* PASTA

Steps:

• Making fresh pasta is an art and skill worth learning. I used to love to watch my grandmother making pasta. My sister and I knew it was time to make pasta when she began spreading clean white sheets over all the flat surfaces in her dining room. Then she would pour a mound of flour onto her old wooden kitchen table. With her fingers, she would make what she called la fontana, the fountain or well, a depression in the center of the flour that made it look like a volcano. Into the well would go fresh eggs and just a few drops of olive oil. Then she would begin, slowly at first, to mix the eggs with her hands, incorporating the flour a little at a time. Soon she would have a messy mass of dough that I always doubted could be saved. But grandma never disappointed us. Kneading slowly and deliberately, she would turn the mass into a moist, golden dough. With her extra-long rolling pin that my grandfather had made from a sturdy broom handle, she would swiftly roll out the dough into sheer eggy sheets. Sometimes she cut them into ribbons for fettuccine, but more often she made ravioli. She would dab the dough with bits of cheese or meat filling, then cover the filling with a second layer of dough. An inverted juice glass was all she needed to punch the round ravioli out of the dough. Finally the ravioli, or other pasta, would be laid out on the clean sheets in the dining room. No one, or I should say no child, was allowed to enter the room where the pasta was resting. Instead, she gave us scraps of dough to play with, and we fashioned our own creative pasta shapes. Though we are inclined to assume that fresh anything is better than a dried product, that is not the case with pasta. Dried pasta is as good as fresh, but different. At one time dried pasta was eaten mostly in southern Italy, where it was preserved by drying in the hot sun. Today it is eaten all over the country. Italians have some informal rules about combining pastas and sauces. Some dishes are traditionally made with fresh pasta, while others are typically made with dried, and I have suggested the variety accordingly. While some pasta and sauce pairings are better than others, few dishes will suffer from substitutions. Use your own good judgment about substituting dried pasta for fresh, or vice versa, just as Italian cooks do today. Lasagne, for example, is often made with dried pasta in southern Italy, and if you prefer, don't hestitate to make it that way. In Italy, pasta is typically served in small portions as a first course, followed by an equally small meat, fish, or vegetable main course. Depending on several variables-the ingredients used for the pasta, the rest of your menu, whether you are serving the pasta as a first or main course, and, of course, the appetites of those who will be eating-one pound of pasta makes between 4 large and 8 small servings. I usually calculate between 4 and 6 servings per pound, because everyone loves pasta, and I would rather have a little left over (which rarely happens) than run short. DRIED PASTA WITH VEGETABLES Linguine with Garlic, Oil, and Hot Pepper Spaghetti with Garlic and Olives Linguine with Pesto Thin Spaghetti with Walnuts Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomatoes Spaghetti with Peppers, Pecorino, and Basil Penne with Zucchini, Basil, and Eggs Pasta with Peas and Eggs Linguine with Green Beans, Tomatoes, and Basil Little Ears with Potato Cream and Arugula Pasta and Potatoes Shells with Cauliflower and Cheese Pasta with Cauliflower, Saffron, and Currants Bow Ties with Artichokes and Peas Fettuccine with Artichokes and Porcini Rigatoni with Eggplant Ragù Sicilian Spaghetti with Eggplant Bow Ties with Broccoli, Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, and Raisins Cavatelli with Garlicky Greens and Potatoes Linguine with Zucchini Penne with Grilled Vegetables Penne with Mushrooms, Garlic, and Rosemary Linguine with Beets and Garlic Bow Ties with Beets and Greens Pasta with Salad Fusilli with Roasted Tomatoes Elbows with Potatoes, Tomatoes, and Arugula Roman Country-Style Linguine Penne with Spring Vegetables and Garlic Dragged Pasta with Cream and MushroomsDRIED PASTA WITH TOMATOES Roman Tomato and Mozzarella Pasta Fusilli with Tuna and Tomatoes Linguine with Sicilian Pesto Spaghetti with "Crazy" Pesto Bow Ties with Uncooked Puttanesca Sauce Pasta with Raw Vegetables Hurry Up Spaghetti Angry Penne Pigatoni with Ricotta and Tomato Sauce Bow Ties with Cherry Tomatoes and Bread Crumbs Stuffed ShellsDRIED PASTA WITH CHEESE AND EGGS Spaghetti with Pecorino and Pepper Linguine with Lemon and Herbs Ziti with Spinach and Ricotta Rigatoni with Four Cheeses Linguine with Creamy Nut Sauce Bow Ties with Amaretti Spaghetti with Fried Eggs, Salerno Style Tagliarini SouffléDRIED PASTA WITH MEAT Spaghetti Charcoal Burner's Style Bucatini with Tomatoes, Pancetta, and Hot Pepper Penne with Pancetta, Pecorino, and Black Pepper Penne with Pork and Cauliflower Spaghetti with Vodka Sauce Bow Ties with Asparagus, Cream, and Prosciutto Dragged Penne with Meat Sauce Spaghetti Caruso Style Penne with Beans and Pancetta Pasta with Chickpeas Pigatoni Rigoletto Anna's Fried Spaghetti Eggplant Pasta Timbale Baked Ziti Sophia Loren's Baked PastaDRIED PASTA WITH SEAFOOD Linguine with Clam Sauce Tuscan Spaghetti with Clams Linguine with Anchovies and Spicy Tomato Sauce Linguine with Crab and Little Tomato Sauce Linguine with Mixed Seafood Sauce Thin Spaghetti with Bottarga Venetian Whole-Wheat Spaghetti in Anchovy Sauce Capri-Style Spaghetti Linguine with Shrimp, Venetian Style Pasta with Sardines and Fennel Penne with Zucchini, Swordfish, and Herbs Christmas Eve Spaghetti with Baccala Linguine with Tuna Pesto Cold Pasta with Vegetable Confetti and SeafoodFRESH PASTAIn the United States, we make pasta dishes with whatever pasta-fresh or dried-is available or preferred. In Italy, distinctions are made as to which dishes can be made with dried and which with fresh pasta. Homemade fresh pasta can be a supreme pleasure. The directions for Fresh Egg Pasta will help you master it for yourself. You can also prepare most of the recipes in this section with store-bought fresh pasta. Look for a store that sells good-quality fresh pasta sheets that you can cut to the size you prefer and stuff and shape yourself. FRESH PASTA Fresh Egg Pasta Fettuccine with Butter and Parmigiano Fettuccine with Butter and Cheese Triple-Butter Fettuccine Fettuccine with Spring Vegetables Fettuccine with Gorgonzola Cream Tagliarini with Pesto, Genoa Style Fettuccine with Artichokes Fettuccine with Tomato Fillets Fettuccine with Thousand Herbs Fettuccine with Sausage and Cream Green and White Pasta with Sausage and Cream Fettuccine with Leeks and Fontina Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Prosciutto Summer Tagliatelle Fettuccine with Mushroom and Anchovy Sauce Fettuccine with Scallops Tarliarini with Shrimp and Caviar Crisp Pasta with Chickpeas, Puglia Style Tarliarini with Abruzzese Chocolate RagùLASAGNE Bologna-Style Lasagne Neapolitan Lasagne Spinach and Mushroom Lasagne Green Lasagne Green Lasagne with Ricotta, Basil, and Tomato Sauce Eggplant LasagneSTUFFED FRESH PASTA Ricotta and Ham Cannelloni Veal and Spinach Cannelloni Green and White Cannelloni Cannelloni with Tarragon and Pecorino Cheese Ravioli with Fresh Tomato Sauce Parma-Style Spinach and Cheese Ravioli White Squash Ravioli with Butter and Almonds Meat Ravioli in Tomato Sauce Tuscan Sausage Ravioli Spiced Ravioli, Marches Style Mushroom Ravioli in Butter and Sage Sauce Giant Ravioli with Truffle Butter Beet Ravioli with Poppy Seeds Meat-Filled Pasta Rings in Cream Sauce Potato Tortelli with Sausage RagùFRESH GNOCCHI Potato Gnocchi Potato Gnocchi with Lamb Ragù Gratinéed Potato Gnocchi Sorrento-Style Potato Gnocchi Winter Squash Gnocchi Spinach and Potato Gnocchi Seafood Gnocchi with Tomato and Olive Sauce Semolina Gnocchi Abruzzese Bread DumplingsOTHER FRESH PASTA DISHES Ricotta-Filled Crepes Abruzzese Crepe and Mushroom Timbale Tuscan Handmade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce Pici with Garlic and Bread Crumbs Semolina Pasta Dough Cavatelli with Ragù Cavatelli with Calamari and Saffron Cavatelli with Arugula and Tomato Orecchiette with Pork Ragù Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Orecchiette with Cauliflower and Tomatoes Orecchiette with Sausage and Cabbage Orecchiette with SwordfishFrom "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.