enid (02/22/83)
For those of us who are interested in home-made pasta I went looking for some recipes in our copy of the "Joy of Cooking". My parents have a pasta cutter (looks somewhat like a meat grinder) which also has a Ravioli form, and it came with some recipes. I think it only had one dough recipe but my father and I used-to experiment with various flours, with partial success. In "The Joy--" it says that pasta is made with hard flour and so is difficult to make at home with much success. I'm interested now in trying out ways of adding protein to my noodles and was thinking of using Soy Powder but I don't have any proportions yet. Anyone got any recipes using Soy Powder in pasta doughs? Anyway, the two recipes I found follow: Pasta Doughs Manicotti Dough (From "The Joys of cooking", pp. 177, 149-150) Make a well and mix together: 2 C. Flour 3/4 t. Salt 2 Eggs 2 to 4 Tblsps. Water Knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth. Rest the dough covered under a cloth about 10 minutes. Divide the dough in half and roll each part paper thin. Cut into 4x6" squares. Have ready in a large pan: 8 Quarts boiling Water Cook 5 squares at a time by dropping them into the boiling Water, reducing the heat at once and simmering about 5 minutes. Remove with a skimmer, and when drained place between towels until all the dough is cooked and ready to fill. Fettuccini "White or Green Noodle Dough or Fettuccini" [About 1/2 Lb. dry or 4 Cups Cooked Noodles] The authors write: "If you are a beginner, do not try to make noodles in damp weather." I. On a large pastry board or marble table top make a well of: 2/3 C. of all-purpose Flour Drop into it: 1 Egg, barely combined with: 1 T. Water (1/2) t. Salt 1 t. Oil Work the mixture with your hands, folding the flour over the egg untill the dough can be rolled in a ball and comes clean from the hands. If you want to make Green Noodles, at this point, add: (2 to 4 T. very well pressed and dried, finely chopped cooked spinach) Knead the dough as for bread, about 10 minutes. Then let it stand, covered, for about an hour. Now roll the dough, pulling it as you wrap it around the rolling pin, stretching it a little more each time. Continue to sprinklit with Flour between each rolling and stretching to keep the doughh from sticking to the pin or board or developing holes. Repeat this proceedure about 10 times or until the dough is paper-thin and translucent. Let it dry for about 30 minutes. You can hang it as the Neopolitans do- like laundry on a line- over a piece of foil or plastic. Before it is brittle, roll it up like a scroll and cut it on the bias into strips of any width you prefer: 1/8 inch for soup or 1 inch for Lasagna. Allow about 3 T. uncooked Noodles for each quart of Soup. Cook the Noodles in rapidly boiling Salted Water for about 10 minutes. Drain and quickly add them to the soup. If stored for future use, keep them dry and uncooked, in a closed jar. II. If making these for Won Ton or Ravioli, do not allow dough to dry before cutting. Cut into 3" squares, fill and use at once. **************************************************************** I would tend to leave most of the Salt out, simply because I don't need the Sodium in my diet and Salty things taste yukky. I never Salt my pasta Water, it'll boil fine without it. When I have Olive Oil on hand, I use 1 or 2 T. in the Water to help keep my pasta from sticking and it also smells great while stuff is boiling with it. Fearn Soya Foods has an address for sending away for their recipe folder, just send them a SASE at: Fearn Soya Foods Melrose Park Illinois 60160 I haven't sent for mine yet but I thought I'd pass it along anyway. -enid@mit-ccc PS I'm going to ask my father if he can dig out that sheet from the pasta maker and send me a copy of it. Sometime.