How does one not go crazy during a quarantine? I don’t know about other people, but for me cooking has been a way to cope with times like these.
This week I decided to make pasta. My favorite homemade shape is fettuccine, but at this point I think I’m over it. Instead, I wanted to play with colors and flavors. My fridge right now looks like spring - lots of green produce waiting to be consumed. My lovely neighbor also shared a bunch of spinach with me, which gave me the idea to make spinach pasta.
This was my opportunity to elevate my pasta game this time. I have to admit that filled pastas are my Achilles heel - I find it so hard to make. I’ve never done it before, and nobody really taught me how to. I relied on my cookbooks and videos to learn how to make filled pasta and the best practices for it.
Last year when I worked with Cafe Spiaggia at the US Open I met chef Joe Sasto - he’s a pasta wizard! I also had the opportunity to get to know chef Meryl Feinstein - a pasta fairy. Both of them inspired me to go after this striped technique.
Then it was time to decide the filling. Saffron is a spice that mesmerizes me. The color is unique, and although the price is absurd, it smells amazing. I haven’t had many opportunities in life to work with saffron, but I do have a small batch that I got from Burlap & Barrel. One thing that I have to remind myself of during this quarantine is to not hoard ingredients - just use it. I usually buy a special ingredient and immediately put it away, waiting for the right moment to use it.
Well, that moment is right now. It’s always now.
The final result was a very light dough with a deep green color. The filling was bright, but not overpowering - I could feel the saffron, cream cheese, and almonds flavors.
My recommendation for those who want to make amazing pasta like this is to look for chef Feinstein’s and Stasto’s classes. They are doing livestreams every week teaching how to make pasta and they are both truly experts on the subject.
Just like chef Joe says “Eat pasta, make love”.