Asta La Pasta

Fresh Hand-Made Pasta Dough

Homemade Fettuccine with Four Cheese Alfredo

Garlicky Herb Shrimp Tortellini

Strawberry Salad with Basil and Avocado

Butterscotch Flourless Cake

Fresh Pasta Dough

yeild: 2 servings

1 ¼ cups (6.25oz) all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon sea salt

  Making fresh pasta dough is fun and very easy. Traditionally, the dough is mixed directly on a board or counter but it is acceptable to begin the dough in a bowl to limit the cleanup. Laminate counter tops are fine for kneading dough but natural or engineered stone is best as it is non-porous and maintains constant temperature, especially important when working with yeast doughs.

  In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the salt and flour. Using your fingers, create a well in the center of the mound, being sure that the well’s walls are equally thick and high. In a separate container, combine eggs and olive oil. Scramble eggs with a fork to incorporate oil.

  Add 1/3 of egg/oil mixture to center of well. Using a swirling motion, pull flour from inner walls of well into eggs and mix until it forms a thick paste. If working on a countertop, be careful not to break through the walls of the well as egg will run out over the work surface. When center is no longer runny, add half of remaining egg mixture and stir to paste. Add remaining liquid and repeat. Continue to mix until fork is no longer effective and then turn dough out onto work surface.

  Knead dough by flattening, folding it in half and pressing hard with the palm of your hand. Rotate 90’ and repeat over and over until dough is a consistent color (no patches of flour or egg mixture) and begins to feel springy. Pasta dough should be visibly bumpy but soft and smooth to the touch. To test, press a finger into dough. The depression made by your finger should spring back almost entirely. Flatten dough into a disk 1 ½ inches thick, wrap with saran and place in cooler to rest for 20-30 minutes or until finger divot does not bounce back. This means that the gluten that was excited in the kneading process has relaxed and the dough is ready to be rolled and cut.

 Strawberry salad with basil and avocado

  Yield: 2

1 cup sliced strawberries

½ cup halved mini mozzarella balls

1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced

¼ cup candied pecans, toasted

¼ cup loosely packed basil, torn

1 head romaine chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Balsamic glaze for drizzling

Olive oil for drizzling

Place the strawberries, mozzarella, avocado, pecans basil and romaine in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Gently toss. Drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Four cheese Alfaro

  yeild: 2

1 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ cup parmesan

½ cup mozzarella

¼ cup swiss

¼ cup brie

Salt and pepper to taste

In a sauce pan add butter and garlic and cook until you smell garlic. Then add heavy cream and all cheeses. Mix until fully melted and combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Garlicly shrimp herb tortellini

  yeild: 2

1 pasta recipe

1 cup shrimp ( 8 oz chopped fine)

2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup mixed herbs (parsley, chives, basil)

½ cup ricotta

¼ cup parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup butter

In a small bowl combine both cheese, garlic and shrimp. Mix and season with salt and pepper. Cut circles out of sheet of pasta, place filling in center of pasta circles and fold in half, bring the two edges together and crimp together. repeat until mixture or pasta runs out.

Cook in boiling water until floating then an additional 3-5 minutes to ensure shrimp is cooked. strain and place in bowl with butter, toss with herbs and serve.

 Flourless butterscotch Cake

  Yield: 8

6 large eggs, separated

8 ounces butter scotch

1/2 cup oil or butter

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso powder or coffee liquor

1 cup sugar, divided

Confectioners’ sugar

Optional: Vanilla ice cream, mixed fresh berries and whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat bottom of a 9-in. spring form pan with cooking spray. Top with a sheet of parchment paper; secure spring form ring on top and lock in place. Place egg whites in a clean bowl; let stand while melting butterscotch.

In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl over simmering water, stir butterscotch and oil until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and espresso powder. Set aside.

Beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add 1/2 cup sugar while beating; beat until stiff peaks. Beat remaining 1/2 cup sugar into butterscotch mixture. Add yolks, one at a time, until combined. Add 1/4 of the egg whites to the butterscotch; mix until fully combined. Add remaining egg whites; gently fold to combine. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake until puffed and set, 25-30 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. Dust with confectioners’ sugar; serve with toppings as desired