How to Make Polenta | Rouxbe Cooking School Lesson

As a main course, polenta pairs extremely well with hearty ragus and braised dishes. It can also be infused with a variety of flavors and served as a side dish. Polenta is also inexpensive, so go ahead and start adding this versatile staple to your weekly meal plan. The above dish is called Polenta on a Board (Polenta Sulla Spianatoia), which is a traditional Italian way to serve polenta family-style.

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How to Make Delicate Sheet Pasta

Making dough for sheet pasta is not as intimidating as it may seem. It literally takes about 7 minutes to put together, 30 minutes to rest, and about 10 to roll out. Lasagna made with fresh layers of pasta is sublime, and the same sheet pasta can be used to make tender ravioli, tortellini, or pappardelle. I even use it for cannelloni.

Pasta's ingredients can simply be a combination of flour and water, or you may choose to enrich it with eggs, yolks, olive oil, or other liquids. Eggs add color, protein, and a delicious richness. Pasta is obviously so versatile, it pairs well with a wide range of ingredients making it an easy way to showcase delicious sauces and cater to any kind of taste bud.

One of the ingredients we were introduced to at NWCAV was Divella "00" flour, which can be found at Italian specialty stores. It is soft wheat flour that produces less gluten, and is used to make delicate, pillow-like pasta. Pastry flour can be used as a substitute. High-gluten durum wheat is used to make firmer cut pastas like spaghetti, fettuccine, and linguine.

Once the mixture is combined and kneaded until smooth, pasta dough must be allowed to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This allows the flour particles to fully absorb the liquid; and, the developed gluten relaxes, making it easier to stretch. Fresh pasta should be used within one day, or shaped and frozen for future use.

I enjoy experimenting with different combinations and flours when making pasta, however, one of my favorite recipes is from NWCAV (below). The results for soft sheet pasta are excellent.

Equipment Needed:

• pasta rolling machine
• flour for dusting
• clean kitchen towels
• sheet pans
• skimmer or large slotted spoon
• large pot
  
• ice water bath (if making lasagna or cannelloni noodles)

Ingredients to make 1 pound of pasta:

1 cup all-purpose flour   1 cup "00" flour 2 large eggs 1/4 cup  water 1/4 tsp.  salt

Directions:
1. In a bowl or on a countertop, combine the flours and form a well in the center. Briefly whisk the eggs and water together and pour into the middle. Bring the dough together by stirring and gradually incorporating the dry ingredients with the wet.


2. If you feel the mixture needs more water, add only a teaspoon at a time and continue to knead until the dough is completely smooth, at least 5 minutes, adding flour only if necessary. The dough will be firm but pliable. To tell if you have kneaded the dough enough, cut the mass in half. You should see that there are no big holes throughout the dough just tiny ones like in the photo below.


3. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.


4. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Keep the extra pieces of dough wrapped in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying as you work.

5. Flatten the dough slightly and shape it into a rough square. Starting on the widest setting, roll it through the machine. Fold the dough into thirds, like a letter, turn and run through the rollers once again, inserting the sides of the letter first (see below). Staying on the widest setting, continue to fold the dough like a letter and run it through the machine at least a dozen times. This builds up strength in the dough.


6. Next, without folding, run the pasta dough through each setting once or twice, as you work your way down the settings to the thinnest one desired. I usually like the thickness of the second last setting. As you are rolling the pasta through the machine, gently pull it out the other end to help it along by stretching it. If the sheet gets too long, you can cut it in half and work with a shorter length. Just be sure to flour the surface for the sheet of dough that has been set aside, so it doesn't stick to the counter before you get to it.

7. Once you have rolled out a sheet to the desired thickness, place on a lightly floured sheet pan and cover with a towel to prevent the dough from drying out while you roll out the remainder of the dough.

8. Cut the sheets of dough into the desired shapes. For lasagna, pappardelle and cannelloni noodles, these must be boiled before continuing on with your recipe. For ravioli and tortellini, fill the raw cut noodles, seal with egg wash, shape, and then boil.

Tagged as: [ howto italian pasta recipes ]

Sumptuous Places | Tosi & Co. - A Rich Part of Vancouver's Italian History

When we first visited Vancouver's Chinatown, we were excited and intrigued to see a storefront that appeared to be an Italian deli. We tried to enter but it remained a mystery since the doors were closed and we never saw people enter or exit. Had we looked closer, we would have seen a sign indicating that you need to ring a doorbell.  It wasn't until a friend of ours pointed that out to us and we tried again. Why the bell? The area can be a bit shady and unfortunately dangerous for storeowners.

After ringing the bell of Tosi & Co. and waiting for a few brief moments, we saw an adorable older man appear, wave at us, and buzz us in. I felt as though I stepped into one of my grandfather’s garages back on the farm. Everything in his garage had meaning and its own place – even if it looked a little out of sorts. Spread over 6000 sq. ft. and oozing with history, you will find a combination of food and antique items.


We were warmly welcomed and quickly struck up a conversation with the owner, Angelo Tosi. He told us his store is 101 years old and was passed down to him from his father, Peter Tosi. He went on to explain that a long time ago, Little Italy used to exist in the area and Chinatown only spanned one block on Pender Street. He reminisced about the past, telling us the area used to be full of Italian shops and businesses. His mother would sometimes sit in a chair outside the shop and converse with customers. Between 1930-1960 the Portuguese and Chinese arrived and bought most of the houses in the area. Many Italians rebuilt better homes and moved over to Commercial Drive. Today he tells us more Italian shops are located around Nanaimo Street on East Hastings. As Chinatown began to grow, he remembers it being extraordinarily beautiful, and recalls such things as people smoking water pipes amongst all of the fresh produce they were selling.

My grandfather was born in 1906 and I remember listening to stories about all of the changes he witnessed over time. People like him and Angelo have incredibly rich information and stories to share. Angelo started working with his father at the age of 5 and points out the cash register that sits amongst the goods can only ring up a maximum of $9.90. Back in those days, it was extremely rare to ever sell somebody that many groceries. People would normally walk out with 2-3 bags full of groceries for under $2.00. Items cost pennies. The occasional time that they would exceed $9.90 in sales, he would yell out “Holy mackerel, $9.95! That breaks the cash register!”


Angelo still caters to many of his loyal Italian customers and hopes to keep his store alive by passing it down in his family. A lot of his goods come directly from Italy, including Sagra olive oil and the delicious organic Parmesan cheese ($2.35/100g) that he imports from his cousin, north of Parma in Salsomaggiore. He continues to sell the same pasta his father sold decades ago – why change it if you have a good thing?

When I ask Angelo what his favorite dishes are, he tells me you can’t beat a good plate of pasta and offers a few pointers on how to prepare a simple dish with tomatoes, onion, and garlic. He advises to eat lots of vegetables and fruits and only one small plate of pasta. He says he used to eat two plates of pasta but when he cut back he lost 23 pounds. He enjoys eating polenta and risotto and was telling us how his wife will be preparing a dish that evening which included parsnips and rapini. “Eat wholesome food and enjoy a glass of wine”, he tells us.

So we ask, how have things changed? Angelo thinks that Vancouver is missing out on a lot of great Italian products but due to the Canadian Food Inspection requirements of having nutritional facts and languages printed on packages, many Italian producers are not willing to spend the additional money for packaging. The demand in our area wouldn’t be great enough for it to make sense. Also, orders are now placed by Angelo on-line or by fax. The quality of some goods that producers offer have declined as it is more about making money nowadays. The mentality is what can you buy for cheap to show the best profit. We all have witnessed that. Angelo continues to service restaurants but stresses only on a cash basis. He smartly says that if you go into business, you should have your own capital to start it up.

Some things haven’t changed though. Angelo has kept the store the same way that his father arranged it and likes it so much he won’t change a thing. He has pictures of his family members behind the counter.

As we waited to have our groceries packaged to dash home and make a pasta dish, the conversation shifts to the Internet and searching for stock quotes through various search engines like Google and Yahoo Finance. We were both impressed at Angelo’s knowledge of hard drives and Gigabytes, desktops and laptops. Aside from learning a bit of history and more about food, this smart businessman gives us a little bit of financial advice too, which is: never keep cash – always convert it into something that will appreciate.


It was nice to see other customers ringing the bell as we chatted. Tosi & Co. is located on 624 Main Street between Keefer and Georgia.


Click here for more pictures. If you're in the area, ring the bell and pay Angelo a visit.

Tagged as: [ canada chinatown deli italian tosi vancouver ]

Sumptuous Shops | La Grotta Del Formaggio

Being new to the city, we're always asking where the tastiest places are located to eat and shop. I created another category of the places that we're visiting to serve as a future reference for friends, family, and anyone interested to check out.

I'm sure this is a well-known spot for the locals of Vancouver but anyone who visits and is strolling down Commercial Drive has to try out La Grotta Del Formaggio. We went in to buy some quality Italian ingredients and could not leave without ordering one of their made-to-order sandwiches. We split (thank goodness) a large hot capicolo and spicy salami sandwich which was stacked with provolone, pickled eggplant, roasted red peppers, marinated artichokes, hot banana peppers, green olives, lettuce, tomato, basil pesto mayo, dijon mustard, and balsamic and olive oil. I was shocked at how many toppings and how much meat was put on this sandwich - all for the bargain price of $6.50! The picture below shows only 1/2 the sandwich.



We sat outside at one of the few tables there and savored every single bite of this monster. There are even larger-sized sandwiches on focaccia but be warned, two of us shared a large one.




This will definitely be a regular spot that we visit.

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Week No. 2 Menu Development on Italian Cuisine at NWCAV

One of the big concerns I had prior to entering culinary school was whether I could be creative enough when the time came to put dishes together. I would get stuck in just trying to figure out what to make for our dinner parties with weeks of notice -- how on earth could I come up with different things with more frequency?

Kalimar, a good friend of mine, attended the full-time culinary program at L'Academie de Cuisine in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and he would share stories of the work involved and the tasks expected of the students. Creating a menu was a part of those tasks. I found him to be a great source of information, which helped me prepare mentally for what was to come. It is my hope that prospective students entering culinary school can benefit from my postings here -- the same way I benefited from hearing Kalimar's stories and insights.

This was the second week of Italian cuisine at NWCAV and on Wednesday we were asked to produce a 3-course menu along with a bread. So, were my fears valid? Is culinary school and the industry only for those that are just born with the talent of putting dishes together easily? No! It wouldn't be school if everyone already knew everything! I am understanding that this all takes time, lots of experience, and lots of patience. One step at a time and it will come.

Don't get me wrong; I have not become comfortable with this process overnight but the difference between cooking at home and getting an education on the topic it is that you are exposed to so many different things on a daily basis. At home, I would get frustrated and drained when I searched through recipes hoping to find the one that excited me. I relied on recipes HEAVILY! What is changing for me is that we are learning the fundamentals. Once you understand them, it brings you to a comfort level where you can then take those basics, add or subtract ingredients to make your own dishes unique.

Think about our mothers and our grandmothers. They had the basics instilled in them. They weren't hovering over the kitchen stove producing "roasted apricot and basil foams" or "chambord infused scallop lollipops"...they produced nutritious and tasty, comforting food. They mastered the basics and, of course, this is where we, as emerging chefs, need to start.
 
At NWCAV, we change partners almost every week. I like it because you are exposed to different ideas, different personalities, and you learn how to adapt to work well with the new person.

During the Italian Menu Development assignment, simplicity was emphasized. The Chefs didn't want to see 10 different flavors going into a pasta dish. They wanted us to have some fun with the menu but remember to let the few flavors speak for themselves and not over-complicate things. I'll admit, it is hard to restrain yourself from wanting to add "just a bit more'.

My partner and I put together a pretty good menu. The thing you'll want to hear is that it isn't as daunting as you might imagine. The Chefs provide some guidelines for us which made it a bit structured. For example, we had to produce one to two antipasto items, a type of bread, one pasta dish, and a main course that incorporated rabbit. Somewhere in one of those dishes, we had to use portabello mushroom and bocconcini cheese.

The menu that my partner and I developed consisted of:

• grissini (bread sticks) infused with chill oil
• a "Leaning Tower of Pisa" which consisted of marinated and grilled portabello mushroom layered with roasted red pepper, bocconcini cheese, and a roasted tomato with a basil leaf in between each layer, drizzled with a balsamic reduction
• a cheesy risotto cake with crispy pancetta
• tortollini stuffed with fontina & ricotta cheese, spinach and toasted almonds, topped with a lemon scented cream sauce (we threw in a tiny bit of roasted red pepper that we had left over from our pisa tower which added some nice color)
• for our main, we made a rabbit stew where we marinated the rabbit over night in red wine and herbs and then cooked it for 3+ hours and served it over creamy polenta

Overall, we really enjoyed the process and everything that we made. However, I'll see how relaxed I am when the menu development for our final exam comes...
 

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