Pasta in a mille forme

Pasta, enormously popularised by different brands in India, has some stereotypes associated with it. The very utterance of the term ‘Pasta’,
a prime component of the Italian cuisine, enables one with imagining a not-
so-spicy dish with a traditionally cylindrical, triangular or ribbon-shaped flour-based main ingredient and complementary creamy sauces. While, that is essentially the basics, chefs would never agree that this is all that pasta caters to.

In the words of Chef Gregorio Lostia, there are at least two dozen pasta shapes in Italy among which only three to four are immensely popular in India, whereas, the other forms are equally popular in every Italian household. There are even some shapes that have no
formal name or title but can be found in some Italian household. “Imagine homemade pasta with
any homemade Indian sweet. The shapes and taste (to some extent) can differ from person to person and generation to generation. While the most popular pasta shapes are no doubt spaghetti, macaroni, penne and vermicelli, there are some lesser known shapes such as fusilli, tortellini, cannelloni and many others that are equally salivating,’’ expresses Lostia.

For those who wonder that the lesser known pastas would never be in their fate, here is a glimpse of how common as well as unique pasta can be prepared scrumptiously.

RIGATONI ALLA GRICIA

Ingredients

Pasta rigatoni - 100 gms
Smoked bacon - 60 gms
(sliced, not too fine)  
Pecorino cheese   
(grated) - 50 gms
Garlic - 10 gms
Onion - 50 gms
White wine - 60 ml
Olive oil - 20 ml
Salt - 15 gms
Black pepper - a pinch
Parsley - a pinch

Method

Take a saucepan, add olive oil, then sauté onion and garlic
Add bacon, sautéed well, and add white wine to give more flavour
Pasta rigatoni has to be cooked in boiling salted water for the time it needs (see cooking time instructions from factory)
Remove the rigatoni as soon as it is ready and add to the mix
Add pecorino cheese and toss properly to make saucy and creamy consistency
Serve in pasta plate and garnish with parsley, black pepper and olive oil

POTATO GNOCCHI FOUR CHEESE

Ingredients
Potato gnocchi - 150 gms
Cooking cream - 80 ml
Parmesan cheese (grated) - 60 gms
Pecorino cheese (grated) - 30 gms
Ricotta cheese - 25 gms
Scamorza cheese - 25 gms
(small chunks)
Olive oil - 20 ml
Salt - 20 gms
Black pepper as per taste
Parsley for garnishing

Method
Take a saucepan, add cream, and bring to soft boil
Add all the cheeses mentioned in the recipe and mix gently while whisking to make smooth and creamy sauce
Potato gnocchi has to be cooked in boiling salted water for four to five mins
Remove the gnocchi as soon as it is ready and add to the mix
Now toss properly into the sauce
Add seasoning if required
Serve in a pasta plate and garnish with parsley, black pepper and olive oil

Squid And Rocket leaves Risotto

Ingredients

Risotto arborio - 320 gms
Cleaned squid - 200 gms (U/20 squid tube) (round cut)
Rocket leaves - 80 gms
Red onion (small diced) - 200 gms
Cloves
garlic (minced) - 2
White wine - 50 ml
Extra Virgin olive oil - 50 ml
Butter - 40 gms
Fish stock (for cooking) - 1,500 ml
Chopped parsley
Fresh rosemary (fine chopped) - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Pepper crushed -  a pinch

Method

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and garlic, cook for about two minutes to soften. Do not overcook or burn it
Add the arborio rice and toss for few minutes with the rest of the ingredients, add wine and reduce the heat, simmer until all the wine has been absorbed.
Boil the fish stock and slowly add a bit at a time, waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more stock, until the rice has to be cooked 16-18 minutes, as per your taste
Toss the squid with oil in a hot non-stick pan for 2-3 minutes and later add to the rice
Finish with butter, shredded rocket leaves and parsley, pour olive oil over the risotto and season to taste
Serve hot

Fusilli with black olive pesto

Ingredients

Pasta Fusilli - 100 gms
Parmesan cheese (grated) - 60 gms
Garlic
(chopped) - 10 gms
Onion (chopped) - 50 gms
Fresh spinach (washed and coarsely chopped) - 100 gms
Cherry tomato
(washed and cut in half)  - 30 gms
Cooking cream - 30 ml
Olive kalamata -
20 gms
Olive oil - 50 ml
Salt - 15 gms
Black pepper -  a pinch
Parsley - a pinch

Method

Take a saucepan, add cream and half quantity of garlic from the recipe, keep cooking in slow heat till it becomes soft. With a blender or mixer’s help, make it smooth and cream the garlic
In another saucepan, add olive oil, onion, garlic. Keep slow heat for the cooking time and sautéed the vegetables nicely
Sautéed now, add spinach, cherry tomato in the same saucepan, and keep cooking for 3 to 5 mins, seasoning as required for more flavour
Pasta fusilli has to be cooked in boiling salted water for the time needed (see cooking time instructions from factory)
Remove the fusilli as soon ready and add to the mix
Add parmesan cheese and toss properly to make the pasta saucy and consistent; add seasoning if required
Serve in pasta plate, with garlic purée on the bottom plate, garnish with parsley, black pepper and olive oil

Spinach ricotta tortellini

Ingredients

Pasta dough - 300 gms
Olive oil - 60 ml
Salt - 20 gms
Freshly grounded black pepper - 5 gms
Fresh tomato cubed - 400 gms
Chopped garlic - 5 gms
Grated parmesan - 50 gms
Chopped parsley - 5 gms
Fresh ricotta cheese - 300 gms
Tomato sauce - 200 ml
Fresh spinach - 150 gms
Parmesan julienne - 10 gms
Fresh cress - 5 gms    

Method

Wash the spinach under running water to remove all the sand
Blanch it in boiling salted water for 15 second, drain the water and immerse in ice bath to preserve the chlorophyll
Roughly chop the spinach and sautée at medium fire with chopped garlic for not more the 10 seconds
In a large bowl mix ricotta, spinach, salt, pepper, and  50 gms of grated parmesan
Mix well till all the ingredients are well combined, keep aside
Stir the pasta dough very thin. With the help of a cutter cut the dough round, 5 cm diameter, place a teaspoon of stuffing in the centre to give the preferred shape
Cook the tortelloni in boiling salted water for four minutes, drain the excess water and keep in a pan with warm olive oil
In a pasta plate, place a bed of tomato sauce, arrange the tortelloni and garnish with parmesan julienne and fresh cress
Serve hot

— All recipes by the Chef de cuisine of La Piazza