05 June, 2008

Pasta

Making pasta is such a satisfying experience! I made fettuccine for dinner Tuesday, and it was delicious. Fresh pasta is much more filling than dried; it's also much more toothsome and fun to eat. I served my pasta with a cream sauce that had asiago, parmesan, and mozzerella cheeses melted into it. Then I sauteed some mushrooms, garlic, chicken, and prosciutto, and mixed those in, too.

I love cooking. I do. That's just all there is to it. I think I'll make tortellini next...

Fresh Pasta

Mix 3 3/4 cup flour* with 2(ish) teaspoons of salt. Pour out onto the counter and make well in center. Break four eggs into well, and beat with a fork. Drizzle in some olive oil. Use the fork to beat the flour and eggs together (slowly, from the inside out- the eggs will try to escape and run all over the counter). Add a few tablespoons of water as you're mixing. The dough should start to come together, and will now need some handwork. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (it will be heavier than a bread dough). Let the dough rest for an hour or so, then roll it out -as thin as possible!- and cut it however you like. The pasta will expand and get thicker and wider. Fresh pasta takes only a few minutes to cook, so keep an eye on it.

*You can use unbleached, all-purpose white flour, wheat flour, semolina, or any combination of flours you like. I prefer a mix of mostly semolina, part white.

2 comments:

Kelly said...

How funny -- the kids and I were just today talking about the one and only time I ever made pasta. I made fettucine Alfredo for a company dinner and it really was the best pasta I'd ever had, but I've decided never to do it again until I have a pasta maker. It took me all day to make that one dinner, and that was back when I only had one baby!

Miss Puritan Chickie said...

It just tastes so good! You can always roll it, cut it, and leave it to dry- your own dried pasta must taste better than store-bought. Then you can make it on a non-busy day and save it for company.

I've looked at pasta machines, myself. I think it would be handy, as it's hard to roll and cut evenly (and thinly enough).