the often small and varied amounts of white flour added to the base mix, but most are tried and true these days and and can be used successfully without adding any additional ‘white’ flour for the gluten.

Durham/Semolina Flour – A Favourite. Some italians won’t speak to you if you even think of using something else! This is due to its high gluten and protein amounts which can help you work and stretch that dough.

There are other types of flours, but to date, I haven’t played with them in making pasta. Maybe in the future I will, and when I do, I’m sure I’ll write about them.

I tend to make a “mixed blend” of 40% Semolina, 40% Bakers and 20% Whole Grain to make my pasta. Why? I like the gluten content of the semolina, but find the pasta is a little too hard for my tastes. However, Bakers flour tends to make a pasta which is too soft. Mixing the two together and adding a little fiber via the Whole Grain, creates a pasta which has the perfect density and texture.

In part 2 I’ll talk about kneading techniques, manual cutting and using a pasta machine.