“Life Ñ–Ñ• a combination οf magic Ð°×—Ô pasta” – Federico Fellini
I’m still in awe of the fact that we made these pasta noodles inside our Cow Town kitchen. They tasted firm, delectable and paired nicely with the pesto sauce from the Nugget.
Before this night, the idea of making pasta intimidated me. I enjoy scarfing down a yummy plate of pasta with savory sauce, vegetables, cheese and meat. So – I didn’t want to screw-up a good Italian dish with my crappy noodles.
A few months ago, our Bay Area friends showed us that it’s possible to do handmade pasta without killing your guests. So, while we shopped for semolina flour for our pizza dough, we found a recipe for pasta dough. That was enough to convince us to take on the idea of making noodles from scratch.
Bring it on!
Here’s a basic pasta recipe off the packaging from Bob’s Red Mill: Semolina Pasta. [Thanks to my hubby for typing it all out 🙂 ]
- 1 1/2 c Semolina flour
- (optional) 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 Eggs or 3 Egg whites, beaten
- 2 Tbsp. water
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Making the Pasta
Combine flour & salt. Then add eggs, water & oil
Mix it to make a stiff dough, Then knead 10 minutes or until dough is elastic.
Wrap dough in towel or place in plastic bag & let rest for 20 min.
On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to desired thickness and cut as desired
* [from my hubby] “…the most tedious part was cutting it right, since the dough tends to stick together – we used a pizza cutter and a rolling pin to cut fettucini – it all tastes good in the end, tho… :)”
Cooking the Pasta
Bring large pot of water + 1/2 tsp. oil to a boil
Add pasta and cook until tender (unless making lasagna, which is cooked when baked)
Add to recipe, sauce, etc. On this night, we mixed in some marinated artichoke hearts with the pesto sauce. Then we mixed in that combination with the bowl of pasta. Finally, we topped it off with chopped-up bacon.
On the dining table, we opened up a bottle of 2006 Carignane from Jessie’s Grove and lit some candles; setting the tone for another night of decadent eating at home. Pasta, wine and loved ones adds up to a magical time anywhere.
Next time, I want to make the pesto sauce at home.
I can’t wait to make pasta again!