Which flour for preparing fresh pasta in Israel ?

[Richard_S]

I've got the machine, I've got great eggs (no, guys I won't tell anyone how), the technique is ok, the problem is the flour :
- regular white flour : easy work, not much in taste, too chewy after a short cooking
- plain flour : hard work, tasty, texture not much better
- blend : so far my best solution...
- flour sold as flour for pasta : texture sugar like, impossible to work with, sucks the eggs in a minute... The dough finished in the garbage before being a dough...

There's a lot on the web about the "right" flour, but I find it hard to translate the concepts of "00" or other grindings into the local offer. Someone more experienced with the local offer may have better ideas ?

Richard

[David H]

The flour to use for homemade pasta is Stybel No. 9. I don't know where it's available, but maybe Stybel's web site could help. Good bake!

[Michelle Nordell]

You can buy real Italian 00 flour at 4Chef in Tel Aviv and at Taste in Ra'annana. You might be able to get it elsewhere, but those are the two places I have seen it at.

Frankly, I would use a blend of semolina and regular flour. Always worked for me.

[Daniel Rogov]

In all of the years I lived in Europe, I never made pasta because there was so much good pasta, both fresh and dried, readily available. When I first came to Israel and all that was available was the then abysmal Ossem pasta, I started making pasta. Now, with Ossem having improved beyond belief and with an abundance of fresh pasta available as well as fine dried pasta from Italy, I see no reason to go to the trouble. Ye faithful pasta machine has been retired to a very, very back corner of the pantry.

Best
Rogov

[Joel D Parker]

Hi Richard,

Michelle is right, they have the flour at 4 Chef on Carlibach street in Tel Aviv. They also have pizza flour, and a bunch of other cool things, with which to experiment.

Daniel, some people just like to make pasta because it can be fun and interesting to do it yourself. It is a lot of work without a machine (and even with a machine) but it tastes amazing, especially if you use really good cheeses to make your own ravioli. Also, never underestimate a fresh pasta party, which can be quite fun if there are a number of enthusiastic participants. For the new initiates it is always exciting to see how such simple ingredients can turn into the basic food that some of us spend big bucks on at fancy restaurants.

That being said, there is great fresh pasta for sale at Il Pastaio on Even (Ibn) Gvirol St.... I would still suggest making your own sauces though, if you want something interesting. And there is a pretty good variety of Italian dried pastas in Tiv Ta'm stores these days, so you're not even stuck with improved Ossem.

Joel

[Daniel Rogov]

Joel, Hi...

I did not at all mean to disparage those who find pleasure in making pasta at home. In my own case it is pure and unadulterated laziness that keeps me from doing so.

Agreed by the way the Il Pastaio offers fine fresh pasta. Two other places that I recommend are Pasta della Casa (call 050 56956591 for addresses of branches) and Pasta Mia (Lincoln Street in Tel Aviv as well as in Ramat HaChayal). As to sauces, indeed best are those made at home. Funny, I say that I'm lazy but I do not hesitate to devoting three full hours to preparing a home made tomato or bolognese sauce.

Best
Rogov

[Daniel Rogov]

Joel, Hi...

I did not at all mean to disparage those who find pleasure in making pasta at home. In my own case it is pure and unadulterated laziness that keeps me from doing so.

Agreed by the way the Il Pastaio offers fine fresh pasta. Two other places that I recommend are Pasta della Casa (call 050 56956591 for addresses of branches) and Pasta Mia (Lincoln Street in Tel Aviv as well as in Ramat HaChayal). As to sauces, indeed best are those made at home. Funny, I say that I'm lazy but I do not hesitate to devoting three full hours to preparing a home made tomato or bolognese sauce.

Best
Rogov

[Daniel Rogov]

Joel, Hi...

I did not at all mean to disparage those who find pleasure in making pasta at home. In my own case it is pure and unadulterated laziness that keeps me from doing so.

Agreed by the way the Il Pastaio offers fine fresh pasta. Two other places that I recommend are Pasta della Casa (call 050 56956591 for addresses of branches) and Pasta Mia (Lincoln Street in Tel Aviv as well as in Ramat HaChayal). As to sauces, indeed best are those made at home. Funny, I say that I'm lazy but I do not hesitate to devoting three full hours to preparing a home made tomato or bolognese sauce.

Best
Rogov

[Daniel Rogov]

Joel, Hi...

I did not at all mean to disparage those who find pleasure in making pasta at home. In my own case it is pure and unadulterated laziness that keeps me from doing so.

Agreed by the way the Il Pastaio offers fine fresh pasta. Two other places that I recommend are Pasta della Casa (call 050 56956591 for addresses of branches) and Pasta Mia (Lincoln Street in Tel Aviv as well as in Ramat HaChayal). As to sauces, indeed best are those made at home. Funny, I say that I'm lazy but I do not hesitate to devoting three full hours to preparing a home made tomato or bolognese sauce.

Best
Rogov

[Richard_S]

Many thanks people for the good advices... and I'm so happy that it went on to a small debate : I'm not sure that I would once ever make any better pasta compared to what I could easily buy. But I'm 45 with two kids and the pasta machine always needs a third hand and running it is a great moment of conviviality between father and kids and therefore my care for getting a final product as right as possible.
The Tel-Aviv place is on my diary...

Fun,

Richard

[Joel D Parker]

Hey Richard,

That does sound like fun! And I would be willing to bet that your pasta will taste as good if not better than anything you can buy! I am not yet 30 and have a boy who's just turning one, but he already likes to do anything he's allowed to in the kitchen. Actually, I have to prevent him from doing more! At this point his main role is in getting the pots and pans out of the cabinet, but I also let him taste stuff so I can judge by his reaction if it needs more work... He's the most objective pasta sauce evaluator in the house!

Good times,

Joel