White whole wheat pappardelle

The Italian grandmother in me loves making homemade pasta. I've done it a couple times now, and it's always exciting. This time I opted for a whole-wheat version. I'm obsessed with white whole wheat -which comes from a different variety of wheat than normal whole wheat flour. It's still a whole-grain, but has a softer texture that I've found works well as a substitute for AP flour.

Ingredients



2 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (King Arthur's)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
A tiny bit of water, as needed


Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a large deep well into the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt.

Stir the eggs and salt together and then gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the well. Work the ingredients together until it forms a rough and sticky ball. If dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour. If dough is too dry, add a few drops of cold water.You can also mix everything in your kitchen aid w/the dough hook attachment.

Scrape the dough that sticks to the countertop or cutting board and press the dough into a rough ball and knead as you would bread. Knead for 5 minutes. Dough should be very smooth and elastic.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Unwrap the ball of dough and cut into 1/8 pieces (golf-ball size), keeping the remainder wrapped in plastic wrap.

Following your pasta machine manufacturer's instructions, feed the flattened piece of dough into the machine. Fold the dough into thirds, then feed again into the machine. Repeat folding and rolling two additional times.

Increase the roller setting one notch. Sprinkle the pasta lightly with flour and feed through the rollers again, unfolded.

Turn the roller setting another notch and repeat the rolling, then continue without folding the dough until you get to size 6 or 7. I made mine a little thick, so next time I want to get it thinner.

Cut the pasta using a pizza cutter into fat strips.

To freeze pasta, place loosely in a large ziploc bag and place flat on a freezer shelf. Thaw frozen pasta for about 15 minutes before cooking in boiling water. Do not store at room temperature - your pasta will attract mold.

Serve w/your favorite tomato sauce or rabbit ragu.

Wintry Rabbit Ragu w/homemade wheat pappardelle

According to the Chinese calendar, we are currently in the year of the Rabbit. My off-beat sense of humour decided that my rabbit ragu is a really tribute to the upcoming year. If the year is as delicious as my creation, then oh what a sweet time we'll all have. However, something as wonderful as rabbit stew does not come cheap. First, rabbits are expensive ($30/rabbit!). Second, not all high-end grocers have rabbit (I got mine at central market). Third, you probably have to thaw your little 4-legged friend, which takes longer than expected.

So, a word of caution: allow ample time to procure/thaw/debone your rabbit. Otherwise, you'll end up like naive me: eating dinner at 10:45pm... Oops!

Rabbit Ragu

Adapted from a New York Times recipe found on http://mixbakestir.com

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (~3 lbs), cut into 8 pieces, bone in
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
Pinch of red-pepper flakes (mine was generous!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup seeded, chopped San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces pappardelle
Pecorino Romano cheese, for grating


Preparation

Step 1: Thaw your rabbit ahead of time!! If you don't have the time, however, you can give the rabbit a "bath" of lukewarm water to thaw. Change the water every 10-15 minutes. It will probably still take an hour, but you can start chopping and prepping everything else.

Step 2: Watch a video on how to butcher a whole rabbit. I was lucky enough to have practiced during a cooking class last May, however, it was still VERY tricky. You will need a boning knife and I found kitchen shears very helpful. Alternatively, have your butcher do this step for you!

Now you are ready to.....


Pat the rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and brown the pieces, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the red-pepper flakes, garlic and tomato paste, stirring for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine, turn the heat to high and boil to burn off the alcohol, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and thyme. Return the rabbit pieces to the pot, spacing them evenly so they are partly covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rabbit is falling off the bone, about 2 hours.Turn the pieces at least once. Time enhances the flavor and gives the rabbit it's texture, so don't be in a hurry.

Turn off the heat and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and let cool; then pull the meat from the bones (Don't eat too much of it!). Shred some pieces and leave others large. Return the meat to the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, piece by piece. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a cup of the pasta water. Toss the pappardelle with the sauce over low heat, adding pasta water as necessary if the sauce is too thick. Divide among pasta bowls and top with the grated cheese.

This makes about 6 servings - Boyfriend and I had rabbit ragu for at least 2 more full meals!

Enjoy!