Culinary Skills Week 13 – Lotsa Pasta

Culinary Skills, is our most advanced, 20-week Home Cook course designed to be the ‘best of’ CSR’s professional Chef Track curriculum. The past twelve weeks students have learned techniques, flavor components, and orchestration of meals with their Skills instructor, Chef Shan Siebert. The Skills class is made up of twelve students with a sincere passion for food – who love learning and being introduced to new cooking ideas without the pressure of tests and practicals.

Week 13 had an Italian theme with students cooking up their own pasta, Bolognese sauce, grilled Caeser salad and more. “This is a fun class! Our dishes are awesome.” Everyone gathered around the table designated to pasta-making and floured their hands to roll out and cut pasta dough. Some of the students claimed that what was produced was just like the artisan handmade pasta you buy from specialty shops. “We infused the pasta with flavors like cracked black pepper and spinach-garlic, and tried dessert pasta (chocolate-cinnamon),” said current skills student, Ben Madden. So much for New Years’ resolutions because the class uses lots of butter (=flavor!). Students experiment with slightly healthier versions of the recipes at home, but when they meet for their weekly Skills class, they throw all resolutions to the wind . . . and it’s worth it.

Week 13 Menu
Bolognese Sauce
Handmade Pasta
Grilled Caesar Salad
Veal Scaloppini with Prosciutto and Gruyere
Lamb Shanks with Wild Mushrooms
Stewed French White Beans

Recipe for Flour-Egg Pasta

Ingredients:
12 oz Unbleached all-purpose flour
Wet Mixture. Whisk until combined and add to flour
3 each Eggs
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
¼ cup Water
½ tsp. Sea Salt, fine grain

Techniques/Methods:

1. To make the pasta:
By Hand
- Mound the flour and salt on the tabletop and make a well in the center.

- Place the wet mixture into the well.

- Using a fork, slowly incorporate the wet and dry ingredients.

When the flour is almost incorporated, start to knead the dough by hand.
Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes to an hour un-refrigerated.

Can’t wait to see what is on the menu for Week 14!