pasta + Pavlova
Just like visiting an old friend, each fall I visit the apple trees. They are usually forgotten, tucked away in places that people don’t pick anymore and our annual reunion is such a grand gift to me. Each spring, it’s similar to ramps. I couldn’t tell you the exact location of where these places are, mostly because it’s driving down a road by memory to get there.
When I first started dating Duane I was perplexed why he was buying pasta from the store. He was dating a miller(me), with access to freshly milled flour, why would he NOT make it?? This was in late June, when blueberries begin to peak in harvest…I get it now. Life gets busy. BUT, if you have an hour on a Sunday, I encourage you to make your own pasta.
I gifted Duane a pasta machine last year and we used it for the first time in April, fresh pasta with ramps we gathered. After eating the pasta we fell in love with the food in a new way. The first time we baked cookies with the flour we grew and milled, it was a WOAH moment. Fresh pasta is a branch on this appreciation tree for us.
Sunday Pasta has become a new tradition in our home…or at least the past handful of Sundays. Last weekend, we had a PASTA & PAVLOVA Party. We made dough with our Appalachian White Wheat flour, and everyone made pasta together. The vegetable abundance around the farm has begun, and made creating a full meal fun and delicious. Plus, when you’re friends with other farmers, whatever you don’t grow, they probably are.
For dessert, a ‘if you give a mouse a cookie’ scenario. If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to want to some milk to go with it. Once he has some milk, he’ll want a mirror to avoid a milk mustache…
When you make this pasta, you’ll need a lot of egg yolks, and once you have a lot of egg yolks, you have to do something with all of those egg whites. Cue Pavlova, a meringue dessert of sorts of whipped egg whites.
A storm was rolling in, and some of our friends were still on their way to the farm. The group that had already arrived all walked up to the strawberry patch as lightning struck nearby. In a matter of minutes, we all gathered a few gallons of berries that we used later in the evening to top the pavlova with whipped cream. After the storm passed, the lightning bugs danced about the sky, and we shared dessert and laughter.
Never underestimate an evening with food, friends, and fireflies to revive the soul.
Fresh Pasta Recipe
Dough
1 ¾ cups (225 g) Sifted Appalachian White Wheat Flour
9 egg yolks
1 TBSP (15 ml) Olive Oil
3 TBSP ( 45 ml) water , more as needed
Topping 2 ways:
1- Arugula Pesto- We sell this at the markets in half pint jars, made with our garlic and arugula by Duane. He is very particular about his pesto and insists on using the best ingredients to make it. His pesto has a weird cult following, made up of the cutest people. Easy & nutritious. A stronger bite than basil, but feels like an appropriate way to say goodbye to spring before summer’s basil is in full swing.
2- Sauteed green garlic, broccoli, and lemon. Hearty and light at the same time. We are an allium loving family. Garlic, onions, shallots, that’s how you win our friendship. We are in the thick of broccoli harvest and we planted my favorite Italian variety. While harvesting the broccoli the other day, I realized that if you have been crushing on someone for a while, cook them a meal with broccoli. Broccoli = hearty, solid, secure. A meal with this plant, evokes that emotion.
From beginning to first bites, this takes a little less than an hour.
Add flour to a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment.
On medium speed, add egg yolks, oil, then water, one by one, until the dough comes together. ( ~2 minutes)
Turn the dough out and knead until smooth. (~5 minutes)
Shape into a ball & flatten into a disk. Cover & REST dough for 30 minutes. Use this time to prepare the seasonal additions to your meal and get your pot of water ready to boil.
Cut into 4 pieces to handle more easily.
Shape each piece into an oval the width of your pasta roller. Lightly flour your work surface and begin to stretch out the dough with the roller set on the widest setting. Pass through each setting twice, until you reach your desired pasta thickness.
Cook the pasta fresh!
Notes:
This recipe is from Marc Vetri’s Mastering Pasta.
You can do this by hand, but a Pasta Roller makes it easier. . After researching and using, I suggest the hand crank, table top MARCATO 150 Pasta Machine ($65-75) . This is the biggest upfront cost but a thoughtful gift for the food lover or artist in your life, making the whole pasta process enjoyable and less daunting.
Don’t substitute the oil with water…we have had better success this way.
Make a meringue dessert or omelette for breakfast with all of those leftover egg whites.
If you have further questions about the recipe/process, come see us at the Farmer’s Market!
