Aug 18, 2016 in budget-friendly, comforting, diy, egg, fresh, homemade, italian, pasta, freshpasta, homemadepasta. Read the original on: Coco in the Kitchen
There was a time when making fresh pasta from scratch was horrifying. I wouldnât even consider giving it a try, especially after watching Dad, whoâs a seasoned cook, waste some 18 eggs, struggling to get it right.
This year for Fatherâs Day, I did something a bit selfish and booked a pasta-making class. I couldnât think of anything Iâd rather do to celebrate how much Dad means to me than spending some quality time, cooking with him. Dad and I have become a pasta-making dynamic duo. Making the pasta is fun, yes, yes, of course. Kneading the dough can be exhausting, so itâs good to work together and take turns. We make pasta together every chance we get and everyone loves to get involved. Now that I know the secret, I canât wait to share it with you, because once youâve tasted fresh pasta that youâve made with your own two hands, you will never, ever reach for a box of the stuff at the market.
Making pasta at home may sound crazy, but, it is fundamentally simple peasant food. Villagers are smart people, using whatever staples they always have on hand, like eggs, flour, salt. Form the dough, cook it in salted water, serve it with whatever the garden has to offer. There, you go.
The trick to great pasta lies in the recipe, but itâs not really the measurements that count. In fact, the measurements are somewhat arbitrary. Technique is more important. You have to know what to look for â a smooth ball of dough that you can squeeze like a stress ball. Itâs surprisingly easy and just so much fun.
There really isnât anything you can do wrong with making fresh pasta. Just combine eggs with enough flour, massaging the dough against until it no longer feels sticky. The texture is smooth, no more lines or creases.
Making pasta is such a hippy experience. You just go with it. How much flour you will need depends on the day, season, the humidity. On a hot and dry summer night, you may use less flour than you would on a rainy autumn evening.
Look up recipes and youâll see so many variations in the amount of flour, number of eggs, whether/not water should be incorporated. Give mine a try. It never fails me. Read through the instructions once or twice so you get the idea and just go with it. Have fun!
While young women fantasize about becoming globe-trotting elegant supermodels, old girls like me daydream about living life like an Italian nonna in a Tuscan village. Then what happens is that I convince myself I can do crafty things, like make clothing for my Daisy and make fresh pasta for dinner.
Things like sewing and pasta machines start popping up on a wishlist I send to my husband.
No one really donât needs a pasta machine. Nonna would have rolled out the dough by hand and cut it with a knife. I wanted one, so Shawn got it for me. After a few early disappointing attempts at using it, it got banished to the deep, dark corners of the pantry, never to see the light of day again (along with my sewing machine).
Now that I know how easy it is to make fresh pasta by hand, the old Atlas is my favorite. Itâs under $100 and easy to find online. It comes in a variety of beautiful colors. You could get three in the colors of the Italian flag and have pasta-making parties at home.
There is a motorized attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer, but itâs noisy. There is one for the Atlas, but I wouldnât suggest getting it, because you really donât need it. The old hand-crank works great. Kids love cranking the pasta through the rollers. My little Daisy says itâs so much and we all love getting together to make dinner.
If your kitchen is anything like mine, itâs cluttered enough. You donât need any new fancy kitchen gadgets, not even one of those wooden antenna-looking thingies that to hold the strands of dough. Just grab a couple of clean clothes hangers. Seriously. That was Dadâs idea and worked great!
Cooking pasta is also a very simple process, but is quite often misunderstood. There are a few basic tips that everyone needs to know.
This weekend, take a little bit of time to make pasta at home. Youâll be surprised at all the little helping hands that will show up. Whatever you do, make this and taste it. You will never want the boxed stuff again. Then serve it with any of your favorite sauces. We did a fresh checca made with tomatoes, basil and parsley from our garden, a teeny bit of garlic and lots of fruity olive oil. We warmed the noodles with the tomatoes and herbs before serving them as an unexpected side to grilled ribeye. I secretly wished I could have eaten all the pasta by myself with a bit of salt and olive oil. Does that make me a bad person?
The post Making Fresh Pasta at Home appeared first on Coco in the Kitchen.
Read the original on: Coco in the Kitchen
Life's too short to eat bad food. I'm a mommy blogger who tells tall tales and makes quick, fresh dishes that pack a punch of flavor. So, come for the stories, but stay for the food!