Some dear friends of mine are moving away from this little corner of Ohio to begin an exciting new chapter, so I invited them over for dinner before the migration. They are both vegetarians, and the weather was finally acting like spring, so I wanted to cook something fresh, vegetable-y, light and able to say, “I’m really gonna miss you guys!”
I had recently discovered my local farmer’s market and after chatting it up with some of the farmers and learning just what exactly green garlic was, I came home—feeling like a total Yuppie—triumphantly toting fresh spring greens, green onions, green garlic, mint and basil plants, butter lettuce and other various and sundry farm treasures. We were going to have a heck of a salad!
Tip: Fresh herbs add depth and brightness to any salad, taking it from rabbit-food to gourmet. Mix up your greens using a variety of lettuces and spring greens. Green garlic (essentially a young garlic plant) has a subtler flavor and when used sparingly won’t overpower the salad. If you have fresh mint, basil, lemon verbena, lemon balm, or thyme, chop ‘em up and throw them in!
For the main course, I went to one of my favorite mistresses of the kitchen, Giada de Laurentiis,
for a bright, flavorful, (and meatless) pasta
that wouldn’t require a lot of ingredients. Obviously, fresh store-bought or dried pasta would work beautifully in this recipe, but I was really going to miss these friends, and I wanted them to know it by going the extra mile with homemade pasta. OK, OK…. I also wanted to show off a bit.
Now at the words “homemade pasta,” I may have lost some of you readers, but just bear with me. You don’t need a pasta machine, an Italian grandmother or any kind of Tuscan voodoo to make homemade noodles. The process is remarkably simple, (if not labor and time intensive) to do. But everything worthwhile is worth working for, right? (Hint: the answer is YES!)
Armed with a few past successes in pasta making and a new recipe to go on, I set about my task with vigor. Everything turned out beautifully---enjoy!
Lemon Spaghetti (pg. 87 in Everyday Italian)
-Blue reflects my own adjustments and opinions
Ingredients
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (store-bought is just fine--- and these amounts aren’t written in stone. Use what you have.)
½ cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
¾ tsp. (sea) salt, plus more to taste (haven’t learned the beauty of sea salt? Get on that train! It’s delicious!)
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 lb. dried spaghetti (or enough fresh pasta to serve your guests*)
1 Tbl. Grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil (again, use what you have. If you just have a few leaves, throw that in and don’t worry about it.)
Tip: To chop basil and other fresh herb leaves, wash and dry (or gently wipe with a damp cloth) and layer the leaves on top of each other. Starting with the narrow end of the leaf, roll the layers into a log shape. Using a sharp knife cut thin strips on the diagonal. This will yield lovely green strips rather than the battered and bruised remnants you will get if you attempt to dice the leaves.
Making it Happen
First wash and gently roll the lemons on a tabletop. (This loosens things up, allowing them to yield more juice.) Zest the lemons. If you don’t have a zester, use a cheese grater. Zest only the yellow skin, NOT the white pith—it’s bitter and nasty.
In a large bowl, whisk the oil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, ¾ tsp. of salt, and ½ tsp. of pepper to blend. Set the lemon sauce aside. (The sauce can be made up to 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before using.)
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti (or fresh pasta*) and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the spaghetti to the lemon sauce, and toss with the basil and lemon zest. Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid to moisten. (You really won’t need much.) Season the pasta with more salt and pepper to taste and more cheese, because you really can’t get enough of that tangy cultured goodness! Transfer to bowls or serving platter and serve.
*Fresh “Pasta al’ Uovo”
Tip: Whenever I have a hankering to try something new, I head to the interwebs for inspiration and a good basic recipe. I like to visit different sites and peruse three or four similar recipes, taking care to read the reviews about them. Is this an approachable recipe? Is the overall review good or bad? Compare the recipes to each other and see what elements they share and how they differ. What seems to be the basic gist of the recipe? Which recipe incorporates ingredients that you already have on hand? Once you’ve surveyed the various options, choose one to be your basic recipe and then synthesize your own version, pulling in the best bits from the others.
Ingredients (for 3-4 servings)
1 ½ cups flour
2 eggs (I used 3 eggs for a richer and more filling pasta)
½ tsp. sea salt
¾ Tbl. olive oil
¾ Tbl. lukewarm water
Making it Happen
Place the flour on a large floured surface. Yes, really, ON the table, not in a bowl…so you might want to clean off the surface of any various & sundry food scraps and cat hair.
Make a well in the center and break the eggs into the well.
Add the salt, oil and water, beating the mixture in the well with a fork. Once mixed, gently start to work the flour into the liquid with the fork.
Continue until the dough becomes sticky and difficult to work with.
Lightly flour your hands, and use them to form the dough into a rough ball.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface.
Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Unlike pie dough, pasta dough loves to be manhandled. So if you’ve had a rough week, reward yourself with some cathartic dough abuse…but remember, kneading is meant to form gluten, not press the life out of the dough. Apply a firm hand and simply fold the dough in and over itself again & again. (and again, and again...)
Whew! What a workout for you and the dough. Give yourselves both a rest. 10-60 minutes will do (or however long it takes to watch your favorite “story” on Netflix).
Right before returning to work with the dough, now would be a good time to light a fire up under a large pot of salted water.
Ok, Now that you & dough have both had a good rest, lightly flour your work surface, rolling pin (or bottle,) and your hands. Give the dough a few more kneads to wake it up and divide into Thirds. Prepare thyself for the rolling!
Tip: Your best pastry tool may be in your refrigerator. A smooth-sided wine or glass water bottle will do if you don’t have a rolling pin. I have also found that when these bottles are filled with cold liquid, it gives nice weight for rolling out the dough. And when working with sticky dough or in a hot kitchen, (or both—poor thing,) the cool water in the bottle cools down the dough and makes it easier to manage.
Working with 1/3 of the dough at a time:
-Roll into a square or rectangle, then fold in half and roll out again. (Repeat 2-4 times)
-Roll out a rectangle as thin as you can.
-Take a sharp knife, dip the tip in flour and cut very thin strips. Perhaps 1/8”-1/4”.
-When cut, swirl the strips in flour to coat (this prevents them from forming a pasta glob,) and set them aside until ready to cook.
Repeat with the other two balls of dough.
Tip: Using too much pressure in rolling will make the dough stick to the table, the rolling pin, or both. Be firm, but not heavy-handed. Keep the surface under the dough & the rolling pin lightly floured.
Once all your pasta has been cut into strips, and the water is boiling away happily, drop the lot into the water and give it a brief stir to make sure the pasta doesn’t clump together. Cook 5-8 minutes until done, but still firm (al dente.) Ta DA!
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