Pasta

Today Chef Simone demonstrated how to use an extruding machine to make dry pasta. Dry pasta features semolina flour and water, it dries hard and stores well, and is the sort you find in every grocery. Semolina flour provides the added benefit of a lower glycemic index than flour used in fresh pasta. Dry pasta is served al dente.

Fresh pasta, on the other hand, is made with softer flour (all-purpose) and typically includes an egg. Fresh pasta is great for stretching thin and for stuffed pastas, such as ravioli. Unlike the hearty dry pasta, fresh pasta is served soft, never al dente.

Here is a video of pasta shells being cut from the extruder.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Yg3m6MEnC4&feature=youtube_gdata_player