There is chive pasta, hot red pepper pasta, lemon pasta, spinach pasta, black squid ink pasta, tomato basil, plain white. Fifteen flavors. Fresh everything, no artificial anything, and no preservatives. Every noodle kneaded by hand.
“My mom made pasta all the time,” says Handmade Pasta by Yvonne Owner Yvonne Hennigan. “Hand-rolled, hand-cut. I always gravitated to it.”
She and her husband Jim have sold 31,000 bags of pasta since 2015, when they opened a brick and mortar shop on Babcock Boulevard in the North Hills. They have been traveling back and forth to Italy for 20 years and lived there for six while she was headmistress at the Marymount International School in Rome, during which she attended professional cooking schools in the northern and southern regions. “I also learned a lot from my friends and their mothers just by being in their homes.”
In addition, her beginner and advanced pasta-making classes are held at the shop every Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and usually sell out weeks in advance. “I love teaching, but I like to think I’m creating memories here, too. So many people will say, ‘Oh, this reminds me of my nonna.”
Pappardelle al Cinghiale
Luckily, you won’t have to wait to sample some of her favorite recipes. “These pasta dishes are classics. Fundamentally, Italian recipes in general are driven by simplicity and fresh ingredients that attack the palette with these wonderful flavors.” Even better? “You don’t have to be a master chef to reproduce them,” Yvonne says encouragingly.
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Pappardelle al Cinghiale (Pappardelle with Wild Boar)
Description
A recipe from the Tuscany region in Maremma, a coastal area in west central Italy.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. wild boar meat (cut into 2 ½ inch cubes)
- 1 ½ cups of good red wine (Barolo)
- ½ onion chopped
- 1 tbsp. juniper berries
- ½ tsp. black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose white flour
- 10 oz. plum tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Instructions
- To prepare the ragu, place meat in a deep glass bowl. Add the wine, onion, juniper berries, peppercorns, bay leaves, and rosemary.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator for 12 hours.
- Strain the meat mixture and reserve the marinade.
- Dry the meat well with absorbent paper towels. In a medium-size, shallow saucepan over moderate heat, warm the olive oil.
- Add the meat and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the meat with the flour and stir well.
- Add the tomatoes and marinade and stir well, scraping any brown bits on the pan bottom.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to very low, cover and simmer gently until almost all the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 hours.
- Remove the meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and chop coarsely.
- Return the chopped meat to the pan, stir well, season with salt and simmer to blend.
- Place the ragu in a large serving bowl. In a large 6-to 12-quart pot (do not use the strainer of a pasta pot), bring at least 6 quarts of water to a rapid boil.
- Add a large handful of salt to the boiling water.
- Add the pappardelle pasta to the boiling water and time for exactly 2 minutes! Do NOT strain the pasta.
- Use the tongs to remove the dripping pasta from the boiling water one scoop at a time and place in the serving bowl on top of the ragu.
PASTA
10 oz. bag of pappardelle from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne - Gently toss the pasta with the ragu after each additional tong full of pasta. If necessary, add a tbsp. of the hot reserved pasta water to loosen the mixture.
- Serve immediately.
Serves 3 to 4
Multicolor Fettuccine with Black Trumpet Mushroom Sauce
Fresh black trumpet chanterelle mushrooms are found in the woods of North America from June to November. When cleaning the black trumpet, care must be taken. They are to be gently bushed with a mushroom brush. If necessary, dip them quickly in cool water, gently shake, and immediately place on a paper towel.
In relation, these mushrooms can be purchased at St. James Sewickley Farm Market (Sewickley, PA) at Gray Farms mushroom stand. Saturday mornings during the summer season is the market’s most popular.
Print Multicolor Fettuccine with Black Trumpet Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 2 medium fresh green onions cut 2 inches from white end. Julienne cut the 2-inch into long slivers
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 4 oz. fresh black trumpet chanterelle mushrooms, gently cleaned with a mushroom brush
- ½ cup good white wine
- Salt
- 2 oz. white fettucine pasta from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne
- 2 oz. spinach fettucine pasta from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne
- 2 oz. tomato fettucine pasta from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne
- 1 piece of Parmesan cheese
Instructions
In Advance:
- In a 6-to 12-quart pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil, reduce heat and cover with lid and keep simmering.
Preparation:
- In a 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil on low-medium heat.
- Add the butter to a simmer. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the onions and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth and simmer for a few minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes, gently turning.
- Add the wine and simmer for a few minutes.
- Add a pinch of salt.
Pasta:
- Bring the pasta water to a rapid boil.
- Add a handful of salt.
- Add all three bags of colored pasta to the pot and turn with tongs.
- Place the skillet with mushrooms beside the pasta pot.
- Cook pasta for 2 minutes exactly. Do NOT drain the pasta.
- Remove the pasta with tongs one scoop at a time and add to the skillet.
- Gently turn the pasta with the mushrooms until all the pasta is in the skillet and coated.
- Place the finished pasta mushrooms into a large serving bowl.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese on top of the finished dish as desired.
Serves 3
Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp and Frico
Black squid ink, or cuttlefish ink pasta, is believed to have originated from Sicily but is found in many coastal regions of Italy. The ink is from the squid or cuttlefish that seafood manufacturers extract from the cephalopod’s ink sacs that are located between its gills. The black ink gives the pasta its black color. Seafood dishes best complement black pasta’s natural, aquatic flavor.
Additionally, frico comes from the most northeastern region of Italy, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia. Frico, also known as a cheese crisp,is made with Montasio cheese, a hard cow’s milk cheese from this region. This recipe makes about 10 small or 3 large crisps, depending on the size.
Print Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp and Frico
Ingredients
Squid Ink Pasta:
- ½ lb. squid ink fettuccini pasta from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne
Shrimp:
- 10 raw large shrimp shelled, cleaned and deveined
- 1 tbsp. of minced garlic
- 2 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup of extra-virgin lemon olive oil
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup good white wine
Frico:
- 8 oz. Montasio cheese, grated
- 1 tsp. butter
Instructions
To Prepare Squid Ink Pasta:
- In a 6-to 12-quart pot, bring six quarts of water to a boil. Place lid on keep simmering until ready to use.
- Place the pasta pot of boiling water onto the stovetop, setting the 12-inch skillet next to it.
- Add a handful of salt to the boiling pasta water.
- Place the ½ lb. of squid ink pasta into the boiling water.
- After 4 minutes, remove the dripping black pasta one scoop at a time from the pot with tongs and place it in the skillet with the shrimp and sauce, gently turning with the tongs. Complete this action until all the pasta is in the skillet and all ingredients are coated.
- Transfer the pasta and shrimp to a large pasta bowl.
- Drizzle some lemon olive oil on top and serve immediately. (Grated cheese is not recommended with seafood because it may overpower the delicate taste of the seafood.)
To Prepare Shrimp:
- Combine all ingredients in large bowl.
- Marinate the shrimp for at least 1 hour.
- In a 12-inch skillet, place marinade and shrimp on low to low-medium heat.
- Sauté until marinade sauce is reduced and shrimp is pink.
To Prepare Frico:
- Heat the butter in a medium, nonstick frying pan over medium heat until melted and coating the bottom of the pan.
- Divide the grated cheese into even amounts for either 10 small or 3 large crisps.
- Sprinkle the cheese in a circular shape.
- Shake the pan to evenly distribute the cheese. Be sure to keep the layer of cheese thin so that it becomes crispy rather than chewy.
- Let the cheese fry over medium heat for about 4 minutes or until edges set and the color becomes golden.
- Use a spatula to carefully remove the frico from the pan.
- Work quickly because the cheese will set in shape quickly.
- Place the frico on deli or parchment paper.
- Let dry for a few minutes before serving as an accompaniment.
Serves 3 to 4
Bolognese Sauce (Ragu)
Furthermore, bolognese sauce originated in the region of Emilia-Romagna from the small town of Imola, 21 miles southeast of Bologna. The recipe first appeared in an Italian cookbook in 1891.
Print Bolognese Sauce (Ragu)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp. butter
- ½ cup onion
- 2/3 cup chopped celery
- 2/3 cup chopped carrot
- ¾ pound ground chuck (80% fat)
- Salt
- Black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 cup whole milk
- Whole nutmeg
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 ½ cup canned Italian imported plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juices
- 1 ½ lb. (24 oz) of fettuccini pasta from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne
- Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table
Instructions
- Place oil, butter and chopped onion in a 5-quart enameled cast iron pot and turn the heat to medium.
- Cook and stir the onion until it has become translucent, then add the chopped celery and carrot.
- Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring the vegetables to coat them well. (In Italian, the combination of onion, celery and carrot is called soffritto, which means “to fry slowly.”)
- Add the ground beef to the vegetables, add a large pinch of salt, and add a few grindings of pepper.
- Crumble the meat in the pot with a sharp edge spatula, stir well, and cook until the beef has lost its raw, red color.
- Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has simmered away completely.
- Add a tiny grating (about 1/8 tsp.) of nutmeg and stir.
- Add the wine, let it simmer until it has evaporated, then add the tomatoes and stir through to coat all the ingredients well.
- When the tomatoes begin to bubble, turn the heat down so the sauce cooks at a tiny simmer, with just a few bubbles breaking through to the surface.
- Cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. If the ragu begins to dry out, add 1/2 cup of water when necessary to keep it from sticking. However, no water must be left in the bottom of the pot when the ragu is finished. Keep ragu warm and covered while preparing the pasta.
- In a large 6- to 12-quart pot (do not use the strainer of a pasta pot), bring at least 6 quarts of water to a rapid boil.
- Add a large handful of salt to the boiling water.
- Add the fettuccini pasta to the boiling water and time for exactly 2 minutes!
- Place the ragu in a large serving bowl when you add the pasta to the water. Do NOT strain the pasta.
- Using tongs remove the dripping pasta from the boiling water one scoop at a time and place in the serving bowl on top of the ragu.
- Gently toss the pasta with the ragu after each additional tong full of pasta. If necessary, add 1 tbsp. of the hot reserved pasta water to loosen the mixture.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the side. (Adapted from Marcella Hazan)
Serves 6
Pesto alla Genovese
Liguria is one of the 20 regions located on the coast of the Liguria Sea in northeast Italy. Genoa is the capital of Liguria and is famous for their basil leaf. Genovese Pesto originated from this town in the 16th century. The word pesto comes from the Genovese word pestâ, which means, “to grind basil leaves with other ingredients.”
Print Pesto alla Genovese
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 cups packed basil leaves
- ¾ – 1 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese
- ¼ – ½ cup Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- 1 to 2 cloves of peeled garlic
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Pasta
- 8 oz. bag of pappardelle pasta from Handmade Pasta by Yvonne
Instructions
To prepare the pesto:
- Combine all the ingredients, except the olive oil, in a food processor and process until ingredients are combined.
- With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
- Continue processing until the mixture is well blended but still has some texture, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary.
- Add a pinch of salt and pulse a few times to incorporate.
- The pesto can be used immediately or frozen in small containers to use later. Do NOT place frozen pesto in the microwave to thaw! Thaw at room temperature.
- Place about 2 tbsp. of pesto in a serving bowl.
Preparing the pasta:
- In a large 6- to 12-quart pot (do not use the strainer of a pasta pot) bring at least 6 quarts of water to a rapid boil.
- Add a large handful of salt to the boiling water.
- Add the 8 oz. of pappardelle pasta to the boiling water and time for exactly 2 minutes. When finished do NOT strain the pasta.
- Using tongs, remove the dripping pasta from the boiling water one scoop at a time and place in the serving bowl on top of the pesto.
- Gently toss the pasta with the pesto after each additional tong full of pasta.
- More pesto may be added as desired. If necessary, add a small amount of the hot reserved pasta water to loosen the mixture. A small amount olive oil may also be added.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on the side.
Serves 3 to 4
Story by Kate Benz
Recipes by Yvonne Hennigan
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