How To Make Fresh Pasta
Green Pasta Dough with Wild Ramps
One of my favorite springtime dishes of all time is a classic daube of lamb, a Provencal stew made from unctuous lamb slowly simmered in rose with lavender honey until it is impossibly tender. Traditionally daubes are served with something starchy like pasta or gnocchi. In Nice, they often accompany daubes with a dark green gnocchi (Pate Nicoise) that simmers in the stew for the final 30 minutes. The same dough can be rolled out into fresh green pasta instead.
Foraging in Vermont
Lately, I have been finding lots of wild garlic (ramps) on my morning walks with my dog. Endless carpets of ramps and fiddleheads stretch out as far as the eye can see. I like to use the ramp greens to make fresh green pasta. Though if you cannot find any ramps just use baby spinach instead.
The Italy influence on Provence
People are often curious about the Italian influence on Provençal food. When you travel to Nice you notice a lot of Italian dishes like porchetta, pesto (pistou), gnocchi, and ravioli being served. The area surrounding Nice was once part of the Italian Kingdom of Savoy, which traded hands several times before permanently becoming part of France in 1860. The Italian influence has a lot to do with Provence’s isolated location. It was far easier to travel along the coast by boats rather than cross over the rugged mountainous terrain that separated the South from the rest of France. This allowed the Provençal coast to develop its own independent cuisine and culture. The Mediterranean coast did not really open up to the rest of France until the railroads came to Marseille in 1848 and Nice in 1864.
