Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

April 23, 2012

Beet Dumplings

April 23, 2012
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It is climate appropriate to wear woollen mittens and scarf, I noted when dressing for the morning walk today. Air is still cool, no matter in what language you read the thermometer. There are batches of snow everywhere but the sky is open and the sun is shining.

My usual walking route passes by three community gardens, a small forest and a park. Having exited the park today, I crossed a narrow street and saw a young lady reading a book in the far end of a grass field. She had spread a yoga mat on the wet ground and was clearly enjoying the weather - in bikini. Yes, bi-ki-ni! A noun: A woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit.

Her uninhibited enthusiasm declared it is spring! Finally! Not as daring as she but suddenly feeling somewhat overdressed, I slipped the mittens in the pocket and unzipped my coat. A smile revoked a giggle as it occurred, once again, what an atypical place Finland is. After a long, dark and silent winter, people surrender to the sun as soon as the first rays appear. A behavioural pattern similar to bears disoriented from hibernation!
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To celebrate the birth of a season of joy, I will share a beetroot dumpling recipe. If you are fond of unconventional gastronomy, you will like the dumplings. Colourful, made of simple ingredients and fun to assemble, they offer a delightful entrĂ©e or lunch. Once you have prepared the dough and filling, they fly from the pot to the plate. Although I’m not promoting frozen food, the dumplings could be made in quantity, frozen and boiled as needed.
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From the rest of the dough you may roll pasta stripes. However, make them thinner than on the left image! Thickness and roughness highlights visual interest rather than taste.
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Thank you.

November 15, 2011

Pasta With Sage & Pinenuts

November 15, 2011
Some years ago I saw a documentary film about student life around the world. The students lived in various establishments, had different hobbies and hairstyles. But there was one thing that united them: pasta! In every nook and corner of the planet, the younger generation is nurtured by it. It is economic and effortless to make, and it fills the belly. In Italy it may be served as the first course of a dinner but, for the kids, it is the dinner. In fact, it often is the breakfast, lunch and dinner!
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There are countless types of pasta for sale. None of them competes with the home made one. The taste of grain dominates fresh pasta. It is soft, round and comforting. It doesn’t have to be soaked in a spicy sauce as a shy decoration. It has a strong character. Once you try it, there is no return to the mass produced one. A conveyor belt won’t ever replace a human touch, even in making pasta! Most likely there isn’t a jolly Italian mamma pushing a slab of dough through the machine.

To make pasta from scratch is simple. The dough can be made in advance and stored in the fridge. A small family doesn’t need a pasta-maker. To roll and cut two to four portions by hand is a small and fun task. Feeling the grains on the fingertips makes us rooted in the moment we live. It is an experience of now. What a transient resource at this day and age!

Italians may be strict about making pasta from durum wheat flour and semolina, but the rest of us can relax. We may use wholegrain spelt or wheat, rye, buckwheat, millet, chickpea flour or combinations of them. As long as the dough is pliable, it will be fine. There is no limit to creativity regarding the shapes or lengths of pasta. The only important point to remember is not to overcook it. Those of us who always thought al dente means to give a call to a dentist; it is time to shift the paradigm. It means firm to the bite. Or, something like that :-)!
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Thanks.
A new feature on the blog: by clicking the recipe it will open as a printable document.