You may find this difficult to believe, but I had never made fresh pasta until this year. I wanted to -- I mean, I really wanted to -- but had just never followed through on my heart’s culinary desire to explore my inner Italian.
But when my son started fishing for Christmas gift ideas, I dropped pasta maker onto the wish list for the fun of it, and because I needed a wintertime pandemic hobby. And wouldn’t you know, that’s what he gave me, along with a lovely wooden pasta-drying rack. (Did you know fresh pasta had to dry? Me neither!)
Coming in under $50, the maker he chose was super user-friendly in terms of setup and has operated marvelously so far. It seems durable and it is really easy to clean, too. Isn’t he the best son?
Our very first foray into mixing, kneading, rolling and cutting the fresh pasta fulfilled every one of my carb-filled daydreams. It really is easy, so if you have the time, it’s worth the effort. The consistency and flavor of fresh pasta is amazing!
Our favorite preparation is pasta carbonara, even though we don’t eat pork. We just sub in turkey bacon or chicken sausage and it’s still yummy! Since then, we’ve also added a ravioli maker to the pasta toolbox (my birthday present!) and that’s been a match made in heaven as well -- I am a cheese girl after all.
I’m sharing the recipe we use for homemade pasta. With only four ingredients, it’s surprisingly simple. I mix and knead my dough with a stand mixer, but if you visit the website included, you’ll find alternative mixing methods (food processor or by hand) and other great tips.
Give it a whirl and a taste and you might just get swept away down the canals of Venice in a gondola, swooning in pasta amore. Mangia!
Homemade Pasta
Recipe adapted from gimmesomeoven.com/homemade-pasta
Ingredients
4 large eggs (room temperature)
2 1/2 cups flour (“00” flour, semolina flour, all-purpose flour, or a blend)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. fine sea salt
Directions
Add all ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook. Knead the dough on low speed for 8-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough seems too dry, add in an extra tablespoon or two of water. If too wet or sticky, add in some extra flour, but you want the dough to be fairly dry.
Form the dough into a ball with your hands, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate dough ball for up to a day.
Roll out the pasta, cut into desired shape and cook in a large pot of generously-salted boiling water until it is al dente, usually between 1-5 minutes depending on the thickness of your pasta. Drain and use immediately.
Note: If you wish to store some of the cut pasta in the refrigerator or freezer before cooking (this recipe makes quite a bit, usually two meals for us), this is where the drying rack comes in handy. Be sure to dry your pasta for 30 minutes to two hours before storing. It will refrigerate well for two days or freeze for up to two weeks.
May 20, 2021 at 05:00PM
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Pasta Amore | Elf | sentinelsource.com - The Keene Sentinel
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Pasta
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