🛒 Shopping List — Block 13–14: Pasta & Grains from Scratch

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How to use this list: Block 11 is flour and eggs. Block 12 is grains and patience. Buy the pasta flour and a potato ricer before Block 11 starts — they're the tools you absolutely need. The lamb shoulder (Session 55) needs 4 hours in the oven; start it by 3 PM.

⚠️ Equipment Check

[ ] Potato ricer — essential for gnocchi (Session 52). A box grater works as a backup but the ricer makes better gnocchi. Under $15.
[ ] Pasta machine (optional) — hand-cranked pasta machine (~$35) makes rolling dramatically easier for Blocks 11 Mon/Tue. Rolling by hand works too.
[ ] Large pot for pasta — you need volume and lots of salt. Pasta water should taste like a light broth.

🥩 Proteins — Block 11

[ ] Ricotta cheese (whole-milk) — 1 lb (Session 51 ravioli filling + Service 14 crostini)
[ ] Anchovies — 1 can (Session 53 aglio e olio, optional but recommended)
[ ] Guanciale or pancetta — 4 oz (Service 13 Bolognese)
[ ] Ground beef — 1 lb (Service 13 Bolognese)
[ ] Ground pork — ½ lb (Service 13 Bolognese — adds richness)

🥩 Proteins — Block 12

[ ] Mushrooms (mixed: cremini, shiitake, oyster) — 2 lbs (Session 54 risotto)
[ ] Lamb shoulder — 3–4 lbs, bone-in (Session 55 PROJECT — buy fresh, ask butcher)
[ ] Bone-in beef short ribs or beef cheeks — 2 lbs (Session 56 braised ragu, OR use Tuesday's leftover lamb)
[ ] Salmon fillets (skin-on) — 2 pieces (Session 57)
[ ] Sea scallops — 8–12 large, dry-packed (Service 14 PROJECT — must be labeled "dry-packed" or "day-boat"; wet-packed scallops won't sear properly)

🥦 Produce — Block 11

[ ] Cherry tomatoes — 2 pints (Session 51 roasted + Service 13 bruschetta)
[ ] Radicchio — 1 head (Session 51 salad)
[ ] Broccolini — 2 bunches (Session 52)
[ ] Baby spinach — 1 bag (Session 53 sautéed)
[ ] Tomatoes (Roma or vine-ripe) — 4 large (Service 13 bruschetta)
[ ] Garlic — 2 heads
[ ] Lemons — 4
[ ] Fresh sage — 1 bunch (gnocchi butter sauce + ravioli butter sauce)
[ ] Fresh parsley — 1 bunch
[ ] Fresh basil — 1 bunch (tomato sugo + bruschetta)
[ ] Cucumber — 2 (Session 53 salad)
[ ] Red onion — 1 (Session 53 salad)
[ ] Yellow onions — 3 (Service 13 Bolognese mirepoix + general use)
[ ] Celery — 1 bunch (Service 13 Bolognese mirepoix)
[ ] Carrots — 3 (Service 13 Bolognese mirepoix)
[ ] Mixed salad greens — 2 bags

🥦 Produce — Block 12

[ ] Asparagus — 1 bunch (Session 54 mushroom asparagus risotto)
[ ] Basmati rice (not standard white) — 2 cups (Session 55 Persian rice / tahdig — long-grain Basmati is correct here)
[ ] Cucumbers — 2 (Session 55 tzatziki)
[ ] Fresh dill — 1 bunch (tzatziki)
[ ] Beets (raw) — 4 medium (Session 57 farro salad — roast them yourself)
[ ] Arugula — 2 bags (Session 57 + Sat salads)
[ ] Fennel — 2 bulbs (Service 14 salad)
[ ] Blood oranges or navel oranges — 3 (Service 14 salad)
[ ] Mixed bitter greens (radicchio, endive) — 1 head (Session 54 salad)
[ ] Walnuts — ½ cup (Session 54 salad)
[ ] Garlic — 1 head

🧀 Dairy

[ ] Parmesan (block) — 12 oz (pasta, risotto, crostini, gnocchi)
[ ] Pecorino Romano — 4 oz (Service 13 cacio e pepe)
[ ] Gorgonzola — 2 oz (Session 54 salad)
[ ] Unsalted butter — 4 sticks (pasta sauces, risotto finishing, scallop searing)
[ ] Whole-milk ricotta — as above (Session 51 + Service 14 crostini)
[ ] Plain Greek yogurt (full-fat) — 1 cup (Session 55 tzatziki)
[ ] Crème fraîche or heavy cream — ½ cup (Session 56 polenta finishing)
[ ] Eggs — 2 dozen (fresh pasta dough requires 1 egg per 100g flour; 2 lbs of ’00” flour = ~18 eggs minimum; also for soft-boiled and ravioli binding)

🌾 Pantry & Dry Goods

[ ] "00" flour (Tipo 00) — 2 lbs (fresh pasta — found at Italian delis or Amazon. All-purpose works but "00" makes silkier pasta)
[ ] Semolina flour — ½ cup (dusting fresh pasta to prevent sticking)
[ ] Russet potatoes — 3 lbs (Session 52 gnocchi — bake them, don't boil)
[ ] Farro — 2 cups (Session 57 farro salad)
[ ] Arborio or Carnaroli rice — 2 cups (Session 54 risotto + Sat saffron risotto)
[ ] Saffron — 1 tin (Service 14 saffron risotto — if you used yours in Block 10, restock)
[ ] Coarse-ground cornmeal (not instant polenta) — 1 bag (Session 56)
[ ] Canned whole tomatoes — 3 cans (Session 50 slow tomato sugo + Sat Bolognese)
[ ] Tomato paste — 1 small can
[ ] Red wine — 2 bottles (Session 56 short rib braise + Service 13 Bolognese)
[ ] White wine (dry) — 1 bottle (Session 54 risotto + general)
[ ] Chicken stock — 64 oz (risotto, polenta, general)
[ ] Beef stock — 32 oz (Session 56 braise)
[ ] Soy sauce — 1 bottle (Session 54 mushroom risotto — a small hit deepens the mushroom flavor; trust it)
[ ] Goat cheese — 4 oz (Session 57 farro salad)
[ ] Honey — 1 jar (Service 14 crostini)
[ ] Walnuts — ½ cup (Service 14 crostini)
[ ] Capers — 1 jar (Service 14 scallop sauce)
[ ] Extra-virgin olive oil (good quality — multiple uses)
[ ] Kosher salt (large box — pasta water uses more than you think)

🥖 Bread

[ ] Crusty bread or baguette — 1 (Service 13 bruschetta base — slice thick, rub with garlic, drizzle with olive oil)
[ ] Good rustic bread — 1 (Service 14 crostini)

📝 Notes

Egg pasta dough (Session 50): The most common mistake is adding too much flour. Start with the minimum, add slowly. The dough should feel like Play-Doh — supple and smooth, not tacky or stiff. After kneading, wrap tightly and rest 30+ minutes.

Gnocchi (Session 52) — the rules: 1. Bake the potatoes, don't boil 2. Rice them while they're hot (steam escapes and makes them lighter) 3. Add flour sparingly — start with less than the recipe says 4. Handle as little as possible. No kneading. Overworked = tough.

Bolognese (Service 13) needs 3 hours. Start it by 11 AM. Add no more than ½ cup of liquid at a time and only when the previous addition has fully absorbed. The right consistency is thick and coating, barely any sauce.

Scallops (Service 14) — critical prep: Pat dry on paper towels, then let them sit uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before cooking. They must be completely dry to sear, not steam. The pan must be screaming hot. Don't move them for 90 seconds.