Pizza Today - February 2018 - 35

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lavored pastas are
getting attention from
chefs and restaurateurs
who want to offer their
customers something
new and boost sales.
Traditionally, in Italy, flavored
pastas are generally not accepted
with the exception of spinachgreen, squid ink-black and
beet-red. The current think tank
concludes that perfect cooking of
plain pasta with an
emphasis on dynamic sauces
should be enough to enhance a
culinary experience.
Modern pastas are no longer
seen as dishes of lesser value in
restaurants. Some chefs have
introduced traditional pastas like
the gnocchi Sardi and malloreddus from Sardinia, which are
sometimes flavored with saffron
and served with traditional stews.
Pizzoccheri pasta is a fan favorite
in restaurants and is originally
from Valtellina in Lombardy.
It is known for its nutty buckwheat component. In the 1980s,
Michelin-starred Ristorante
Marchese in Milan refined pasta
dishes with simple squares of
flavored pastas and pastas that
had beautiful herb leaves smashed
in the dough (these are called
silhouette pasta). Like breads,
new combinations are now on the
launching pad for exciting flavors
to integrate into this fantastic
food.
TODAY, CHEFS ARE USING ALL
SORTS OF FANTASTIC INGREDIENTS
TO TURN THEIR CUSTOMERS ON TO
FLAVORED PASTA. HERE ARE A FEW.

* Grains and powders are
being introduced all the time in
pasta. Buckwheat, spelt, barley,
yucca or cassava flour, oats, farro,
poppy seed, vegetable ash and
even quinoa are making headway
in pasta. In Puglia, the Nastrini

di Grano, using "Grano bruciato"
(scorced-grain pasta ribbons) are
a throwback to the past when
peasants would collect the wheat
grains in a preciously burnt field,
grind them up and integrate the
flour into pasta and breads.
* Leafy greens. Spinach,
barbarietola (beet greens) tomato
leaf, radish tops, basil, punchy
arugula, cilantro and even stinging nettle.
* Liquids and sweet/spice.
Nero di Seppia (cuttlefish ink),
Pomodoro (tomato), porcini,
saffron, tumeric, poppy seed, spicy
chilies, green olives, blueberry and
even chocolate.
Coordinating a flavored pasta
demands the melding of sauce
and pasta into a cohesive dish.
Some flavored pastas can turn
mushy in the same time it takes
to cook an al dente regular pasta
dish. Even though this may be
a setback, many chefs are up
to that challenge. The chefs at
Nobu make a spicy jalapeño
soba noodle by blending fresh
jalapeños and water, then straining and adding to the dough. At
Volt, they make a delicious edible
vegetable ash ravioli filled with
goat cheese.
Green Herb Pappardelle with Yellow
Tomato Passata and
Soppressata
Pappardelle is a favorite of
mine because I find great enjoyment in watching people eat it.
The giant ribbons are hard to
handle and tend to whip around
in a frenzy. Perhaps this is the
reason why the name comes from
the verb "pappare," or "to gobble
up," and originated in Tuscany
where it is served with rich meat
sauces. Here, I've paired herbed
pasta with a fresh yellow tomato

sauce and ribbons of soppressata.
Check out the recipe:
1 ounce of each: arugula, cilantro
and Italian flat-leaf parsley
(You may substitute basil for
cilantro.)
1¼ teaspoons extra virgin olive
oil
1½ teaspoons salt, reserved
1 cup flour, reserved
1 teaspoon water
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
Blend ingredients in a blender
or food processor until the whole
mix is in liquid form. Be sure to
wipe the sides down so no large
pieces poke through the pasta.
In a large bowl, make a well
with the flour and pour the herb
liquid in the center. Scrape out the
blender.
Add the salt and mix with
your hand until the pasta comes
together. Keep kneading for 8 to
10 minutes, even though you may
think it is too wet or dry. At that
point, determine if more flour or
a touch of water is kneaded. The
dough ball should be very hard
like clay.
Place in plastic wrap to rest
for at least 30 minutes. After 30
minutes of rest, cut the ball into
three oblong shapes. Take the first
and cover the rest.
Place the flat oblong pasta into
the pasta roller and roll out into
an approximately 24-inch by a
3- to 4-inch strip and place on a
floured work surface.
Using a pizza or pasta
roller-cutter, trim the uneven edges
along the edges of the pasta
strips, then cut the piece into
1-inch wide strips lengthwise. You
should have three or four 24-inch
long strips. Cut all the strips in
half to double that number. You
should yield six or eight 12-inch
long by 1-inch wide pappardelle.
Gently flour the strips and lay
them on a tray to dry for at least
20 minutes before cooking. For

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