I am always looking for pasta shapes, which are hard for me to find. This week I found mafaldine. This fairytale name belongs to a veritably „regal“ shape of pasta, since the Mafaldine were dedicated by Neapolitan people to Princess Mafalda di Savoia.

They have a long form, like a ribbon enriched by precious curling, which stays in its shape even after cooking.
Their secret is a certain irregularity in the consistency, between the flat centre part and the curling on the edges: a characteristic that allows this shape to blend with the most refined sauces while maintaining the pasta’s flavour. Mafaldine love rich and sumptuous recipes that evoke erstwhile banquets of Italian noble families.

Mafaldine with beef ragout and oregano

 
 
 
My mother in law grew fava beans for me, podded and froze them. I didn’t know what to do and asked my tried-and-true recipe file. It brought to light a typical dish from Schleswig-Holstein like Pears, beans and bacon – Birnen, Bohnen und Speck, but this time the alternative with pasta.
 
 

Spaghetti with Fava Sauce and Pear Puree

The boys were pleased, so was I.

At first I prepared the spaghetti with my pasta attachment and precooked them
following this instructions

-=========	REZKONV-Recipe – RezkonvSuite v1.4
Title:	Spaghetti with Fava Sauce and Pear Puree
Categories:	Pasta
Yield:	4 Servings

Ingredients

H			FAVA SAUCE
400	grams		Fava beans, frozen, about 235 g skinned

			Salt
100	grams		Bacon, diced
1	small		Onion, chopped
1	clove		Garlic, chopped
400	ml		Vegetable stock
1	teasp.		Sugar
H			PEAR PUREE
2			Pears (à ca 250 g)
3	tablesp.		Lemon juice
20	grams		Sugar
150-200	ml		Pear juice
20	grams		Butter
H			PASTA
100	grams		Pecorino, grated
			Pepper
4	servings		Spaghetti precooked

Source

	adapted from
	http://www.essen-und-trinken.de/rezept/1440

	Edited *RK* 09/10/2007 by
	Ulrike Westphal

Directions

1. Skin the thawed fava beans. Heat a large, non-stick saucepan and tip in the bacon. Fry for a few mins over a medium heat, until the fat has started to come out of the bacon. Remove bacon and drip on a kitchen towel exept for 10 grams. To the remaining fat and bacon add onion, garlic and beans and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add stock and simmer for further 4 to 5 minutes. Add the sugar and puree until smooth. Season if necessary and reduce until viscid consistency.

2. Peel and score pears. Cut into small pieces and mix with the lemon juice. Caramelize the sugar in a saucepan and deglaze with pear juice and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Add the pears and simmer for further 8 to 10 minutes and puree with a blender.

3. Warm 250 ml reserved cooking water from the pasta in a saucepan, add 60 g pecorino and season with pepper. Add the precooked pasta and some of the fava sauce. Mix well.

4. Divide sauce, spaghetti und pear puree between 4 warmed plates, sprinkle with pecorino and dripped bacon. Serve with remaining sauce, puree and cheese.

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As a proud owner of a pasta attachment it’s a must not to buy pasta. This week I made ravioli. At first I prepared the pasta dough from 140 g all purpose flour, 60 g semolina, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. I wrapped it into clingfilm and let it rest in the fridge over night. Divide dough into 4 pieces before processing with the roller attachment. Roll out pasta, cut circles with the ravioli maker and fill.

For the filling you need:
1 small Hokkaido pumpkin, seeded
1 clove garlic, peeled and halved,
1 stripe each orange zest, lemon zest
3 tablespoons brown butter
1 – 2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 tablepoon parmesan cheese, grated
50 g greek yoghurt, drained
salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 200 °C. Cut pumpkin into 1 inch cubes. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil, give pumpkin, garlic, thyme, zests and a pinch of thyme on the foil and close like a parcel. Bake about 1 hour until the pumpkin is tender. Open foil carefully and remove spices. Drain pumpkin through a cloth to remove any excess liquid and purée. You’ll need 200 grams puréed pumpkin. Add yoghurt, brown butter, cheese, bread crumbs and season to taste.

Cook the ravioli about 3 to 4 minutes in salted and boiling water. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon In a saucepan heat 80 ml vegetable stock, garlic, butter and thyme and turn the ravioli. Serve with brown butter, grated cheese and enjoy.

 
 
My pasta attachment arrived and we had to put it into service at once. I made the pictures and my son was working. You can see it in the slide show.
 
 

[slickr-flickr type=“slideshow“ search=“sets“ set=“72157640358234463″ size=“medium“ delay=“2″ align=“center“]

We wanted to use the pasta the next day, so we precooked the noodles, drained them, spread them on a baking sheet and mix them with oil. This allows the steam to escape quickly and the pasta stay firm to bite. While reheating in the sauce the pasta absorb the sauce and get more flavour. For me this is a very good way to prepare the pasta ahead without drying them.

-=========	REZKONV-Recipe – RezkonvSuite v1.4
Title:	Precooked Semolina Pasta – egg free
Categories:	Pasta
Yield:	1 Recipe

Ingredients

300	grams		Semolina flour
135	grams		Water
36	grams		Oil
1/2	teasp.		Salt
H			FOR MIXING
2	tablesp.		Olive oil

Source

	modified
	Instructions Pastaset KitchenAid

	Edited *RK* 08/29/2007 by
	Ulrike Westphal

Directions

Place water, oil, flour and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and flat beater. Turn to speed 2 and mix until crumbly. To test for correct dough consistency, pinch a small amount of dough together afer mixing with the flat beater. If the dough stays together without sticking your fingers, it should work well. Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand for 1 or 2 minutes.

Divide dough into 5 pieces before processing with the roller attachment. Roll out pasta and cut into tagliatelle.

Cook pasta in salted water for 3 minutes – they are very firm to bite – drain. Divide on a baking sheet mix with olive oil and let cool completely. Give in a closable container and keep in the fridge up to two days.

For using remove pasta from container and reheat in the sauce or stock.

=====

 
This week is a special week, the PPN turns 6 month! For this special occasion I wanted to cook homemade pasta, but unfortunately my pasta attachment didn’t arrive in time. But I tried a recipe from my new cookbook, I must buy yesterday.

Tagliatelle with ragout from calf’s liver and pears

Delicious! In this combination my boys eat liver without any comment!

-=========	REZKONV-Recipe – RezkonvSuite v1.4
Title:	Tagliatelle with ragout from calf’s liver and pears
Categories:	Pasta
Yield:	4 Servings

Ingredients

H			SAUCE
1			Onion, finey chopped
1	tablesp.		Oil
70	ml		White wine, dry
200	ml		Chicken stock
1			Bay leaf
150	grams		Cream
			Salt
			Pepper
			Nutmeg, freshly grated
H			RAGOUT
300	grams		Calf’s liver
1			Pear, ripe and firm
1-2	teasp.		powdered sugar
1-2	tablesp.		Butter
			Salt
			Pepper
			Majoram, dried
1	tablesp.		Parsley leaves, chopped
H			PASTA
400	grams		Tagliatelle
			Salt

Source

*	Alfons Schuhbeck Meine bayerische Küche* ISBN 978-3898832816

	Edited *RK* 08/24/2007 by
	Ulrike Westphal

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and cook the onion until soft and transparent. Add the wine and reduce the liquid. Add the chicken stock and the bay leaf and let steep on low heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, add the cream and reheat. Purée the sauce, mix in the butter and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

2. Prepare liver and cut into 1 cm strips. Wash pear, quarter, remove the core and cut into wedges.

3. Caramelise the powdered sugar in a pan on medium heat and fry pears from both sides. Mix in the butter and add the liver strips. Fry in the butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt pepper, a pinch of majoram. Stir in the parsley.

4. Cook the pasta according the package instruction until firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Pour off into a sieve, drain and give back into the sauce pan.

5. Give the sauce to the pasta and reheat. Arrange pasta on a plate and add the ragout.

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