spinach kale ribbons

Rosetta Constantino recently published My Calabria, a cookbook that sheds light on the cooking of her particular hometown region of Italy. Like Tuscany, Calabria champions fresh simple food whose emphasis lies on using the right ingredients at the right time for a cuisine that is both nourishing and delicious. Constantino's writing includes recipes and techniques, of course, but also philosophical musings on why these techniques have evolved. The resulting tones refer to the structure of family life, tending to vegetable patches, social mores and celebrations.

One ritual that is written with a particular reverence is that of making fresh pasta. Like bread, Calabrians make pasta regularly, deftly, and with great love. It is the simplicity of ingredients that moved me when I read over Constantino's mother's recipe for fresh pasta, an egg free alchemy of flour and water that produces delicious noodles.

Those above were made with a puree of kale and spinach and dressed simply with capers, lemon and hard cheese.

Calabrian fresh pasta
(adapted from My Calabria by Rosetta Constantino)

2 cups (280 grams) unbleached flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon of warm water (plus more, if necessary)
pinch salt
sprinkle of olive oil (necessary in these high deserts, likely unnecessary at sea level, or in more moist places)

whisk flour and salt in a bowl, make a well in the center. pour the warm water into the well and stir using a wooden spoon or, better, your hands. incorporate the flour slowly. don't succumb to the temptation of adding more water as the dough gets stiffer and stiffer. unless you can't keep the dough together after 5 minutes of kneading rely on the original amount of water called for. however, for sheeting pasta (for cannelloni, lasagna, ravioli, tortellini, etc. more water will be necessary to roll the pasta out into an adequate thinness.)

let the dough rest for 15 minutes. this is vital as it allows the gluten in the dough to relax adequately. if you jump the gun and start rolling before the dough is adequately relaxed you will have sore arms and torn dough instead of luxuriously supple and elastic pasta dough.

divide the dough into fourths, roll, cut and shape the pasta as desired. if you don't have a pasta machine with a cutting attachment, dust the sheets of pasta dough with flour, roll loosely and cut the rolled dough perpendicularly, unroll and voila! ribbons.

lastly, as with all pasta but especially with fresh pasta, salt the cooking water liberally. at least 1/4 cup per big pasta pot. it may seem like a lot, but under salting the water with leave your pasta bland. the water should taste like sea water, is the general rule of thumb.

also: if you roll the fresh pasta and don't want to cook it right away or if you don't want to cook all of it, you can hang it to dry on hangers or over a door draped with a pillow case) and save it for later, as with dry pasta.