Pasta Recipes To Make Your Mom Jealous

How to start

• Begin cooking pasta when sauce is done and NOT BEFORE. For best results, your sauce should be done cooking and ready BEFORE you begin cooking your pasta.
• Start with a LOT of water. 1 gallon of well-salted water per pound of pasta is a good rule. The water should taste like seawater. (Approximately 2 tablespoons of salt per gallon of water)
• Don’t add oil! It does nothing but float to the top and make the pasta greasy as it is drained. Nasty.

How to cook

• Don’t add pasta to the pot until the water is at a rolling boil. ROLLING.
• Stir the water to get it moving. Add pasta. Immediately stir again. Keep an eye out for clumps of pasta. Stir till pasta separates. Stir again, then continue to stir cooking pasta AT LEAST every two minutes of cook time to keep pasta from sticking to itself.
• If you cannot use 4 quarts of water per pound of pasta or you are cooking a lot of pasta at one time, you will need to stir the pasta MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY to keep the pasta from sticking to itself or burning to the bottom of the pan.

When is it done?

• Most pasta is done after 8-10 minutes. Size matters and small shapes will be done more quickly than larger pieces.
• Check for doneness early and often. Check for doneness by eating a piece. It should be soft with a gentle bite right in the center. This is called al dente and is considered the best way to serve pasta.
• Remove pasta when it is SLIGHTLY under your target level of doneness to compensate for carry-over cooking.

How to sauce

• Sauce immediately: Cooked pasta can’t sit around – it will stick to itself and become mushy as it continues to cook.
• Don’t rinse your pasta (unless you are precooking pasta – in that case you may stop the cooking process by shocking the pasta under cold running water).
• Don’t add oil to cooked pasta – that will keep the sauce from sticking.
• Deposit pasta directly into sauce, swirl carefully, then plate. Never, EVER, pour sauce over plain pasta. It may look pretty, but the sauce won’t stick and the eating experience will be poor.
• Save some of the cooking water! Reserve about ½ cup – it's flavorful, somewhat salty, and starchy. It can be used to loosen a thick sauce without diluting body or flavor.

• Place the dry ingredients on a clean work surface, forming a mound about 8 to 10 inches in diameter at its base. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, create a well 4 to S inches wide, with at least a half inch of flour on the bottom of the well. Using a fork to stir the middle of the well, slowly pour in the liquid ingredients, trying to keep the integrity of the walls during this first step. Combine the dry and liquid into one mass and knead until fully incorporated. The dough will be dry. If necessary, use damp hands or a spritz bottle to “glue” the loose flour to the mass.
• Knead the dough: drive the heel of your dominant hand into the dough. Push down and release, and then use your other hand to pick up and rotate the dough on itself 45 degrees. Drive the heel of your hand back in the dough, rotate, and repeat for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap. Let rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before using. If you’re not using it afi:er 30 minutes, put it in the refrigerator. Egg dough must be used within 24 hours to avoid discoloration as the egg yolks oxidize.
• The dough ball is now ready to be shaped for use in a particular recipe.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add unpeeled potatoes to pot carefully.
• Cook until tender, about 25-35 minutes. Drain, peel while still hot, and rice. The potatoes must be as hot as possible when riced or the gnocchi will turn out tough.
• In a small bowl, beat the egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg together. Gather the warm potatoes into a mound and form a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well.
• Gently knead the potato and egg mixtures together with both hands, gradually adding the grated cheese and enough of the flour, about 1 1/2 cups, to form a smooth but slightly sticky dough. DO NOT OVERMIX.
• Shape small portions of the dough into long “snakes”. On a floured surface, cut snakes into half-inch pieces and roll off a fork to create grooves in dough.
• Freeze immediately or cook and serve.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until gnocchi have risen to the top; drain and serve.

• Place mushrooms onto cheesecloth and wring out excess liquid.
• Heat saute pan over medium high heat
• Add 1 tablespoon butter and swirl to melt and avoid burning.
• Add mushrooms, shallots, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and thyme.
• Cook, stirring frequently until mushrooms appear dry and are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in remaining tablespoon of butter and, when melted, add beef stock
• Cook, stirring frequently until the stock has evaporated.
• Remove from heat and cool.

• Add all ingredients and blend well.

• Heat olive oil in a large deep sauce pan over high heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Reduce heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, vinegar and chicken stock; simmer for about 8 minutes.
• Stir in red pepper, black pepper, and cooked pasta, tossing thoroughly with sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened. Fold in torn basil and serve topped with peels of cheese.

• Combine basil leaves, pine nuts or walnuts and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced.
• With the machine running, slowly dribble in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.
• Add the cheese and process very briefly, just long enough to combine. Store in refrigerator or freezer.

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Add cream and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes but do not allow to boil.
• Add cheese and whisk quickly, heating through. Stir in parsley, season to taste, and serve.