In my first year cooking class, I teach the kids how to make fresh pasta, and finish it as Fettuccine Alfredo. Using the extra dough from the last class, I amused myself with making some alternate pasta shapes.
Then I had to cook them.
The pasta was prepared using my fresh pasta recipe. Each pasta was then cooked for four minutes in boiling water.
Garganelli
Forming
I actually made these wrong. You’re supposed to use a square, but I had already cut them into triangles. And I started rolling them from the point, instead of the flat side [nerd:the hypotenuse]. Anyway, You cut a square of pasta and roll it around a flour-dusted chopstick. It’s like penne pasta, but with a visible seam. It’s traditionally cooked with a duck ragú. Sometimes it’s prepared with a ridged outside.
Cooking
I prepared the garganelli pasta with a simple garlic and smashed cherry tomatoes sauce. I used some of the pasta water, which has more body.
Orecchiette
Forming
I cut a thin strip of pasta into small pieces. I rolled the pasta into tiny balls. Then, I pressed my thumb down to flatten it into a disc, then slowly smeared my thumb from the center to the edge. The pasta curled up with my moving thumb. This creates the “ear” shape.
Cooking
I tossed the orecchiette pasta with small diced zucchini, seared mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. And butter. Lots of butter. Mmmmm, buttah.
Sagnarelli
Forming
I rolled out a flat sheet of pasta, squared off the edges, and then cut flat, wide rectangular pasta ribbons with a fluted cutter.
Cooking
I seared mushrooms, then sauteed zucchini strips, and reduced some cream before adding the sagnarelli pasta.