CRUMBS CUTTERS RECIPES

Steps:

• For the filling, bake, steam or microwave the potatoes, then roughly mash. Mix with the pumpkin seeds and goat’s cheese.
• For the pasta, place the flour and a pinch of salt in a food processor and crack in the eggs. Pulse until mixture forms sticky-looking crumbs. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a firm dough. Knead for 5 mins until the dough feels smooth, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins. To make by hand, shape flour into a ‘ring’ on a work surface, crack eggs into the middle, then gradually work the flour into eggs using your fingers.
• Cut the pasta into quarters, then roll out each piece using a pasta machine. Dust with flour as you go and move it down a notch onto a thinner setting every second roll. Continue until you get to the penultimate setting. If you like your pasta very thin and delicate, you can go for the thinnest setting. If you don’t have a machine, use a heavy rolling pin to roll the dough as thinly as possible.
• Stamp out rounds using a ravioli cutter or a 6cm biscuit cutter – work quickly so the pasta doesn’t dry out. Lay the circles on a semolina-dusted surface and cover with cling film as you cut the rest.
• Place a small tsp of filling in the centre of each round. Dampen the edges with water, then sandwich another round on top. Use your fingertips to seal the edges, trying to expel all the air as you go. Lay the ravioli on a semolina-dusted tea towel to dry for a few mins.
• Cook ravioli in a large pan of gently boiling salted water for 4-5 mins. Do not use a full rolling boil as it is likely to make ravioli split. Drain, and serve with a little chilli oil, Parmesan and pumpkin seeds.

Steps:

• Heat the milk until it is warm but not hot, about 90 degrees. In a large bowl, combine it with the yeast. Stir lightly, and let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, beat the eggs, butter, sugar and salt into the yeast mixture. Add half of the flour (2 cups plus 2 tablespoons), and mix until combined, then mix in the rest of the flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add more flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, if the dough is too wet. If you’re using an electric mixer, the dough will probably become too thick to beat; when it does, transfer it to a floured surface, and gently knead it until smooth. Grease a large bowl with a little oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, and cover. Let rise at room temperature until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and roll it to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut out the doughnuts with a doughnut cutter, concentric cookie cutters or a drinking glass and a shot glass (the larger one should be about 3 inches in diameter), flouring the cutters as you go. Reserve the doughnut holes. If you’re making filled doughnuts, don’t cut out the middle. Knead any scraps together, being careful not to overwork, and let rest for a few minutes before repeating the process.
• Put the doughnuts on two floured baking sheets so that there is plenty of room between each one. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until they are slightly puffed up and delicate, about 45 minutes. If your kitchen isn’t warm, heat the oven to 200 at the beginning of this step, then turn off the heat, put the baking sheets in the oven and leave the door ajar.
• About 15 minutes before the doughnuts are done rising, put the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and heat it to 375. Meanwhile, line cooling racks, baking sheets or plates with paper towels.
• Carefully add the doughnuts to the oil, a few at a time. If they’re too delicate to pick up with your fingers (they may be this way only if you rose them in the oven), use a metal spatula to pick them up and slide them into the oil. It’s O.K. if they deflate a bit; they’ll puff back up as they fry. When the bottoms are deep golden, after 45 seconds to a minute, use a slotted spoon to flip; cook until they’re deep golden all over. Doughnut holes cook faster. Transfer the doughnuts to the prepared plates or racks, and repeat with the rest of the dough, adjusting the heat as needed to keep the oil at 375. Glaze or fill as follows, and serve as soon as possible.
• Whisk together 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth. When the doughnuts are cool enough to handle, dip into the glaze; if you like, flip them so the tops they’re completely covered. Put on racks to let the glaze harden.