Asta La Pasta, Baby v3.2
Fresh Hand-Made Pasta Dough
Homemade Fettuccine with Alfredo
Garlicky Herb Shrimp Ravioli
Dirty Martini Shrimp Cocktail Sauce
Strawberry Sorbet
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.
Four cheese Alfredo
yeild: 2
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup parmesan
½ cup mozzarella
¼ cup swiss
¼ cup pepper jack
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 ravioli
yeild: 2
1/2 cup shrimp ( 4 oz chopped fine)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tablespoons mixed herbs (parsley, chives, basil)
¼ cup ricotta
¼ cup parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste
In a small bowl combine both cheese,herbs, garlic and shrimp. Mix and season with salt and pepper. Take sheet of pasta and visually divide in ½, on the bottom of the half place about tablespoon of filling spaced out about 1 inch. Dip your finger in bowl with water and wet the bottom edge of the pasta sheet and the space in-between each dollop of filling. Then fold the top ½ of the sheet over to meet the bottom. Try to push any air out as you seal the raviolis. Cut between each with a pasta cutter and place them on parchment.
Cook in boiling water until floating then an additional 3-5 minutes to ensure shrimp is cooked. strain and place in pan with dirty martini sauce
DIRTY MARTINI SHRIMP COCKTAIL
FOR THE SHRIMP
1/2-pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on)
FOR THE DIRTY MARTINI COCKTAIL SAUCE
¼ cup ketchup
12 oz crushed tomatoes
1 Tablespoon grated ginger (adjust to taste)
2 Tablespoons olive brine (from a jar of green olives)
¼ cup chopped olives
2 Tablespoon gin
2 Tablespoon dry vermouth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon hot sauce (optional, to taste)
lemon wedges and green olives, for serving
DIRECTIONS
In large sauté pan add 3 Tablespoons veg oil and heat to shimmering. Add shrimp and salt and pepper, cook until done about 3-4 minutes. Remove shrimp and wrap in foil.
MAKE THE DIRTY MARTINI COCKTAIL SAUCE
Deglaze the pan with the gin and vermouth.
Once reduced a bit add ginger and olives with brine. Then add the tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce if using. Let cook for few minutes and the sauce is ready for the pasta. Plate the pasta and top with the cooked shrimp. Can squeeze the lemon on top.
Strawberry Sorbet
- 1 whole lemon, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 pounds strawberries, hulled
- Juice of 1 to 2 lemons
PREPARATION
- Place the chopped lemon and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until combined. Transfer to a bowl.
- Purée the strawberries in a food processor, and add to the lemon mixture, along with the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more juice as desired. The lemon flavor should be intense but should not overpower the strawberries. Pour the mixture into an ice cream machine and churn until frozen.
