CELEBRITY PASTAS

For the Pasta

Combine spinach and 1 cup of water in blender. Blend on high speed until you have a smooth puree. Strain the puree through a cheesecloth for 5 minutes. You want 1 1/2 cups of "spinach water."

Combine semolina flour with a hefty pinch of kosher salt. Stir together by hand and then add 150g of the spinach water. You can do this by keeping your bowl on a scale. Bring this together like any other pasta, adding more spinach water as necessary. Knead together in the bowl until you have a ball that is tacky, but not sticky. Move the dough to a (stain proof) work surface and knead for 5-7 minutes until smooth and elastic, and bounces back readily when poked. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

After resting, remove from plastic and cut into 4 pieces. Roll it out using a pasta roller on the thickest setting. The dough is delicate! Run the dough through the pasta roller, fold it into thirds, and run it again. Do this 3-5 times. You want the dough to not crack around the edges or get stretch marks.

Once you're ready to properly roll and cut, take your pieces and generously flour to keep from sticking to the roller. One setting at a time, roll it out until it's nice and thin.

Pass each piece through the pasta cutter on the fettuccine setting. Place the pasta on a mesh pasta drying rack or a hanging rack. Let sit at room temperature overnight.

For the Pesto

In a food processor, combine garlic, basil leaves, and Emmental cheese. Pulse repeatedly until everything is finely chopped.

Slowly steam in olive oil while the machine is running, until we reach our desired consistency. I used about 1/4 cup. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary with salt. Set aside until ready to serve.

For assembly:

Put an oven-safe bowl in the oven at 200F to preheat it. Add 2 Tbsp of butter to the bowl and your homemade pesto. Put it back in the oven and let it get some dry heat for a few minutes while the pasta cooks.

Cook pasta in a pot of heavily salted water. This should only take 3-5 minutes, keep an eye on it. Once cooked, use tongs to transfer pasta from pot directly into the warmed bowl with pasta and pesto.

Stir to combine, adding pasta water as necessary to reach your desired consistency.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season assertively with salt. Cook the pasta to al dente, then drain the pasta through a colander.

Add 2 TB butter to the pasta pot, then add the pasta on top. Cover and let the butter melt.

In a small nonstick skillet over medium heat, add 1 TB of butter. Once the butter begins to sizzle, crack the egg into the pan. Season with salt and cook for TKTK minutes, or until the whites are fully set, but the yolks are still runny.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

Toss the pasta with the butter and season with salt.

Transfer the pasta to a large serving plate and top with eggs and caviar.

Place several layers on paper towels onto a sheet tray and set aside.

In a large, deep skillet, add the canola and olive oils over medium heat. Once the oil is barely shimmering, add half of the zucchini and fry until the outer edges turn slightly brown and the insides have softened. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer the zucchini to the prepared sheet tray and season with salt. Repeat with the second batch. Set aside to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season assertively with salt. Cook the pasta 1 minute less than al dente. Reserve 3 cups of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.

In another large, deep skillet over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant but not browned in any places. Add half of the zucchini, along with a splash of pasta water and mash the zucchini into a rough paste. Add the pasta, along with another splash of additional pasta water and stir to emulsify the sauce. Remove from the heat and slowly add the cheese. Continuously stir to work the cheese into the sauce, adding more pasta water as needed to thin the sauce out. This should take 3-5 minutes in total. Once the cheese has melted into the pasta and the pasta looks glossy, remove from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Top with zucchini rounds, basil, and more cheese, if desired.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the beef, breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan, nutmeg, salt, pepper, egg, and warm water lightly with a fork. Form approximately 14 to 16 two-inch meatballs.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add the vegetable oil and olive oil. Working in batches, brown the meatballs on two sides.

Transfer the meatballs to a sheet tray and repeat until all have been browned.

Add additional olive oil, if needed, to the same pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Deglaze with red wine and reduce almost completely. Add the tomatoes, parsley, salt, and pepper. Return the meatballs, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

While the meatballs are simmering, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season assertively with salt and add the spaghetti. Cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain and transfer to individual bowls or a platter. Top with meatballs, sauce and additional Parmesan.

For the Filling

Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the spinach and the garlic, along with a generous pinch of salt. Saute until the spinach is wilted and most of the excess water has come out. Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

In a medium mixing bowl, add the ricotta, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Transfer to a piping bag and refrigerate.

For the Pasta

Add the flour to a clean work surface. Create a well in the middle and add the eggs, egg yolks, and salt into the center. Using a fork, whisk the eggs together, pulling in small amounts of flour as you go. Continue this process until a thick egg paste forms. Then pull in more flour, combining more and more as you go. Once you can no longer combine using the fork, switch to your hands and slowly knead the dough together.

Once all of the flour is incorporated into the dough, knead the dough, using the heel of your hand, for 5-10 minutes, or until the surface is smooth and elastic.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature to rest for at least 60 minutes, and up to 3 hours. The dough should spring back slowly when pressed with your finger after it is fully rested. The dough can also be refrigerated for 1 day, or frozen for up to a month.

Unwrap the dough and divide it into equal portions. Then working with one portion at a time, press the dough piece into a rough rectangle. Cover the remaining portions with plastic wrap so they do not dry out.

Attach a pasta roller attachment to a stand mixer and set it to 0, or the widest setting. Pass the shortest end of the dough through the roller twice.

Transfer the pasta to a clean work surface and fold one of the short ends of the dough into the center. Do the same with the other side, completing a tri-fold. Pass the dough through the widest setting again, leading with the shortest side of the dough.

Repeat this process through the widest setting once more.

Adjust the dial of the pasta attachment to the next setting and pass the dough through twice. Repeat this process until the dough is 0.6 to 0.8 millimeters thick, or on the number 8 setting.

Line a sheet tray with parchment and dust with flour. Add the pasta to the sheet tray, adding additional flour and folding the dough over to fit the sheet tray. Cover with a towel.

Repeat the dough rolling process with the additional dough balls.

Lay 1 sheet of pasta down and pipe a thick line in the middle of the pasta sheet, horizontally down the center. Fold the top half of the pasta over the filling, then use your fingers to create indentations, separating the pasta pieces into little pillows. Cut each side and set aside.

Repeat with remaining sheets and filling.

For the Sauce

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the oil, onions, and generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Stir frequently to avoid burning and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the tomato paste has thickened and darkened in color. Remove from the heat and add the vodka. Stir to combine and cook until the vodka is 90% evaporated.

Return to the heat, add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Season with salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced by ¼, stirring occasionally. You're looking for that pink-orange vodka sauce color.

Bring a medium sauce pot of water to a boil and season assertively with salt. Add agnolotti and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the agnolotti float to the top.

Using a spider or slotted spoon, remove from the boiling water and transfer to the skillet with the sauce. Swirl and move the pasta around continuously. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then transfer to a bowl and serve. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top and finish with julienned basil.