Making Pasta at Novo Pizzeria | Vancouver Foodster

Chef/Owner Carmine Paradiso makes all his own pasta in his restaurant in Kitsilano the same way his family made it where he grew up in Italy. Carmine took me through the process of making 5 different pastas in his kitchen.

He started off this dough adventure making the Maccaronara a hand made pasta in the shape of a big spaghetti from the Campania region where the Dough ingredients include water, 00 pasta flour, whole egg. The process is to make into a thick sheet of pasta, roll up into a log and cut by hand, this pasta is used in Red wine Braised beef cheek with tarragon and orange zest.

The next one he made was the Corzetti a coin shape pasta made by hand with a corzetti stamp. The imprint catches all of the sauce, this pasta is from the Liguria region where the Dough ingredients include white wine, egg, 00 Pasta flour. The process for this dough is made into medium thickness sheet, then coins are shaped with and pressed with the corzetti stamp. This pasta is used in the Corzetti with genovese pesto, burrata, pine nuts, lemon zest, pink peppercorn.

The next pasta Carmine made was the Pappardelle a flat pasta ribbon whose name derives from the tuscan dialect word “pappare” which means to gobble up. This pasta is from the Tuscany and Northern Italy regions where the Dough ingredients include egg yolks, olive oil, mix of 00 flour and semolina.The process for this dough is made into a thin thickness, rolled and cut by hand into ribbons about 3/4 inch wide. This pasta is used in: Papparedelle with rabbit ragu, oil cured olives, oven roasted tomatoes, arugula, truffle oil.

The next pasta he made was the Fettucine a flat pasta ribbon from the Roman cuisine. This pasta is from the Lazio region where the Dough ingredients include egg yolks, olive oil, mix of 00 flour and semolina. The process for this dough is made into a thin thickness, rolled and cut by hand into ribbons about 1/4 “ wide. This pasta is used with Mushroom Aglio Olio, thyme, pecorino romano, truffle oil.

The last pasta that Carmine made was the Orrechiette a Hand-made pasta meaning “little ears”. This pasta is from the Puglia region where the Dough ingredients include water and semolina flour. The process for this dough is to mix the dough by hand, roll into a log, cut off little nibs and shape with knife and fingers. This pasta is used in their Sausage orrechiette with fennel pollen and Parmigiano Regianno.

The best part of making the pasta for me is to eat the pasta and I was then fortunate to sit at the table and to indulge in these 5 pasta creations that Chef Carmine made using this fresh pasta.