Dietitian advocates fresh pasta as good start to better eating
Saturday, September 08 2007, 01:25 AM EDT
Contributed by: Clare Howard
PASTA
Golda Ewalt tools around in a buttery yellow Volkswagen bug with a fresh orange Gerber daisy in the bud vase affixed to her dashboard. Her license plate is "EATFAV."
Translation: eat fruits and vegetables.
It might just as well translate to "eat fabulously" because Ewalt has perfected the art of fabulous food. She's director of the dietetic internship program at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria, Ill., with 10 students working with her each year. She's the daughter of registered dietitian Mary Ewalt. She's state president of the Illinois Dietetic Association, and she's a leading advocate for improving school lunch programs.
Food is her vocation, avocation and lifelong scholarly pursuit. She completed a master's degree in 2004 in health care administration at University of St. Francis in Joliet and recently attended a seminar at Chicago's French Pastry School with Chef John Kraus on cooking vegetables for unique desserts - red pepper sorbet; tomato sorbet; dessert minestrone soup; julienne carrots with honey, hazelnut oil, balsamic vinegar, vanilla bean and cardamom.
Ever since spending time in Sicily in 1994, Ewalt has been passionate about pasta. Fresh pasta. Homemade pasta. Pasta with fresh herbs diced and incorporated into the noodles.
"In Sicily, they have a whole aisle of pastas. Here, we have a whole aisle of potato chips," Ewalt said.
"I love to make pasta noodles. It's super easy to do, and there is no comparison with what you buy in the store."
RAVIOLI
On a recent afternoon she spent several hours making pasta for three entrees loaded with nutrition, taste and aesthetic appeal. She uses her food processor and a hand-cranked pasta machine, a well-loved gift from her husband Bob Streitmatter.
"It's easy to get Golda gifts she loves. I just listen carefully. She usually lets me know," he said as he stood at the ready, waiting to crank the machine as Ewalt slipped dough between the rollers, set a little more narrowly at each pass through.
"It's really simple, just remove your rings, bracelets and roll up your sleeves," she said.
First she added flour and eggs to the food processor fitted with the dough blade and pulsed the machine.
"Don't be afraid of combining the dough with fresh diced herbs," she said, selecting from fresh rosemary, thyme, parsley, chives, basil and sage on her sink counter. Add whole-wheat flour for more fiber, she suggested.
Once a ball formed, she removed the dough, kneaded it briefly and let it rest while she stirred fresh sauces on the range and prepared ricotta-spinach filling for ravioli.
Once the dough had rested 30 minutes, Ewalt removed about a quarter of a cup and started dropping it into the rollers of the Atlas pasta machine as her husband cranked. Then she cut the long flat noodles into 3-inch squares. She placed about one rounded tablespoon of ricotta-spinach filling on each square, folded the pasta over the top and crimped the edges closed. As the ravioli was made, she placed them on a tray and covered them with a towel.
"In Sicily, every meal starts with pasta," she said as she crimped ravioli pockets. "It's like we start a meal with a salad. In Sicily, every meal has diverse foods. People don't sit and gobble a meal or eat in their cars the way we do. People sit together at a table and enjoy food."
Enjoy food and watch portion sizes, Ewalt advises.
Once her pasta pot was boiling, she dropped ravioli into the water and allowed the pasta to simmer for about 4 to 5 minutes.
"Don't go by the clock, go by the pot," she said. "Taste a corner."
Another portion of the pasta was cut into fettuccine, which Ewalt served with sauteed fennel, garlic and fresh tomatoes. She also served fettuccine with a simple saute of spicy broccoli and pecorino.
"Americans tend to dislike broccoli because it's often overcooked. It's also often too strong and pungent for a child's taste," she said. "But children should be encouraged to continue to taste broccoli. Taste is contagious. That puts a lot of responsibility on the parents' shoulders. If parents don't like broccoli, the child won't either."
Ewalt believes food is a philosophy that should reach beyond satiating hunger and providing nutrition. It should become a form of pleasure and bonding.
PASTA TIPS
- Don't hurry! Relax and enjoy the process. Have someone to help out.
- Fresh minced herbs can be added to the dough. Add 3 tablespoons minced herbs to the basic pasta dough recipe.
- Fresh pasta can be frozen in zipper-lock plastic bags for a month.
- Do not add oil to the cooking water and be sure to use 4 quarts of water per pound of pasta. The oil will make the pasta slick and keep the sauce from adhering to the pasta.
- Salt pasta water and cut back on the salt added to the sauce.
- Watch the pot not the clock when cooking pasta. Taste a piece to see if it is done.
- Don't rinse the pasta once it's cooked. Rinsing removes the starchy coating from the pasta that helps to bind the sauce to the noodles.
- Add a ladle of the pasta water to the sauce.
- Fresh pasta deserves a homemade sauce. Use fresh vegetables in season as the base.
- Golda Ewalt.
PASTA WITH SAUTEED FENNEL AND FRESH TOMATOES
2 small fennel bulbs (about 1 3/4 pounds)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup broth
2 small ripe tomatoes (about 1/2 pound), cored and cut into 1/2- inch cubes
Salt, to taste
1 pound fresh pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in large pot.
Yields 6 servings.
Trim stems and fronds from fennel. Discard stems. Mince 1 tablespoon fronds and set aside. Trim thin slice from base of bulb and remove any tough or blemished outer layers. Cut bulb in 1/2 through base and, using small, sharp knife, remove core. Lay halves flat side down on cutting board and chop into 1/4-inch dice. Set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet. Add garlic and saute over medium heat until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add diced fennel, broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until quite tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat if fennel starts to brown. Stir in tomatoes. Add salt to taste. Cook just until tomatoes soften and are heated through, about 3 minutes. Stir in minced fennel fronds and adjust seasonings.
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente, then drain.
Toss pasta with fennel-tomato sauce and mix well. Divide among bowls and serve immediately with grated cheese passed separately at the table.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 324 calories, 13.4 g protein, 10.4 g fat (28.7 percent of total calories), 44.3 g carbohydrate, 5.6 g fiber, 112 mg cholesterol and 324 mg sodium.
SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI WITH GARDEN TOMATO SAUCE
3/4 pound flat-leaf spinach (or 1 box frozen chopped spinach with extra moisture squeezed out), chopped fine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (divided use)
1 medium onion, minced (divided use)
Salt, to taste
1 cup ricotta cheese, preferably homestyle
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese, plus more for table
1 large egg yolk
1 pound fresh egg pasta, rolled into thin sheets (recipe follows)
1 medium carrot, peeled and minced
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil or flatleaf parsley leaves
Yieds 6 servings.
Finely chop spinach and set aside. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in small skillet. Add 1/2 the onion and cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped spinach and salt, to taste. Cook about 1 minute.
Transfer spinach mixture to medium bowl. Stir in ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano and egg yolk. Set aside. (Filling can be refrigerated overnight.)
Using pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut pasta sheets into long rectangles that measure 4 inches across. Place small balls of filling (about 1 rounded teaspoon) in a line about 1 inch from the bottom of pasta sheet. Leave about 1 1/4 inches between each ball of filling. Fold over top of pasta sheet, aligning it up with bottom edge. Seal bottom and 2 open sides with your fingers. Use fluted pastry wheel to cut along 2 sides and bottom of sealed pasta sheet. Run pastry wheel between balls of filling to cut out individual ravioli. You should have about 60 ravioli. Place ravioli in single layer on large baking sheet and refrigerate.
Melt remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet. Add remaining onion and carrot and cook over medium heat, stirring often until vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt to taste. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until it thickens, about 1 hour. Stir in basil or parsley and adjust seasonings. Cover and keep warm.
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in large pot for cooking ravioli. Add salt, to taste, and 1/2 the ravioli. Cook until double edges are al dente, about 4 to 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer cooked ravioli to warm pasta bowls. Place remaining ravioli to boiling water while you spoon 1/2 of the tomato sauce over cooked ravioli. By the time 1st batch reaches the table, 2nd batch should be ready to be drained and sauced. Serve immediately with grated cheese passed separately at the table.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 440 calories, 22 g protein, 17.1 g fat (34.8 percent of total calories), 49.7 g carbohydrate, 5.9 g fiber, 176 mg cholesterol and 543 mg sodium.
FRESH EGG PASTA
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Yiels 1 pound, or 6 servings.
Place flour in food processor bowl and pulse several times. Add eggs and process until dough forms rough ball, about 30 seconds. (If dough refuses to come together, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, and continue processing until ball forms. If dough sticks to sides of bowl, add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue processing until ball forms.)
Turn dough out onto dry work surface. Knead by hand until dough is smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
Cut about 1/4 of the dough from the ball and flatten into a disk. (Replace cover on remaining dough.) Run dough through widest setting on manual pasta machine. Bring ends of dough toward middle of sheet of pasta and press them together. Run dough, open side first, through widest setting again. Fold, seal and roll again. Without folding, run pasta through the widest setting 2 more times, or until dough is smooth. If at any point dough seems sticky, lightly dust it with flour.
Continue to run dough through pasta machine, narrowing setting each time. When you reach last setting, outline of your hand should be visible through the pasta. Lay sheet of pasta on dry kitchen towel and cover with 2nd towel. Repeat with rest of dough. If using pasta for lasagna, ravioli or tortellini, proceed with recipe.
If making fettuccine, take 1st sheet of pasta (it will have had a little time to dry out but should not be tough or brittle) and run it through fettuccine cutters on pasta machine. Carefully spread out fettuccine on kitchen towels. Repeat with remaining sheets, making sure they have dried for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting. Use pasta within a few hours or place it in resealable plastic bags and freeze for up to several months.
When you are ready to cook pasta, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt, to taste, and fettuccine. Fresh pasta will be ready in about 3 minutes. Frozen pasta should not be defrosted before cooking. It will require 4 to 5 minutes cooking time.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 185 calories; 7.4 grams protein; 2.9 grams fat (14.6 percent of total calories); 32.1 grams carbohydrate; 1.1 gram fiber; 106 milligrams cholesterol; and 32 milligrams sodium.
PASTA WITH SPICY BROCCOLI AND PECORINO
2 pounds broccoli (5 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
Salt, to taste
1 pound fresh pasta
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
Freshly grated pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Yields 6 servings.
Bring 4 quarts water to boil in a large pot for cooking pasta.
Remove and discard stalks from broccoli. Cut florets into bite-size pieces. There should be about 5 cups. Set aside.
Heat oil in skillet large enough to hold pasta when cooked and broccoli. Add garlic and hot red pepper flakes and saute over medium heat until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in 1 teaspoon salt.
When water comes to boil, add salt to taste and the pasta. When pasta is almost al dente, add broccoli. Continue cooking until pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
Add pasta and broccoli to skillet. Toss over high heat, adding most, if not all, of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten the dish. Stir in basil. Divide among bowls and serve immediately with grated cheese.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 366 calories, 14.8 g protein, 15 g fat (36.6 percent of total calories), 43.3 g carbohydrate, 5.4 g fiber, 112 mg cholesterol and 306 mg sodium.
© Copley News Service
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