Pasta and Eggs

The two don't go together....or do they?
Funny how people may love one and hate the other....however, eggs are a critical ingredient when making fresh pasta. I have grown to love pasta over the years. Yes, you may think...is he crazy? Maybe...but let me tell ya, I grew up with nasty pasta and nasty pasta sauce.

First, let me speak of eggs. Eggs are so important in cuisine. And that's an understatement. Many people do not realize the importance of the edible, incredible egg until they cook and cook and cook. It's in almost every pastry item as well as many crucial culinary creations. Eggs may be high in cholesterol, but it's worth it. Plus, hey, if cholesterol has got you down, an egg white is all protein...no fat. :o)

The egg yolk does contain all the fat and cholesterol, however we need that fat as a tenderizer when we're making a nice cookie or pie dough. We need that egg yolk to produce stability and color. So, in all fairness we cannot knock the yolk. The white is also crucial. Egg whites whip beautifully to create height, create light fluffy textures and even as binders to hold everything together.

So, since eggs have been properly introduced, let me tell you what the students have done this past week. In preparation for their final, the students have practiced making many egg dishes. omelets, French Omelets, eggs over easy, eggs over hard, Simmered eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, and also sunny side up.

They did a fantastic job flipping their eggs in the pan.

Then on to PASTA.
In class, I discussed the differences between fresh pasta and commerically made pasta. I also explained the different varieties and different uses of each as well as which sauce will be suitable for certain pastas. I know, I know....not all pastas go with red sauce.

Fresh pasta tastes awesome. If you've never had it, try it! It's amazingly simple if you have the right tools and equipment. Here's a tried and true recipe for fresh pasta:

1/4 cup Semolina flour
1 cup Bread flour
1 ea Eggs, whole
1 tbsp Olive oil
1 tbsp Water
TT Kosher salt

Pasta Method
Make a well with ¾ of the flour. Reserve the last ¼ for kneading and dusting.
Add liquid(s) and salt to the center of the well.
Using a fork, breakdown the eggs and begin to fold in flour from the inner rim of the well.
Continue blending with the fork, rapidly, until the liquid becomes semi-solid and can be lifted off the table with the fork.
Working with your hands, incorporate flour while kneading the dough until it loses its tacky quality and begins to show elasticity.
Divide the dough into the same number of even pieces as the number of cups of flour used (approximately, for example: 2 cups of flour → 2 pieces of dough). Cover one piece with plastic to prevent from drying out.
Flatten the working piece and roll through the machine on ‘1’. Lightly flour the dough and fold in half lengthwise and roll through on ‘1’. You are now finishing the kneading process. Repeat these steps, adding small amounts of flour, until the dough can be held taught between your hands without going slack. Roll through once on each successively smaller setting until you reach the desired thickness. The pasta is now ready to be cut and dried or filled. Buon apetito.