• 300 g (10 1⁄2 oz) semolina wheat flour • a good pinch of salt • 150 g (5 oz) water at room temperature
Place the flour in a pile in the center of a large cutting board and make a well in the center. Pour the olive oil and most of the water, take a fork and begin to mix until the mixture is blended enough to dig in with your hands. Keep adding a little extra flour if necessary or a little bit of water if the mix is too dry. Once the ball of your basic pasta dough is firm and manageable you can begin to knead. When the dough is quite elastic and its surface nicely smooth, shape it as a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Before shaping the pasta, allow the dough to get to room temperature, then shape as you desire: cavatelli, caserecci, busiati, maccheroni...
Eggs pasta dough
Serves 4
• 50 g (2 oz) semolina flour • 250 g (9 oz) all-purpose flour • 3 medium size eggs • a good pinch of salt • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Place flour in a pile in the center of a large cutting board and make a well in the center. Pour the eggs, take a fork and begin to mix until the mixture is blended enough to dig in with your hands. Keep adding a little extra flour if necessary or a little bit of water if the dough is too dry. Once the ball of your basic pasta dough is firm and manageable you can begin kneading until it becomes quite elastic and the surface is nicely smooth. After kneading, wrap the pasta dough with cling film and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. You can prepare the dough one day in advance, but then take it out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before use to allow the dough to get to room temperature.
Mt. Etna Ragu
Serves 4
• 240 g (9 oz) pork sausage with fennel seeds • 150 g (5 oz) mixed mushrooms • 1 carrot • 1 small onion • 1 stalk of celery • 1 tbsp of tomato paste • 1 bay leaf, 2 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick • black pepper • red wine • olive oil • salt to taste
Chop the carrot, celery and onion in tiny pieces and place them on a saucepan with abundant olive oil. Gently fry for about 15 minutes (if necessary add a tablespoon of hot water); then add the sausage (without the casing) and break it into small pieces by using a big wooden fork or spoon. If you don’t have the sausage, just buy minced pork meat and season it with salt, black pepper and fennel seeds. Let it cook on high flame for about 10 minutes, then add red wine and let it evaporates. Then add the mushrooms and a tablespoon of tomato paste and two/three tablespoons of hot water. Finally, put cloves, bay leaf and cinnamon in a tea infuser (it’s the so called bouquet garni) and place it into the sauce, cover and keep on cooking on a low flame for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes and adding hot water if necessary. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain it (remember to save a glass of the cooking water in case your sauce is too dry). Place the pasta into the saucepan (add a couple of tablespoons of Parmesan cheese if you like) and mix on a high flame for 2 minutes. Serve!
Pasta with fried zucchini cream
Serves 6
• 420 g pasta • 3-4 medium size zucchini • 4 cloves garlic • 1 bunch of basil • 4 tbsp grated Parmigiano cheese • 100 g breadcrumbs • salt • extra virgin olive oil
Cut the zucchini into 5-mm-thick cubes and sauté them in a pan with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the peeled and thinly sliced garlic cloves. Let them cook over medium-high heat. When the zucchini are golden brown, turn off the flame, add plenty of finely chopped fresh basil, Parmigiano cheese, stir and set aside. Put most of the mixture in a blender and blend until smooth. If necessary, while blending, add a little pasta cooking water to get a smoother consistency. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water and, when al dente, drain and add it to the pan with the zucchini cream. In a small skillet with a drizzle of hot evo oil, toast the breadcrumbs until golden brown. Arrange the seasoned pasta on a plate and serve with some toasted breadcrumbs on top. If you like, grate some Sicilian salted ricotta cheese on top.
