Wolfgangs Fresh Pasta Recipes

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and prepare an ice water bath. Cut a small "x" on the bottom of each tomato. In batches, place the tomatoes in the boiling water and blanch them for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the skins are easy to peel away. Remove and immediately plunge into the ice bath. Peel the tomatoes and halve horizontally. Squeeze out the seeds, using your fingers to get them all. Roughly chop the peeled and seeded tomatoes. Set aside. (You can also use whole peeled canned tomatoes. Simply drain them, seed, and roughly chop).
• Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add the thyme leaves, oregano sprig, and chili flakes and saute until the garlic begins to turn golden brown. Add the tomatoes and the sugar and stir well. Lower the heat and cook slowly until the mixture is fairly dry, about 15 minutes.
• Cook the angel hair pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the Parmesan and basil and toss well. Place in a large pasta bowl and garnish with Parmesan and basil sprigs.

Steps:

• Mound the flour in the center of a large, wide mixing bowl. Dig a well in the center of the mound and add eggs and yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.
• Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the mass of dough. If needed, add another egg yolk or a tablespoon of water to absorb all of the flour. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, remove it from the bowl.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 4 to 5 more minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and uniform in color. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside for at least 30 minutes (and up to 4 hours) at room temperature.
• Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust with semolina flour. Set aside.
• Cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap rest, and set aside. Use the heel of your hand to flatten the dough into an oval approximately the same width as your pasta machine, about six inches. Set the rollers to their widest setting and pass the dough through.
• Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly press together into halves, so it's again about the same width of the pasta machine. Feed the pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and even-textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine.
• Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once through each of the next two or three settings, adding flour as needed, until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick.
• Once the pasta is about 1/4-inch thick, begin rolling it twice through each setting. As you roll, lightly sprinkle all-purpose or 00 flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself.
• Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a sheet, about 1/16-inch thick for noodles, or 1/32-inch thick for a filled pasta. (On most machines, you won't make it to the thinnest setting.)
• Cut pasta into sheets, about 12 to 14 inches long. Dust the sheets lightly with semolina flour and stack on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover with a clean, lightly dampened kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• In a blender, combine the garlic, basil, rosemary, sage, chili flakes, and a pinch of salt and puree. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
• Slice the bread into 1/2-inch thick slices and place on a cookie sheet. Brush with the garlic pesto. Sprinkle with Parmesan and mozzarella, if desired. Bake on the upper rack until golden brown and bubbly, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Steps:

• In a large stock pot, bring salted water to a boil.
• In a large saute pan, over high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute, just until beginning to turn translucent. Add the marjoram and saute 1 more minute. Add the mushrooms and saute until they begin to brown and release their liquid, about 5 minutes. Add the Mushroom Stock and reduce 5 minutes. Add the cream and reduce about 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and quickly toss with mushroom sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Divide onto serving plates and serve immediately garnished with marjoram sprigs.
• Combine the chicken stock and mushrooms in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until reduced by half. Strain.

Steps:

• Bring a large stockpot of water to a boil.
• In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil. Over medium-high heat, saute the broccoli florets, stirring as necessary, 2 to 3 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and reserve until needed.
• Deglaze the pan with the stock, and add the thyme leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce by half. Add the butter and the goat cheese and stir together until the cheese melts. Keep warm.
• Meanwhile, add a little salt to the pot of boiling water and cook the pasta until it is al dente, about 1 minute for fresh pasta. (Cook packaged pasta according to the directions on the package). Drain the pasta well and add to the reserved broccoli in the saute pan. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• To serve, divide the pasta among 4 heated plates. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and garnish with a sprig of thyme.

Steps:

• 1) In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, egg yolks, salt, olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of the water. Process and pinch the dough to test it. If it's too dry, add up to 1 more tablespoon of water and process until it forms a moist ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand into a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. 2) To roll out the dough using a past roller, cut the dough into four equal pieces. Keep the other pieces covered in plastic while you roll out one piece at a time. Set the rollers at the widest setting. Flatter first piece of dough... roll through, tightening setting as you go... (for more details, search homemade pasta).