Conference turris::cooks

    rep -1
    
    The ingredients ratio for my basic pasta dough is;
    
    	1 cup all-purpose flour
    	1 egg
    	1 tbsp olive oil
    	1 tbsp water
    
    Ken....

re: .1


When I make homemade manicotti I make a crepe-like pasta batter. I make the 
crepes on a griddle or frying pan, then put a blob of filling in them and 
fold them like a crepe. I'll dig out the recipe tonight and enter it in the AM.

Patti

    Yes, I agree with .-1, homemade manicotti should be made from a
    crepe like batter, not a pasta batter (unless you love the pasta
    variety!!)
    
    I always just mixed 1 cup of flour with 3/4 cup water and 1/4 cup
    milk, plus one egg. You can double, triple those measurements, etc...
    
    The trick is getting a pan that will make the right size crepe.
    You can use a cast iron pan, or even an 8inch teflon coated pan.
    
    Cook the crepe on one side only, and be sure to flip it over several
    times as it cools to keep it from sticking. I use wax paper.
    
    Good luck!
    
    mike

Here's my manicotti recipe complete with assembly instructions.

Crepes:

3 cups flour
4 eggs
2 cups water
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients. If batter is too thick add a little water. Cook like
pancakes (3-inch diameter, very thin). Set aside between layers of wax paper.
These can be made ahead and refrigerated for a day or two.

Filling:

2 lbs. ricotta
4 eggs
parsley (I use about a handful)
grated cheese (handful also)
freshly ground black pepper (5 or 6 grinds)

Mix all ingredients.

To assemble:

Spread a layer of spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish. Take
a crepe and lay it across the palm of one hand. Plop a large dollop of filling
in the center of the crepe. Spread in to the edges so that you have a line of
filling down the center of the crepe. (I wish I had an easy way to draw a
picture.) Fold the sides of the crepe up over the filling. Place in the baking
pan. I usually try to put them seam side down. Repeat this process until you
have a single layer of filled crepes. Spread any leftover filling over the
crepes. Spread a layer of sauce over the filling. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
I use a mix of romano and parmesean. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour at
350. Uncover, bake 15 minutes longer. Let this set for about 15 minutes before
you cut it; if you don't let it set it oozes all over the place.

    Re .4:
    This sounds real good, but what kind of spaghetti sauce are
    you referring to here? The bottled, store-bought variety?
    With meat?
    I ask because I always make spaghetti sauce from scratch, and
    so I need to know what kind I'd need to make.
    
    ...Robert
    

re: .5

I would *never* use anything but homemade sauce. It's so easy to make and so
much better that bottled. Sure, I'm a sauce snob. I would rather not have pasta
if the only choice were bottled sauce. 

I prefer to make my sauce without any meat. I use chopped green and red peppers,
mushrooms, onions, lots of garlic, sometimes chopped up eggplant. I use Pastene
tomatoes, Contadina paste, I don't measure anything. Spices may include crushed
red pepper, oregano, basil, grated romano cheese, black pepper, bay leaves,
crushed fennel seeds. 

This is my favorite sauce. The trick to good manicotti is to use your favorite
sauce. If you like meat in your pasta you could sprinkle some crumbled ground
beef or sausage meat on top of the bottom sauce layer and on top of the crepe
layer.

Enjoy

Patti

    Does anyone have a good whole wheat or mostly whole wheat pasta recipe? 
    Or some non-wheat flour, like buckwheat?
    
    Thanks,
    D!

    D!, I suggest taking a regular noodle/pasta recipe and substituting the
    whole wheat flour for the regular flour.  It shouldn't be a problem.

My regular noodle recipe uses about 3/4 white flour, and 1/4 semolina.  The last
time I treid whole wheat, I used half and half white (i.e., 3/8 and 3/8) with
the semolina.  It didn't have the nice texture I wanted.  Next time I'll use
1/2 white, 1/4 wheat, and 1/4 semolina.

By the way, if you want an interesting brown pasta that does not require whole
wheat flour, take a few dried mushrooms (chinese black work well), and drop them
in a dry blender.  Blend until almost a dust, then add the eggs/liquid 
ingredients, and blend until there are no more visible chunks of musroom.  Add
this to the dry ingredients.

    I've made "Whole Wheat Pasta with Ricotta Sauce" that is really good.
    The pasta was a combination of Whole Wheat and White flours.  The
    sauce is primarily ricotta with just a little bit of cream.  I've
    been meaning to post the recipe....I'll enter it tonight.
    
    --Sharon
    

    
    re: .8
    
   >>> D!, I suggest taking a regular noodle/pasta recipe and substituting the
   >>> whole wheat flour for the regular flour.  It shouldn't be a problem.
    
    I wouldn't do that !! Not a 100 % substitution.
    
    We made whole wheat bread in our Auto Bakery, health conscious as we
    are lately (!!!), substituting whole wheat flour for regular.
    
    It was bad !!!!  It tasted so bitter...we couldn't really eat it.
    
    
    ...Shubha
    

    This is one of my favorites lately.  I imagine you could cut down on
    the butter, or use margarine...and use less/no cream.
    
    I'll admit it - I'm addicted to homemade pasta and fresh parmesan!!!
    
    

		    Whole-Wheat Pasta with Ricotta

				Serves 4

	   
	    2 T butter
	    1 T olive oil
	    1 clove garlic, chopped fine
	    1/4 cup milk
	    1/4 cup heavy cream
	    1 tsp salt
	    1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
	    1 pound skim-milk ricotta
	    1 cup grated parmesan cheese
    	    1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti or fettucine
	    2 T finely chopped parsley

           In a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil until
	   melted and combined.  Add the garlic and saute until pale.
	   Do not brown the garlic.

	   Add the milk, cream, salt, and red pepper flakes.  Heat the
	   mixture to just below the boiling point.  Then add the
	   ricotta and half the parmesan cheese and blend well with a
	   wire whisk until the mixture is creamy.  Set aside but keep
	   warm.

	   Cook the paste until al dente and drain well.  Place in a
	   heated serving bowl and add the ricotta mixture.  Toss
	   lightly but well.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup parmesan
	   cheese and the parsley over all.  Serve immediately.




			    Whole Wheat Pasta

			    Makes 1 1/2 Pounds
	   
	    1 cup whole-wheat flour
	    2 cups all-purpose flour
	    4 eggs, lightly beaten
	    1/2 tsp salt
	    1 T olive oil
	    3 T warm water

	   I use my food processor - combine dry ingredients.  Add
	   eggs, oil, and water.  Mix, and add flour/water as
	   necessary.  Knead for a minute or two on the counter,
	   and roll through the pasta machine.
    

Oh! I thought you had a recipe for whole wheat pasta, when in fact
you had a recipe for *using* whole wheat pasta.  I already know
what to do with the pasta, I just have to figure out how to *make*
the pasta.

Still looking for a whole wheat pasta recipe...

Diana

    The recipe for the pasta is tacked on at the bottom of the note.
    
    --Sharon
    

    Oh, so it is!  I didn't see it cuz I didn't press return after the
    form feed.
    
    Danke schoen!  
    
    D!

    
    Discovered pasta-making by hand this week. Monday, made hundreds and
    thousands of ravioli, and two days ago made fettucini and spaghetti.
    Sooooo simple, so easy, so fun!
    
    What I would very much like to do now, is to start flavouring the
    pasta. Could anyone help with ways to prepare things like capsicum (red
    bell pepper) ... has anyone used chilli? Dry or fresh? I have a
    chilli-monster for a husband.... :-)
    
    Thanks in advance,
    ~Sheridan~
    sherri@magna.com.au
    

>    What I would very much like to do now, is to start flavouring the
>    pasta. Could anyone help with ways to prepare things like capsicum (red
>    bell pepper) ... has anyone used chilli? Dry or fresh? I have a
>    chilli-monster for a husband.... :-)
****
	When you mix the Egg, Oil and Water, you can:
		- use infused oil (we've used Basil infused olive oil. Great!)
		- add the spice of choice but...
			o if the spice is hard, like pepper, put the mix in a
			  blender to make a smooth mix which will flow thru
	  		  the holes in the die. (works great with Garlic)

	DON'T try to add cracked pepper, oregano, rosemary (any of the harder
	spices) unless you grind them to fine consistancy.

    Well, this wouldn't work for chilli, but for carrots and spinach
    flavored pasta the book I read recommended using a small jar or baby
    food.

    Chilli baby-food :-) :-)
    
    I bet my chilli-monster was brought up on this.
    
    Seriously, while she was pregnant with him, his mother ate virtually
    nothing but plain spaghettit with chilli flakes, or bread with olive
    oil and chilli. He's got chilli in his veins, I swear.
    
    (Please DON'T all you helth freaks leap in with how un-nutritious this
    must have been! I know, it sounds ghastly ... but he's 42 and hardly
    EVER been ill in his life... ths chilli impregnated in his DNA must
    ward off all bugx :-)
    
    ~S~
    

	I've used one recipe for making "chile pasta".
	You may like it... My family does... 

	Don't 'weigh' or 'measure' the peppers....
	But if you use a chile approx 3 inches long, I would 
	use 5 of them. ( maybe more depending on whether skinny)

	- slice & deseed the peppers, place in processor till fine
		(scrape the sides down)
	- add 2 cups of flour, process again to mix
	- add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp worchestire
	- add 1 egg	
	- then I start the processor
		and add	4tbsp olive oil
		then start adding tbsps of water 3-4 depending on mix
		    keep that processing till forms a ball

	Then we take it out and knead it - let it rest for 20-30 mins
	Then start making pasta.

	We put the finished pasta in rapidly boiling water for 1 minute
	no longer.

	I've not used red pepper for this, usually green, since we serve
	with a red sauce. 

	/joe