Pepper Jack Caramelle Pasta
Pepper Jack Caramelle Pasta: There is nothing like a fabulous trip to fabuloso Italy to get The Pasta Maker fired up and inspired to bring you new styles of pasta.
In fact it is Sissy (Enzo’s sister) who has inspired The Pasta Maker to make caramelle pasta following a surprise Sunday afternoon visit to her home in Collefero, Italy. The still lightly floured gnocchi board sitting at the end of the table, revealed that Sissy and Stephania had been sat at the dining room table that morning, forming each caramelle by hand. As the board was quietly cleared away, our ‘primi’ was being served. A selection of spaghetti, caramelle and small parcels of pasta stuffed with meatballs (something else The Pasta Maker will be working on), all served in a coating of tomato sauce.
How we make our caramelle pasta
Without further ado, upon returning to florida The Pasta Maker gathered some already cubed Pepper Jack cheese, whipped up a pile of pasta dough and set about making some Pepper Jack Caramelle Pasta for the Farmer’s Market.
These Pepper Jack Caramelle Pasta are surprisingly easy to put together and made easier by selecting a uniform and firm filling. We used an egg pasta dough and once the pasta is made you can begin to roll it through the pasta machine in the same way you would for sheets of lasagna. Then using a pizza cutter, cut the pasta into rectangles, splash lightly with a little water and place the cheese in the centre:
Roll the pasta around the cheese and form each one into the shape of a candy by simply twisting the open ends to close. We found that pinching the ends to form the candy was easier than twisting:
We set each caramelle out onto the drying rack, dusted them with a little flour and there they rested until they were all formed and we were ready to prepare them for dinner.
Caramelle pasta is prepared by bringing a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, adding the caramelle and cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. We served ours with a simple sauté of cherry tomatoes and fresh basil from The Farm.
2 to 3 fork-sized Caramelle pasta per person make a perfect primi or starter dish.
