The Pasta Post!

Way back in May I found a pasta machine on sale, and knew it had to be mine. I had been wanting one for a while, and a discount was all I needed to persuade me to make the purchase. I eat more pasta than I should, so I was hoping this acquisition would make me work a little harder for it--also, I was looking forward to a little bit of a challenge, and to the prospect of learning how to do something new. The basic recipe I've been using is this:

-1 1/2 c. flour
-2 eggs
-1 t. salt

I first tried it without the salt, but it was a little bland. I also tried it with a little olive oil once--the flavor was nice, but it made the dough a little more temperamental to work with. I've been experimenting with different flours, too. You can use all purpose, or pure semolina--both will yield a nice pasta, but the textures will be completely different. What I find I really love is this blend--yet another fantastic product from King Arthur Flour!


You can mix the ingredients by hand, or with a food processor. I've been doing the latter because it's so easy and quick. Once you have this beautiful dough, the possibilities are pretty endless. The kneading and rolling process isn't as labor intensive as it looks--it probably takes only 10 minutes or so (photos in the previous post). With the attachments on my machine I can make a thin pasta like a spaghetti, or a thicker tagliatelle.


(From here, you can cook the pasta fresh--throw it straight into a pot of boiling, salted water--or you can lay it out or hang it to dry for later. I usually cook mine immediately because I have very little self-restraint...)


If you want to do lasagna or filled pasta, you don't even need the cutting attachment. For the lasagna, we cut the noodles to size based on the dimensions of the baking dish. I also tried tortellini, which involved cutting the sheets of pasta into 3 inch circles. Ravioli is next on my list of shapes to perfect...


(For the filling here, I used a combination of grated fresh mozzarella and ricotta--really simple, using what I had handy.)


(For the tortellini, place a small amount of the filling in the center of the circle. Dip your finger in water and lightly wet the perimeter of the circle. Fold it over into a semi-circle, sealing the edges around the filling. Then bring the two corners together around your little finger. You'll get the hang of it really quickly!)


A plate like this is worth every minute!