Pasta

Chocolate Pasta and Sauce

Chocolate Pasta:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - plus more if needed
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - preferably Dutch-processed
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Pinch salt
3 large eggs - beaten
1 tablespoon chocolate syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Hazelnut Cream Sauce:
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread - such as Nutella
1 pinch salt
2 pints raspberries - for garnish
Creme fraiche - for garnish
White chocolate shavings - for garnish
Chopped skinless, toasted hazelnuts - for garnish
For the pasta: Sift together the flour, cocoa and sugar. Add a pinch salt and mound the flour mixture in a large bowl or on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center, making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides. Break the eggs into the well. Add the chocolate syrup and vanilla. Gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape. Once it gets thick, you can use a spatula to incorporate the rest of the flour.
If the dough is too dry, add a little water. If the dough is too wet or sticky, add a little flour. Once the dough comes together, knead the dough on a clean work surface until it becomes smooth, about 8 minutes. Shape into a disc, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge, 20 to 30 minutes.
Divide your rested dough into quarters and work with one piece at a time, covering your other pieces to keep them moist. Flour each piece lightly, shape it into a rectangular shape and put it through a pasta sheeter attachment, starting at the widest setting. Run the dough once through the largest setting, fold it into thirds and run it through one more time. Then run the pasta through the sheeting attachment once on every number, stopping at 5 or 6, depending on how thick you would like it. Lightly flour the rolled out pasta sheet and fold in half. Take your chef knife and cut ribbons about a 1/2-inch thick, then unravel the pasta ribbons and place on a floured baking sheet to keep from sticking.
For the sauce: Bring the heavy cream to a simmer in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and stir in the chocolate-hazelnut spread. Add a pinch salt and continue whisking until the sauce is creamy. Remove from the heat and reserve.
Cook the chocolate pasta in a large pot of boiling water, 3 minutes. Immediately remove the pasta from the water and toss gently with the sauce and a little of the pasta cooking water to help with the consistency.
Mound the pasta and sauce on dessert plates and garnish with the fresh berries, a dollop of creme fraiche, white chocolate shavings and skinless toasted chopped hazelnuts, to garnish.

Egg Noodles

On a large pastry board, marble table top or large flat dish:
Make a well in
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Drop into it:
2 eggs (room temp.)
barely combined with:
2 T. water
1 t. salt
2 t. oil
Work the mixture with your hands, folding the flour over the egg until the dough can be rolled into a ball and comes clean from the hands.
Knead the dough as for bread, about 10 minutes.
Then let it stand, covered, about 1 hour.
Now roll the dough, stretching it a little more with each roll. Between each rolling and stretching, continue to sprinkle it with flour to keep the dough from sticking to the pin or board or developing holes.
Repeat this procedure until the dough is the desired thickness. (I prefer mine a little thick.)
Let it dry about 30 minutes. (You can hang it as the Neapolitans do, like laundry, with a piece of plastic underneath.)
Before it becomes brittle, roll it into a scroll and cut it into strips of any width you prefer: 1/8 inch for soup or 2 inches for lasagna. Allow about 3 T. uncooked noodles for each quart of soup.
At this point you can either cook them right away or let them dry.
Cook the noodles in rapidly boiling chicken broth which has the meat from one chicken added to it. When I boil the chicken I add celery, carrots, onion, parsley and season to taste.
(Makes 8 cups cooked noodles)

Carrot Pasta

1 1/4-1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
1 medium Carrot peeled, cooked and pureed
1 Egg
1 tsp Water
1. In a mixer add carrots, egg and water and puree it to a smooth paste.
2. In a mixing surface place the flour and make a well in between and add the carrot paste with egg and water, with a fork combine the flour little by little and when it’s gets bit difficult to mix with the flour, clean the fork and knead the dough with hand for about 6 mins until the dough gets soft and smooth and should not stick to your fingers.
3. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and keep it aside for about 30 mins.
4. Now remove the dough from the plastic wrap, spread a little flour on the surface, roll out the dough to any a circle or square about 1/4 inch thick. The little specks of carrot look pretty in the dough.
5. Take a pizza cutter or any design cutter to cut into long strips or the size of pasta you desire for the recipe you want to prepare.
6. Now separate the pasta strips. Note: Dust with a little bit of flour to coat each pasta strip.
7. Boil a big pot of water, when it starts to boil, add enough salt and add the pasta stir it once, and allow it to cook for about 7-10 mins in medium high flame, once the pasta is cooked, take a piece of the pasta and bite into it....it should be Al Dente.
8. Strain the pasta in a colander and serve with your favorite sauce. Print this post