Spinach Fettuccine Puttanesca with Shrimp

by Chef Michael Salmon

serves 4

1 Tablespoon salt

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined

1 batch spinach dough, cut as fettuccine

1 shallot, minced

1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup country mixed olives, pitted

1 cup marinara sauce (homemade or your favorite brand)

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.   Fill a large pot 3/4 full of water and bring to a boil with 1 Tablespoon salt.

2.   Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the shrimp and cook on one side for 1 minute.

3.   Drop the spinach fettuccine in the boiling water and cook for 7 minutes or until al dente, stirring occasionally.

4.   Turn the shrimp over and add the minced shallot. Cook for another minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and olives and toss. Pour in the marinara sauce and stir, heating the sauce through.

5.   Strain the pasta, allowing all of the water to drain off it, and add it to the pan with the sauce. Mix the pasta in with the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Spinach Pasta Dough

3 1/2 cups pasta flour (semolina)

5 ounces fresh spinach

2 Tablespoons plus warm water

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1. In a blender, puree the spinach, water and egg until smooth.
2. Place the flour on a clean working counter and make a well in the center. Add the spinach liquid, salt and olive oil to the center of the well and gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, forming a smooth-soft dough (adding additional water if necessary to make the dough soft).
3. Knead the dough 10 minutes, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. This recipe makes a little over 1 1/2 pounds of dough.

Shaping the Pasta

1. Once your pasta has set up for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator, remove it from the plastic and press it down into a disk on a floured (semolina) work surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces and rewrap 3 of the pieces in the plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
2. With a rolling pin and extra semolina (if needed), roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. If the dough seems sticky, dust it with some semolina.
3. Set up the pasta machine with a setting of 1 (the highest, thickest setting) and roll the pasta through. Again, if the dough seems sticky, dust it with some semolina. Adjust the thickness to either 5 or 6 (see list below), depending on the pasta shape you are making, and run the dough through the machine at that setting.
4. Lay the dough out on a floured work surface and follow the guidelines below to make various shapes (scraps can be reworked into a ball and used again). For longer storage of the pasta, dry it overnight (make sure it is well coated with semolina to prevent it from sticking) at room temperature. Store the pasta in freezer bags. Pasta freezes well, and can be kept for up to 3 months.

Fettuccine or Spaghetti by machine: Roll out to setting 6, and cut the sheet into 10-inch sections.  Feed the sheet through the fettuccine or spaghetti attachment on the machine. Dry in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina.

Fettuccine or Linguine by hand: With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is 1/16-inch thin. Cut the sheet into 10-inch sections. Dust the sections with semolina and roll them up. Using a knife, cut the roll of pasta into strips (fettuccine 1/4 inch and linguine 1/8 inch). Unroll the strips and dry in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina.

Farfalle: Roll out to setting 6, and use a serrated pastry wheel to cut the pasta in 1 1/4-inch strips. Cut the strips into 2 1/2-inches long rectangular sections. To form, place your index finger on the exact center of the rectangular piece of dough and with your other hand, pinch on the narrow sides toward the index finger, forming a bow tie shape. Dry in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina.

Pappardelle: Roll out to setting 5, and cut the sheet into 10-inch sections. Dust the sections with semolina and roll them up. Using a knife, cut the roll of pasta into strips 1 inch wide. Unroll the strips and dry in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina.