On October 25, 2015 World Pasta Day is celebrated. This day was founded in 1995 at the World Pasta Congress by 40 international pasta producer and is celebrated annually around the world.
The aim is to celebrate the culinary treat that is the unleavened dough moulded into funny little shapes and boiled to produce pasta. A staple food of Italian cuisine, first officially referenced in Sicily, in 1154, pasta has become one of the favourite foods consumed worldwide.
There are over 600 shapes of pasta known to mankind, and their names are descriptive of their shapes. Spaghetti (‘cord’), vermicelli (‘little worms’), rotini (‘spirals’), fusili (‘spindles’), tortellini (‘little cakes’), linguini (‘little tongues’), conchiglie (‘shells’), fettucine (‘small ribbons’), penne (‘quills’) and capellini (‘fine hairs’) are the savoury little goodies that are essential to any pantry.
Pasta is generally a simple dish, but comes in large varieties because it is a versatile food item. It can be served hot or cold, and some pasta dishes are served as a first course in Italy because the portion sizes are small and simple. Pasta is also prepared in light lunches, such as salads or large portion sizes for dinner.
So with that said here’s a great recipe for Classic Bolognese with Homemade Parpadelle & Buffalo Mozzarella.
Classic Bolognese
Ingredients
* 1lb ground beef
* 1lb ground pork
* 6 oz panchetta, diced
* 2 carrots, peeled & diced
* 2 stalks celery, diced
* 2 small onions, diced
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 1/2 cup chopped sage
* 14 oz tomatoes in juices, crushed by hands
* 1/2 cup dry red wine
* 3 cups beef stock
* 1 cup whole mike
* 2 packets gelatin
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tbs butter
* 1 tbs olive oil
* 1/2 cup buffalo mozzarella, pulled apart into chunks
* 1/4 cup parsley, leaves removed from stems
* salt and pepper
Instructions
1. In a nonreactive bowl, combine beef stock and gelatin. Whisk to combine and let stand 15 minutes. In a large dutch oven over high heat, warm 1 tbs olive oil until shimmering. Add beef, pork and cook, stirring and chopping frequently to avoid browning, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a separate large skillet, warm 1 tbs butter. Sauté panchetta until fat has rendered, about 4 minutes. Add onions, carrot, celery, garlic and sage and continue cooking until carrots are softened, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring dutch oven back to medium high heat and add contents of skillet, stirring thoroughly to combine. Cook until liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add wine and continue cooking until evaporated, about 10 minutes additional. Add beef stock, tomato, milk and bay leaves and stir to combine. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered for about 3 hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes. As the bolognese simmers, you may want to skim fat off top of the pot.
3. After the bolognese has reduced significantly, season to taste and serve with fresh parpadelle.
Homemade Parpadelle
Ingredients
* 1 cup all purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
* 1 cup semolina flour
* 4 egg yolks
* 2 eggs
* 1 tsp salt
Instructions
1. On a clean surface, mix flour and create a mound. Hollow out the centre and pour in eggs and salt. Using your hands, whisk gently and being to fold flour into egg mixture until a wet, sticky dough has formed. Scrape excess dough from hands and dust with flour. Fold in additional flour and knead dough, turning 45° after each fold until the dough forms a dryer, craggy ball - about 5 minutes. Wrap ball tightly in plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Unwrap dough and roll out with a rolling pin. Using a pasta machine on the widest setting, run dough through 3 times before rolling out further until dough is as thin as possible. Return dough to pasta machine on a tighter setting and run dough through again. Using a chefs knife, cut thinned pasta dough into wide and long strips. Set to dry on a pasta rack, or place in single layers on a baking sheet until ready to cook.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add parpadelle and cook for 3 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid and drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and ladle bolognese sauce onto parpadelle. While tossing, slowly drizzle reserved cooking liquid until sauce clings to noodles.
4. To serve, plate pasta and sauce into large bowls and top with additional bolognese if desired. Add buffalo mozzarella cheese, fresh parsley, and ground pepper.
For more great recipe’s like this please head on over to abetterhappierstsebastian.com, and for more information on World Pasta Day please see here.