William Penn Life, 2006 (41. évfolyam, 2-12. szám)
2006-02-01 / 2. szám
The Hungarian Kitchen with Főszakács Béla Noodles & Pasta 201 FÁRADJON BE A MAGYAR KONYHÁBA. The cookbook finally arrived in Pittsburgh and has been on sale since mid January. I'm glad the members are happy with the final result which makes Chef Vilmos and me very happy. It was a project well worth the effort. In the months to come I'll be sharing some recipes from the new book. If you want to get a copy for yourself just look for the advertisements in the William Penn Life. The cookbooks will also be on sale at all William Penn events during the year. I will be selling cookbooks and giving cooking demonstrations at this year's picnic at Penn Scenic View, and, yes, I'll have more about that in an upcoming column. Don't forget that this year is very special for a few reasons. It's the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution and the 120th anniversary of the William Penn Association. There will be many activities during the year to celebrate these events and the people associated with them all across the country and locally as well. I look forward to visiting Pittsburgh to attend the fraternal activities for 2006. Okay, that takes care of all the Practical Pointer When kneading dough, its best done by putting it in a plastic bag a little larger than the dough itself. Your hands stay dry and it’s easier to work the dough as it doesn’t stick to the bag or your hands. When kneading heavy bread dough, before putting it in a plastic bag, wipe a little canola oil on your hands (so the dough doesn’t stick to them), and knead the bread dough for 5 minutes. Then put it inside the bag and continue kneading until it becomes softer. Then let it rise. housekeeping. So, now, let's get cooking... Last month we learned about different types of noodles and pasta. This month, let's get a little more scientific and explore what makes up the different components that are used in recipes for pasta and noodles. Before I forget, here is the trivia question of the month: Out of all the grains made into flour that we enjoy eating, what are the only two that do not make a good noodle or pasta, yet they are both very healthy for us to eat? The answer will be at the end. There are three main ingredients in noodles/pasta: flour, eggs and water (or some kind of liquid agent to wet down the flour and start the noodle/ pasta making process). By controlling these three ingredients, a good noodle/ pasta maker can get the desired result in his final product. We can do the same thing in our kitchen by combining the right flour for the right recipe. Different flours contain various amounts of gluten, which is a protein, and that is why noodles and pasta are good for us. Hard wheat and soft wheat, winter wheat and summer wheat are ground into flour. The type of flour does make a difference because hard wheat or winter wheat contain more gluten which means more protein. Soft wheat or summer wheat contains less and makes for less protein but a softer product. Noodles and pasta also contain carbohydrates, both simple and complex. Complex carbohydrates give our bodies the most benefit, but more about that later. The flour used in making bread contains about 15 percent protein, which makes it very hard to make pasta. All purpose flour is about 11 percent protein, and cake flour is the lowest at seven percent. Pastry flour works out to be nine percent.You need at least 11 percent protein in a flour to get the best results when making pasta or noodles. I blend my own flour using half bread flour at 15 percent and half all purpose at 11 percent to give me a nice blend of 12V2 percent. This blend creates a nice, smooth elastic dough. Here are the most common flours used in pasta and noodle making: • White Wheat Flour is most commonly used in Italy and that section of Europe to make pasta. • All Purpose Flour is used for all cooking, baking and pasta/noodle 12 William Penn Life, February 2006
