food & dining
Pasta From Bologna
KERI WHITE | SPECIAL TO THE JE
M y neighbor Irene is a metic-
ulous cook and an avid
traveler. When these two passions meet, her
friends benefit, and this was the case
last week when she returned from a
trip to Italy, having taken a pasta cook-
ing course in Bologna. She made an
abundance of ravioli with her newly
acquired knowledge and skill.

The instructor was passionate about
her subject; in one case, when the rav-
ioli finished cooking before the class
was ready to eat them, she insisted
they all stop in their tracks and dig
in to ensure that the pasta was eaten
at absolute peak perfection. She also
informed them authoritatively that
lasagne Bolognese must be made with
spinach pasta and, if it is not green,
then it is inauthentic.

Rules aside, Irene came back eager
to share, and who was I to quash this
motivation? The butternut squash ravioli was
delightful, a perfect autumn supper,
and we are ready to continue sampling
her creations as she explores the entire
canon of pasta shapes and flavors and
perfects her craft.

The technique described for the dough
below is more of a guide than a recipe.

It details how to make the pasta, can be
upsized depending on your crowd and
can also be cut however you wish.

If you prefer to make lasagne, just
use the sheets. Pappardelle? Just cut the
sheets into ribbons. And if you want
to make ravioli, the recipe for a per-
fect autumnal butternut squash filling
and sage butter sauce appears below.

Mangia! Pasta
A note on the flour: 00 flour is a finely
ground Italian flour used in pasta. It is
available in many supermarkets, spe-
cialty shops and online. The quan-
tity below is an approximation; the
conversion from the metric system,
along with the variation in egg size
will generate some inconsistency so
it is necessary to gauge the flour
based on feel. It should not be overly
22 sticky, should roll out well, the shapes
should hold together and, when laid
out, should begin to dry.

Another note on the process: Irene
described an enormous wooden board
and an enormous wooden rolling pin
that "La Profesora" used to demon-
NOVEMBER 3, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
strate the technique. Most American
kitchens are not equipped with such
accouterments, nor would they have
space to store them. Upon returning,
Irene ordered a dough hook and pasta
roller attachment for her mixer and
says they work “like a charm.”
On a large board or clean work
surface, mix the flour and salt, and
form it into a volcano shape.

In a small bowl, lightly beat the
eggs and yolk, and pour them into
the center of the flour mixture. Using
a fork, gradually work the eggs into
the flour. When a dough begins
to form, ditch the fork and start
pressing the dough. If the dough
feels sticky, add more flour in small
amounts. Knead the dough for 10
minutes; it should be smooth and not
sticky. Cover or wrap the dough, and
let it sit on the counter for at least 30
minutes, or wrap it and refrigerate it
overnight. When ready to move to the next
step, cut ¼ of the dough off the ball,
and leave the rest of the dough
covered. Flatten the piece of dough,
sprinkle it with some flour and press
it through the pasta rollers (or roll it
by hand with a rolling pin).

If using the roller, start on setting
1. Continue passing the pasta dough
through the roller, making the setting
smaller each time. Ravioli should
reach setting No. 6.

When the sheets are complete,
place them on a floured surface to
avoid sticking, and repeat this step
with the remaining pasta. When the
pasta is all rolled to the desired thin-
ness, cut it as desired; for pappardelle
or fettuccine, a pizza cutter comes in
handy to slice the long ribbons. For
ravioli, you can hand-cut the shapes
with a pastry cutter or use a mold.

(Irene suggested a YouTube video
by the “Pasta Grannies” to demon-
strate this process most effectively.)
For lasagna, cut the squares to fit the
pan and layer as desired.

A note on the cooking: Authenticity
requires large pots of generously
salted boiling water to cook the
pasta. For filled pasta like ravioli,
the boil should be gentle to prevent
the delicate ravioli or tortellini from
breaking. Ribbon or non-filled pasta
Photos by Keri White
Heaping 1½ cups 00 flour
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk at
room temperature
½ teaspoon finely ground table salt