Monday, Apr. 06, 2009

Twirl Your Fork Around the World of Posh Pasta

Parmesan and Black Pepper Gnocchi -Croissants Bistro & Bakery

It used to be that having pasta for dinner automatically referred to a plate of spaghetti, penne or maybe, for a special occasion, the out-of-the-ordinary bow-tie.

But the wonderful world of pasta has come into its own, sporting various shapes from medallions to purses to hollow-stem and trilling off the tongue with glamorous names like agnolotti, pansotti, tagliatelle and pappardelle.

The ages-old staple food of Italian peasantry has evolved to a status that has chefs around the country demanding handmade, egg-cut noodles textured and shaped to perfectly complement elite fillings and sauces laced with lobster, truffles, wild mushrooms and seasonal offerings like fennel or pumpkin.

As pasta purveyors struggle to keep on the cutting edge of discerning palettes and demanding kitchens, the mantra today is "scratch homemade noodles and chunky fillings." Dropping dry sticks of fettuccine into boiling water or filling a square ravioli with a puree are so pasta passé.

Joseph's Gourmet Pasta & Sauces company supplies restaurants across the Carolinas with such delicacies as striped sundried tomato and mascarpone ravioli and black squid ink linguine. Billing themselves as "the leading artisan ravioli company in the country," Joseph's recently wowed taste-testers at area restaurant shows with a shrimp, scallop and grilled fennel stuffed ravioli and a portrait-worthy, black-and-white variety filled with north Atlantic lobster.

Back in vogue is the sachette (a.k.a. pasta purse or beggar's purse), more complex than gnocchi and requiring the steadiness of a surgeon when it comes to filling the "purse." The beautiful thing about the sachette is that it offers three distinct textures: a soft belly, a crimped al dente collar and velvety smooth petals on top.

In the race for the perfect purse, companies such as Carla's Pasta Inc. of Connecticut have gone so far as to trademark its brand of "sacchettini." Carla's family of pasta-makers consistently bring new creations to the restaurant market and have recently launched the six-cheese sacchettini with a pesto sauce to accompany.

Noodlers are also responding to the demands of the "Buona Salute" (Italian for "Good Health") sector who want pasta as healthy as they can get it. Many restaurants now offer the option of whole wheat pasta while portobello mushrooms have become a favorite filling and it's not unusual for dill-infused linguine to pair up with a strictly vegan manicotti.

So, the next time you have a craving for pasta, think outside the spaghetti and treat your tongue to a menu item that explores the brave new world of noodles. If you don't readily recognize that type of pasta, or you have a little trouble pronouncing it, order it. Chances are, it'll be worth the gamble!

Parmesan and Black Pepper Gnocchi
Croissants Bistro & Bakery

Ingredients: (Entree, serves 10)
3 pounds russet potatoes
3 ounces butter, divided
1/4 cup fine-chopped parsley
1/4 cup equal parts fine-chopped tarragon, thyme, basil
and chives
3 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 pound flour
3 ounces grated parmesan

Preparation:
Peel and boil potatoes until tender, strain. Dry in oven to remove any water. Puree or rice potatoes. Add 1 ounce butter, herbs (reserve a pinch), eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Form cylinders with dough, about an inch in diameter, then cut into 1-inch pieces. Roll over with fork. Cook the gnocchi in simmering salted water for three minutes. Strain. Immediately heat the remaining butter in a large saute pan. Add gnocchi and toast until light brown. Remove to serving plate and garnish with remaining pinch of herbs and parmesan.

Grilled Chicken over Penne Pasta in a Sundried Tomato and Parmesan Cream Sauce
Crystalite Café

Ingredients: (Entree: serves 1)
Pinch of garlic
Pinch of shallots
2 to 3 teaspoons oil
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated
parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons pureed sundried tomatoes
2 1/2 cups cooked penne pasta
5 ounces chicken breast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 5-ounce chicken breast
Focaccia bread, grilled

Preparation:
Lightly saute a pinch of garlic and shallots in oil in a medium sauce pan. Once golden, add 1 cup of heavy cream and bring almost to a boil. Right before it boils, whisk in parmesan cheese, pureed sundried tomatoes and a dash of salt and pepper. Once sauce begins to thicken, add penne pasta. Toss in sauce to coat. Grill a 5-ounce chicken breast and slice on a bias to top pasta. Serve with a slice of grilled foccacia bread.

Lobster Ravioli
Greg Norman's Australian Grille

Ingredients: (Entree, serves 4)
3 each 1 3/4-pound live lobsters
2 tablespoons butter
1 large clove garlic, minced
1/3 each cup minced onion, celery, carrots
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Pasta sheets
Egg wash
Baker's paper
Cornmeal

For Sauce:
3 reserved lobster bodies
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled, sliced thin
4 stalks of celery, sliced thin
8 large cloves of garlic, split in half
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/3 cup of parsley stems
1 tablespoon each fresh tarragon and thyme
1 large tomato, quartered
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup brandy
1 cup white wine
1 quart heavy cream
1 tablespoon tomato, diced
1 teaspoon scallions, chopped

Preparation:
Bring 6 quarts of heavily salted water to a boil, separate tails and claws from body of lobster, poach approximately 8 minutes. Remove from water and let cool. Reserve lobster bodies. Take out of shell and rough chop. Sweat onion, garlic, celery, and carrots till soft in butter. Add lobster meat, parsley and tarragon. Heat thoroughly. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Let cool. With pasta sheets (available at fine food markets), cut out 48 3 1/3-inch fluted circles. Lightly brush egg wash on 24 of them. On each disc place 1/24 of the lobster ravioli mix, place top on, press down tightly and seal with fork. Place on tray with baker's paper that is lightly dusted with cornmeal.

To make sauce, split lobster bodies and remove gills and tamale, chop finely. Heat olive oil in a 6-quart heavy bodied pan. When smoking, add lobster bodies and cook 6 to 8 minutes. Add vegetables and cook 10 to 14 minutes. Add quartered tomato and tomato paste and cook 6 minutes. Add brandy and cook till dry. Add white wine and reduce by 2/3. Add 1 1/2 quarts water and bring to a boil, skim, and add 1 quart heavy cream. Bring to a boil and skim. Simmer 45 to 55, minutes skimming occasionally. Season with salt and white pepper, and pass through fine strainer.

In a large 4-quart pot of boiling salted water, add ravioli. Bring to a boil. Cook pasta approximately 6 to 8 minutes. Drain. In heated bowl, arrange pasta in a spiral and add 1/3 cup sauce, 1 tablespoon diced tomato and 1 teaspoon chopped scallions.

Beer pairing

Michelob Ultra Amber is an American-Style Amber Lager made with United States-grown Willamette hops as well as European grown Hallertau and Strisselspat hops. These give this lager a beautiful amber color with aroma notes of toasted malts. It has a full, rich taste and a clean hop finish. To fully experience this fine lager it should be served in a tulip-style glass.

-- By Brenda Spadoni

Shrimp & Pesto Tortellini
Scatori's Italian Restaurant

Ingredients: (Entree, serves 1)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup sliced portobello mushrooms
1/2 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms
3 spears of fresh broccoli rabe
1/4 cup crispy fried pancetta
5 shrimp, size 16/20
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
Pinch salt and pepper
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup shrimp stock
1 pound cheese tortellini
3 tablespoons homemade pesto sauce
Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Heat olive oil on medium heat in a saute pan. Add mushrooms, broccoli rabe and pancetta to olive oil. Saute for 3-5 minutes. Add shrimp, roasted red bell pepper, salt and pepper. Continue to saute for an additional 2 minutes. Add in cream, shrimp sauce and pesto sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Toss in tortellini. Serve & garnish with parmesan cheese.

Seafood Pescatora
Travinia Italian Kitchen

Ingredients: (Entree, serves 2)
1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 pound real butter
1/4 cup calamari pieces
diced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup clam meat
1/4 tablespoon basil, chopped
1/4 tablespoon oregano
1/4 tablespoon thyme
Pinch of red pepper flakes
2 cups favorite red sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 box dried linguine
2 scallops
2 shrimp, size 16/20
3 Prince Edward Island mussels
1/4 cup red wine
Parsley, for garnish
Italian cheese, grated

Preparation:
Saute the garlic and onions in the butter until translucent then reduce heat to very low and add calamari and clam meat, followed by the herbs. Continue to stir on low heat then add red sauce followed by chicken stock. While this is simmering, boil linguine until al dente. In a separate pan, sear scallops until golden brown on each side then add shrimp, mussels and wine and cook until the mussels open. Remove pasta and add to the red sauce mixture and allow to thicken slightly. Pile pasta in the middle of plate. Remove mussels and place in the middle of pasta, and place the shrimp and scallops around the outside of your dish. Garnish with chopped parsley and grated Italian cheese.

Shrimp Penne Pasta
Barefoot Grill

Ingredients: (Entree, serves 1)
6 shrimp, size 21/25
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces penne pasta, cooked
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
1 bunch parsley, for garnish

Preparation:
Saute shrimp in a saucepan with chopped garlic and olive oil until fully cooked. In a separate pan on high heat, add heavy cream and pasta. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until cream begins to boil. Then add parmesan cheese and cook for 1 minute or until sauce thickens. Place pasta in large bowl or plate and add shrimp. Garnish with parsley and a little more parmesan cheese.