The Essential James Beard Cookbook (44 page)

Dust the board with flour. Turn the dough facedown and flour its top side. Rub some flour onto the rolling pin.

If the business of stretching and pulling and sliding your hands in and out seems too much for you to master, you can roll out the dough as you might a very thin piecrust. It takes a lot of work, because you’ll be fighting the gluten’s elasticity, but it can definitely be done.

To roll the dough by machine: There are two kinds of wringer-style pasta machines—one that is turned by hand, and one that is operated by motor. Each has its advantages and its fans.

The hand-cranked model is considerably cheaper than the motorized machine. And it is my opinion that many people are intimidated by the speed with which the motor-driven machine processes the dough. They like the feeling of being in control that they get from turning the handle themselves.

Other people prefer the speed and efficiency of the motorized machine. They feel that there are never enough hands around to do everything that has to be done with a hand-cranked machine.

All of the machines work on the same principle. The dough is fed through a set of cylindrical rollers, which knead it, flatten it, and, when the rollers have been changed, cut it into noodles.

After the ball of dough has rested, cut it into four pieces. Put three of them back under the dish towel, and flatten the fourth with a rolling pin or with your palm. Set the machine so that the rollers are at the widest opening.

If you are using the electric model, turn on the machine (it will make an infernal racket); otherwise start cranking. Feed the flattened ball of dough through the rollers four or five times, folding it in half each time before it goes back through the rollers. This will further knead and smooth the dough.

It may come out with ragged edges or with holes torn in it. This often happened when the dough hasn’t been kneaded enough. Don’t worry. Patch the holes with bits torn from the end, and feed the dough back through the rollers. If the edges are ragged, fold the ribbon in half lengthwise. If the dough comes out in a distorted shape, just fold it up into a flat square and roll it through again. You’ll know when it’s rolled enough, because the dough will become smooth and satiny. The nice thing about pasta dough is that it isn’t one of those delicate mixtures that shouldn’t be overhandled. Go ahead and work it. It thrives on the human touch.

Now begin to narrow the opening between the rollers by turning the dial one mark each time the dough goes through. Keep going until you reach the thickness you want. Then make a note of the number on the dial, and you’ll have something to aim for the next time you roll out pasta.

Lay the ribbon of pasta on a dish towel or a table lined with a clean tablecloth while you roll out the other three pieces of dough.

Let the dough rest again before cutting: Once the dough has been rolled out, it should lie on kitchen towels for around 5 minutes to give it a chance to dry. Machine-rolled dough dries faster than hand-rolled, so the first ribbons will probably be ready to cut by the time the last ones are rolled. Don’t let it get too dry, however. The dough should be pliable, neither brittle nor moist and sticky. If it just doesn’t dry, dust it with some more flour and no harm will be done.

To cut the pasta by hand: There are two ways to cut simple noodles by hand. The easier is to fold the dough and cut it into slices with a sharp knife. It’s very important that the dough be well dried if you use this method, or it will stick to itself when it is folded.

Take one edge of the dough and fold it over loosely into a flat roll around 3 inches wide. Continue to fold until the whole strip or circle of dough is folded. Then take a sharp knife or cleaver and cut ¼- to ½-inch slices from the rolled dough. Don’t saw. Press down evenly, trying to make the slices even in width. As soon as the whole roll has been cut, open up the noodles so they can dry further.

You can also cut noodles with a rolling pastry cutter. I have one that George Lang gave me that cuts four noodles at a time. Most pastry wheels are single, however, and the problem with using them is that you have to have a very steady hand and a good eye to make the noodles come out even in width. [
Editor: Born in Hungary and based in New York, Lang was one of the most influential food consultants and restaurateurs in the late twentieth century. The cutter Beard refers is generally used professionally to save time cutting out strips of croissant dough.
]

To cut the dough by machine: You can use the pasta machine to cut both the hand-rolled and the machine-rolled dough. If you have a circle of hand-rolled dough, just cut the circle into 4½-inch strips that will fit through the machine.

If you are using the electric model, remove the smooth rollers from the machine and fit one of the cutting attachments into place. For the hand-cranked model, insert the handle into one of the cutting slots. Turn on the motor or begin to turn the handle, and feed the ribbons into the right side of the machine. They will come out on the left side in nicely cut strands. If the machine doesn’t cut them all the way through, your dough is probably too sticky, and you should set it aside to dry out a little longer.

To dry the dough: At this point you can simply drop the freshly cut noodles into boiling water. But it is probably more convenient to get the work of making pasta out of the way a little while before mealtime. And many Italians, I ought to mention, feel that drying is an essential step in the making of pasta; that omitting it changes the quality of the noodles. I can’t say that I agree, but it is certainly more convenient to make your noodles early in the day and dry them out.

Take up strands of pasta and loop them loosely around your fingers, forming nests. Let them dry on a cloth towel or on a cookie rack. Or else dry the pasta on a rack. You can use anything—a broomstick, the back of a chair, a clothesline. I’ve been in Italian kitchens where the fettuccine hung like a curtain from a clothesline—strung across the corner of the kitchen. You might want to use one of those two- or three-tiered clothes racks that were designed to stand in the bathtub. I happen to have a marvelous pasta rack that was made for me by a friend. Unfortunately, it isn’t available commercially. It’s an upright pole with a disk on the top. Three wooden rods fit into holes on the disk. I drape the pasta over the rods. Then, when I want to cook it, I simply pull off one of the rods, carry it to the stove, and push the pasta into the boiling water.

Editor: You can now purchase pasta-drying racks similar to the one Beard describes online and at kitchenware stores.

Once the pasta is really dry, you can put it in a tin and store it in the pantry, just as though it were commercial spaghetti. Be careful when you handle it: it will be very brittle. Or you can put the rolled-up nests into plastic bags and stick them in the freezer. But, once you’ve gone to all the trouble of making it, you will probably just want to cook it.

To cook the pasta: The point to remember about homemade pasta is that it cooks in no time at all. Dried homemade pasta takes a little longer than the truly fresh made, but even so it will be done practically as soon as the water returns to the boil. Have your sauce ready before you put the noodles anywhere near the water. And don’t pay attention to any recipe that tells you to cook noodles for 8 to 10 minutes. This is too long, even for most commercial brands.

(Although I have to say that cooking is the one inexplicable art in pasta making. I find that there is absolutely no way to figure it out when you use commercial pastas. You put it in the pot, and you taste it after 4 minutes, and then after 8 minutes, and finally in desperation after 12 minutes, and it still has the crunch in the middle. I remember cooking some commercial whole-wheat pasta and it seemed that it was never going to become soft.)

Have lots of water boiling furiously. I don’t add any salt, because I think that your sauce and cheese will provide enough seasoning. But it’s a good idea to add a splash of oil to keep the strands from sticking together.

Drop the homemade pasta into the boiling water. Start testing it as soon as it returns to the boil. I’ve heard all kinds of methods for testing pasta, but the best one is just to fish out a strand and bite into it. If the noodle is beautifully pliable, with no hard core to it, then your pasta is done. Pour the contents of the pot into a colander in the sink, and get ready to mix in your sauce.

Editor: For most uses, you will need to increase the yield of this basic recipe. For about 1 pound pasta, use 2¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 3 large eggs at room temperature, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cut the dough into six portions before rolling it out.

Inexpensive hand-cranked metal pasta rolling machines can be purchased through many outlets—kitchenware shops, online, and even at many Italian delicatessens. While the electric pasta machine that Beard describes still exists, it is very expensive. (Don’t confuse it with the extruder-style pasta machine that forces the dough through a die.) There are two wonderful alternatives to the electric machine. You can buy a separate motor that replaces the crank on the hand-operated machine. Also, there are pasta rolling and cutting attachments for some models of electric stand mixers. Both of these dramatically shorten the time needed to roll out the dough.

EGG WHITE NOODLES

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Pasta is actually a low-fat main course, especially when it is served with a simple tomato sauce. But, for those who can’t even take the cholesterol that is contributed by the egg yolks in the noodles, here is a noodle made with no yolks—ergo, no cholesterol—and with one tiny tablespoonful of olive oil.

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

7 to 8 large egg whites

Put the metal chopping blade in place in the bowl of the food processor. Add the flour, salt, and oil, and process for 8 to 10 seconds. Add the egg whites and process about 15 seconds, until the dough is pliable, but not damp or sticky. Knead by hand for a few minutes, then let rest and roll out by hand or in the pasta machine.

BARBARA KAFKA’S BUCKWHEAT NOODLES

MAKES 3 OR 4 SERVINGS

This recipe was given to me by Barbara Kafka, an imaginative and creative cook. The presence of beer and yeast makes the noodles very light.

½ cup lager beer, at room temperature, as needed

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

¼ cup buckwheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

In a small bowl, combine half the beer, the yeast, and 2 tablespoons of the buckwheat flour. Stir until combined, cover with plastic wrap and let the sponge rise in a warm place for 1 to 2 hours, or until very bubbly.

Transfer the sponge to a medium bowl. Stir in the remaining buckwheat flour, 2 tablespoons of beer, the all-purpose flour, and salt. If needed, stir in more beer to make a soft but firm dough. You will probably not use the whole ½ cup. Cover again, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Divide it into quarters and roll it out thinly by hand or in the pasta machine. Don’t hesitate to flour the dough if it seems sticky as you work it. Cut into medium-width noodles.

AVOCADO PASTA WITH CREAM

MAKES 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Editor: Beard calls this “a suburb dish,” but warns, “it is a bit tricky to handle because of the softness of the dough.” It shows his never-ending curiosity and willingness to try new foods and bring them to his readers.

Avocado Pasta

3½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 very ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut up

3 large eggs, at room temperature

Sauce

2 cups heavy cream

2 very ripe avocados, pitted, peeled, and cubed

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Slivers of drained pimiento, for garnish

To make the pasta: Put the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, mash the avocado. Stir in the eggs with a wooden spoon. Add the avocado mixture to the flour and blend thoroughly in the bowl or in the food processor.

Turn out the dough onto a floured board and knead it by hand for 5 minutes. The avocado will have made it very soft, so that you will have to sprinkle it frequently with more flour. Roll it into very thin sheets, using the machine as directed
here
. Cut the sheets into 1½-inch squares. Lay them on a cookie sheet or a piece of foil and chill them in the freezer for about a half hour, until they are firm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. When the dough squares are firm, take them out of the freezer, drop them into the boiling water, and cook for about 3 minutes, until they are properly done. Drain.

Return the noodles to the pot, and add the cream, avocados, butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and stir gently over medium heat so that everything is coated. Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with more cheese, and serve at once, garnished with slivers of red pimiento.

GREEN NOODLES BOLOGNESE