CHOW BELLA
ELLA WALKER learns how to make an Italian classic by following tips from the Pasta Grannies
EVEN bona fide Italians rely on dried pasta. Reaching for hard twirls of fusilli and twiggy strands of spaghetti is not exactly frowned upon – we’re all busy, we all want pasta, and you really can’t argue with the packet stuff in those circumstances. But there are those who will make their own pasta from scratch.
One such person is 85-year-old Maria, one of the nonnas to star in Vicky Bennison’s Pasta Grannies cookbook, which charts Vicky’s mission to meet and film women who still make pasta by hand.
Here, Nonna Maria explains how to make her celebratory Cappelletti (‘little hats’) in Brodo (broth) –a pasta dish that is traditionally eaten at Christmas.
CELEBRATORY CAPPALLETTI IN BRODO
1. To make the egg pasta dough...
Weigh out your ingredients. Allow 100g of flour per person for a main course-sized portion. You need 55g egg without its shell for every 100g flour. If your eggs are on the small side, add a bit of water or another egg yolk.
2. Mix them together and tip the flour onto your board. Use your fingers to make a well in the centre. Pour the eggs into the well. Take a fork (or use your fingers) and scramble the eggs together.
3. Draw your fork round the inside of the flour wall, so a small quantity of flour falls into the egg mixture. Whisk it in to gradually create a batter. Repeat until you have a mixture that won’t run. At this point you can cave in the flour walls and mix in the rest of the flour.
4. Mop up flour with your dough and knead it. If it is sticky, add a tablespoon of flour and knead in. The dough should be pillowy, but not too sticky. 5. Knead for 10 minutes minimum. Once your dough has become a log, turn it 90-degrees and fold it in half and continue kneading. You want to work at a brisk pace, as air is the enemy of decent pasta. Leave the dough to rest. 6. Place the dough in a lidded bowl and cover it to stop it from drying out. Leave the dough at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or in the fridge overnight. Bring the pasta back to room temperature before you roll it.
7. Roll out the dough. Check out the Pasta Grannies ‘How to Roll Pasta’ video on YouTube for this. Remember to keep your pasta floured throughout the process. Eventually, you will end up with pasta you can see through. It should feel like heavy linen.
8. Cut 5cm squares out of the dough, keeping the rest of the squares covered with a tea towel while you make the cappelletti. A knife and a ruler work well for this. 9. To make the filling: Mash all the cheeses with the egg yolk and nutmeg. Place a marble-sized piece of the mixture into the centre of each pasta square. Fold the pasta over the cheese to create a right-angled triangle. Press and seal the edges, then bring the two smaller angled corners together around your finger to create a ‘hat’ and press together firmly. Repeat until you have finished the mixture.
10. Bring the meat stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Cook the cappelletti gently in batches for five or so minutes. Ladle out the pasta with some of the stock onto plates and serve with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.