Grandma K's Turkey Spaghetti, Elevated

PASTA INGREDIENTS:

• Pasta

• 7 eggs

• 4 Cups + 3T 00 Flour

• 3/4 C + 1.5T Semolina Flour

• Salt

SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

• 2 carrots, petite dice

• 2 celery, petite dice

• 1 yellow onion, petite dice

• pancetta

• 1 pound ground turkey

• 5 cloves garlic

• Parsley

• Rosemary

• Oregano

• 28 oz plum tomato

• tomato paste

• 1 C red wine

• 1/3 C cream

• Parmesan

EQUIPMENT:

• bench knife

• plastic wrap

• rolling pin (or wine bottle!)

• pasta roller

• dish towel

• parchment paper

• sheet pan

• stock pot

• strainer

• tongs

TO MAKE THE PASTA:

Spoon and measure 00 flour and Semilina flour onto a clean work surface. Add salt and combine the three dry ingredients. Form a mountain with the flour and then dig a volcano hole in the middle. Crack the eggs into the hole and use your hands to incorporate the eggs with the dry ingredients. Knead the pasta dough with the heel of your hand, pushing down, folding and rotating 90 degrees after each fold. Knead for 5-10 minutes or until the gluten feels tight and not stretchy. The dough ball should feel almost impossible to stretch. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten.

Remove the dough ball and use the rolling pin to flatten the dough ball slightly. Divide in 2-3 equal parts. Cover the unused parts with a dish towel.

Roll the first 1/3 dough with a rolling pin to flatten it. Then, starting with the lowest (widest) setting on the pasta roller, put the dough through the machine*. After each pass, fold the uneven ends of the dough sheet into the center of the dough and run it through the roller again. Run the dough through the roller 2-3 times on each setting until the dough is thin enough to see through. As the dough sheets get longer, use a knife to cut the dough sheets into manageable sizes. Use a pasta drying rack or a sheet pan with parchment to dry pasta sheets before you cut them into their final shape. Repeat with the other 2/3 of dough. Finally, cut the pasta into the desired shape. We like to use fettucini because it is thick enough to collect the meat and sauce on the fork when you take a bite.

Bring the salted water to a rolling boil. When the sauce is finished, add the pasta to the boiling water. Fresh pasta cooks quickly--1-2 minutes--so stay close by. I always look for the pasta to float to the surface. That's how I know it's finished.

*If you do not have a pasta roller, you can use a rolling pin and hand cut the noodles with a knife. Just make sure to get the pasta noodles as thin as possible. The Italians say you should be able to read a newspaper through the pasta dough.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE

Before you begin, dice the carrot, celery and onion. Mince the garlic. Remove the parsley, oregano and rosemary leaves from their stems and finely chop.* Break up the plum tomatoes with your hands or quarter them with a knife, preserving the juice and seeds.

Heat a dutch oven or stock pot. When it is hot, add oil (I use olive oil).

Add the pancetta to the hot pot, and cook over medium high heat until the fat has rendered and the pancetta begins to crisp. Remove to a paper towel covered plate.

Add the onion, carrot and celery.

Add salt and pepper.

Add the ground turkey and use a wooden spoon to break the meat apart.

Add the herbs.

When the meat is cooked through, add the can of plum tomatoes with their juice and seeds. (You can 100% substitute with fresh tomatoes IF they are in season--just blanch and peel them first)

Add 1/2 can - 1 can of Tomato Paste

Taste. Add salt and pepper / more herbs if needed

Add red wine and allow the sauce to simmer for 10-15 minutes uncovered

Add 1/3 cup cream and stir.

Leave the sauce on low heat until it is ready to serve.

If the sauce is not thick enough, use some of the salted pasta water to thicken the sauce. 1/4 cup at a time.

Serve the pasta with the sauce. Top with parmesan and fresh Italian parsley

*Dried herbs are fine too, but they won’t be as flavorful!