मंडळी नमस्कार आज खूप दिवसांनी आपली भेट होत आहे. नवरात्र, दिवाळी, कार्तिक वारी, सर्वगोष्टीत दंग होते. मधेच आम्ही इटलीची सैर करून आलो. आल्हाददायक हवा, प्रसन्न चित्तवृत्तीचेनागरिक , देखणी व तंदुरूस्त ( फीट ) माणसे, पीझा, पास्ता व वाईन यांचा मनोसोक्त आस्वाद घेणारा हा देश.

In Italy , they add work & life on to food & wine —Robin leach.

खरोखरीच याचा प्रत्यय आला. हा प्रत्यय आणून दिला चि मिहीरने. माझा हा लेखन प्रपंच साकारकरण्यामागे मिहीरचा फार मोठा सहभाग असतो. तो स्वताहा उत्कृष्ट व प्रयोगशील बावर्ची आहे. त्याला देशोदेशीचे विविध खाद्य पदार्थ खायला व खिलवायला आवडतात.

इटली दौऱ्यात त्याने आवर्जून एक दिवस एका अनोख्या खाद्यानुभव साठी ( food 🥘 experience) राखून ठेवला होता. हा अनुभव होता Chianti hills या फ्लोरेन्स जवळील नितांत सुदंर खेड्यात लुका व लोरेंझ (Luca & Lorenzo) या जोडगोळीचा. या सर्व प्रकाराला त्यांनी experience असे नाव देण्याचीकारणे आम्हाला सांगितली होती व ती तंतोतंत खरी असल्याचा प्रत्येय आम्हाला मिळाला. कुकिंग क्लास असे त्याला नाव देतां आले असते परंतु तुम्ही शाळकरी मुले थोडाच आहात असे लुकाने आम्हाला मिश्किल पणे सुनावले. आणी अनुभव म्हटला की त्यात विचांराची देवाणघेवाण अनुस्यूत असते व त्याचाआम्हीही आनंद घेतो हे त्या दोघांचे प्रतिपादन वेगळे वाटले.
हे त्यांचे घर उंच टेकडीवर गर्द झाडीत होते. घराभवती लागणारे सगळे हर्ब्स, ॲालीव ची झाडे, पाळीवप्राणी यांनी समृध्द होते. गंमत म्हणजे तेथील कोंबडीचे नाव जिंजर होते व तिचा आवडतां पदार्थ पास्ता होता. एक धीरगंभीर बोका पण होता.
इटालीयन खाद्य संस्कृतींची ओळख व्हावी व त्यातले काहि प्रसिध्द पदार्थ स्वताच्या हातानेबनविता यावेत असा याचा हेतू होता. आम्ही Lavender Panna Cotta,
Ravioli,Tagliatelle हे पास्तायाचे दोन प्रकार व Luca च्या आईने त्यांना परंपरने शिकवलेले एकवेगळे टोमॅटो सौस असे चार पदार्थ केले. आम्हीच केलेल्या या पदार्थावर आमचे दुपारचे जेवण झाले.
Ravioli ची रेसिपी इंग्रजीत सविस्तर तर मराठीत संक्षीप्त देत आहे.

Egg Pasta Dough

Makes about 300 gr. (10.5oz) of dough

Ingredients:
• 100 gr (3.5oz or 3/4 cup) Italian “00” flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 70 gr (2.5 oz or 1/2 cup) semolina flour
• 2 eggs

Equipment:
• Large cutting board or clean kitchen counter
• Fork
• Bench scraper (also known as bench knife, board scraper or dough cutter)
Preparation:
Put the flours on a cutting board or clean kitchen counter and mix them together. Set aside about three tablespoons of the flour on the corner of your work surface.
Shape the remaining flour mixture into the shape of a volcano, making a hole in the center with a fork. Crack the eggs to the hole and slowly beat them with the fork, gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the volcano until you reach a consistency that can be worked by hand. It will be shaggy to start. Set aside.
Using the bench scraper, clean your work surface by scraping up the dough stuck to the board. Set the dough scrapings aside.
Sprinkle a little of the reserved flour on the cleaned work surface. Place your dough on the cutting board, flatten a little bit, then place the dough scrapings in the center. Knead the scrapings into the main ball of dough and continue kneading for at least ten minutes, adding flour from the reserved flour pile a little bit at a time if the dough is too sticky. Stop kneading when the dough obtains a smooth, even consistency throughout.
Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Keep it room temperature to rest for half an hour. Clean your work surface again.
After the dough has rested knead it again for a few seconds. At this point, the dough can be rolled to the thinness that is required for whatever recipe you are going to make (spaghetti alla chitarra, ravioli, lasagna, etc.), either using a pasta machine or by hand.
SECRETS:
Remember to consider the size of the eggs and the weather conditions when you make your pasta dough. It is easier to start with less flour and a very soft dough consistency, adding flour as needed, to obtain the perfect final texture.
If you have added too much flour and the dough becomes too stiff to knead, you can moisten your hands with water and return to kneading. Repeat the same action as many times as needed.

Ravioli with Ricotta and Pecorino

Serves about 10 people
Ingredients:
• One recipe fresh pasta dough (see separate recipe)
Ravioli Filling
• 14oz (400g) of fresh ricotta cheese (preferably sheep’s milk ricotta)
• 3oz (80g) freshly grated pecorino cheese (pecorino romano)
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
• Salt, for cooking the ravioli (see note about how much salt to use)
Sage Butter Sauce (our suggested sauce)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• Freshly grated black pepper
• Freshly grated pecorino romano cheese, for serving
Equipment:
• Rolling pin or pasta rolling machine
• Ravioli cutter wheel, preferably made from brass
• A large pot, for cooking the ravioli
• A colander, for draining the ravioli
• A large sauté pan, for making the sauce
Preparation:
• Make the pasta dough according to the recipe. While dough rests, make the filling.
• In a large bowl, place the ricotta, pecorino cheese and black pepper, mix with a large spoon or spatula until well blended and smooth.
• Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin or with a pasta machine. If rolling dough out by hand, roll until 2mm in thickness (quite thin) and cut rectangular strips of dough 6.5” (160mm) wide. If using a machine, divide the dough into four pieces and roll through the machine, flouring the dough lightly as needed. You should have several 6.5” (160mm) wide strips of dough of varying lengths (if using a Marcato brand machine, roll until setting number 7). Set the strips aside under a towel while you fill the ravioli.
• Fill the ravioli: On a lightly floured surface, lay one strip of dough in front of you, with the long side facing you. Put 1 heaping teaspoon of filling along the length of the pasta dough in the center of the dough, starting 0.5” (2cm) from the short edge and leaving 1” (3cm) of space in between each spoon of filling (the number of spoons of filling will vary depending on the length of your piece of dough). Take the farther, long edge of the dough and fold it over the top of the filling to meet the long edge of the dough that is closer to you.
• Press closely around the filling with the first two fingers of both hands, pressing the air towards the open edge of the dough. It is very important to press all of the air out, otherwise the ravioli will explode during cooking!
• Once the dough is sealed around the filling, cut the ravioli with a ravioli cutter to give them the traditional square ravioli shape. Set the finished ravioli aside in one layer while you fill the other ravioli in the same manner.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add salt* and bring back to a rolling boil. Place your colander in the sink. While the water is boiling, make your sauce (see our sauce suggestion, below).
• Add the ravioli to the salted, boiling water. Cook until al dente, about 6-8 minutes. The timing is approximate and will depend on how far ahead you have made the pasta, how soft your dough is, how thick the dough is, etc. Start tasting the ravioli after 6 minutes.
• When the ravioli are ready, scoop out some of the pasta cooking water in a cup and set aside to use in the sauce, then drain the ravioli in the colander. Put the ravioli directly into the pan with the sauce. Toss the ravioli in the sauce for a few seconds, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water to give the sauce a creamier consistency (the starch in the pasta water does the trick). Serve immediately with freshly grated pecorino cheese over the top.
• Sauce suggestion: We suggest serving these ravioli with a sauce of sage, butter and pepper. While the ravioli are cooking, melt the butter in a large sauté pan. Add the sage leaves and pepper, and cook the leaves in the butter for a few minutes, just until the leaves and butter start to brown. At this point your ravioli should be cooked and added to the sauce immediately. If the ravioli are not yet ready, take the sauce off the heat otherwise it will burn. When the ravioli are ready, add them to the sauce, reheat the sauce with the ravioli briefly, adding some of the reserved pasta cooking water, and serve as above.
• *A note on how much salt to use in pasta cooking water: To cook 100 gr/3.5 oz of pasta, you will need one quart/liter of water and 10-15 gr. (2-3 teaspoons) of coarse salt according to the saltiness of the final sauce. For example, if you are going to make pasta carbonara, we suggest that you use no more than 10 gr of salt because the sauce is already very salty. However, in the case of the butter and sage sauce, it is better to use 15 gr of salt because the sauce is very delicate.

Italian स्वयंपाकाची तत्वे काही प्रमाणात आपल्या कडेही आहेत . इटालीयन पास्ता जवळ जाणारी एक झणझणीत भारतीय पाककृती पाहूयात पुढच्या भागात.