Pasta and Gnocchi (Pasta Fneh)

Today began with an extended lecture about Italian cuisine, accentuating the localized nature of each area's specialties. Parmigiano Reggiano is an unpasteurized, partially skimmed cow's milk cheese that is only produced in the provinces of Parma and Reggio, etc etc. A traditional Italian meal will feature a pasta alone for a starter, not as an entrée or a side dish. And today we made pasta.

The menu included lasagna, but Chef K struck it down as being not very good. That left two dishes: butternut squash ravioli and gnocchi. In addition, we made a simple basil pesto and fettuccine from the ravioli dough.

The class dough was made of all-purpose flour, whole eggs, olive oil. The dough-recipe I use at home (using the same equipment) involves high-gluten bread flour and lots of egg yolks. Usually, I do about ten minutes of kneading before resting; Chef K insisted we stop kneading once the dough came together.

When I've made pasta at home, I've found that more that the dough ran through the rollers, the more tender the pasta -- the work developed the gluten into long strands. Chef K called for minimal running through the machine, with minimal folding of the dough. So I was surprised that the pasta actually came out pretty damn good. I wonder if it's the technique or all the egg yolks that made the biggest difference.

We also made gnocchi, which turned out to be a lot less intimidating than I had feared. Bake a couple of potatoes, peel them, rice them, mix with a small amount of flour, egg yolk, nutmeg and salt. Shape into a tube, cut into 1 inch pieces, shape with a fork. Boil until they float.

A simple pesto with basil, olive oil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, parm-reg, salt and pepper was made in a blender, and other students prepared a number of simple sauces to dress the pasta. Some one made an overly sweet butternut squash filling, and we played around with some forms to make different shapes of raviolis.

Over all, an uninspiring day where most of the food came out just ok. My gnocchi was grainy and oddly tough (from overworking the dough, I suspect). I look forward to taking another crack at it at home and getting it right.

Tomorrow, we start in the north west region of Italy.

ADDENDA:
Not enough sleep last night, due to late movie with Ms. Yana. Must sleeeeep.

BREAKFAST: 6:30am, smoothie, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5
Blueberries, grapes, banana, yogurt, milk, flax, ice, delicious.

AM TASTINGS: 10:30am, fettuccine with pesto, gnocchi in cream sauce, squash ravioli with tomato sauce, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5

PM SNACK: 4:30pm, chocolate gelato, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Tired, need a jolt of energy to go out and...see my nutritionist. -sigh-

DINNER: 7:30pm, large green salad with tomato and lime hazelnut vinaigrette, 2 uncured hot dogs with kimchi, 1 ear boiled corn and organic sea salt potato chips, 1 kristall, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Not a normal dogs n' chips kind of guy, but it was the kind of meal my dad would cook during the summer when I was a kid. At least this was the healthier version.