Notes From A Nester: Make the Pasta!
.
a blogumn by Debra Barlow
Santa smiled on me this holiday season and I did receive my much drooled over pasta maker. Once the holiday craziness was over, my husband and I couldn’t wait to give it a try.
I always thought pasta making would be a labor-intensive ordeal. In my mind, it’s up there with making your own bread as the height of tedium. After all, there must be a reason that there are so many lovely, pre-packaged versions of pasta lining the grocery store shelves, right? If it is an easy thing to make at home, there’d be no reason for the time saving dried variety.
Consider that bubble burst. It took a little time, but making our own pasta could not have been easier or more fun! It’s not something I would undertake on a weeknight after work, but for a Saturday evening meal, it was perfect. The attachments came with a handy recipe book and we started our odyssey into homemade pasta with a basic egg recipe.
I was amazed that I didn’t have to buy anything special – it only called for eggs, flour, water and salt. Then I began to realize why pasta is such a staple for so many different cuisines: it’s cheap to make and requires the most basic of ingredients.*
After the dough was mixed, kneaded and rested, we had to thin the dough into flat sheets. This was the most time consuming part because you have to feed it through again and again, each time narrowing the width of the roller.
Then, the fun part –putting it through the pasta cutter! We opted for fettuccine. As first timers, we thought the bigger pasta might be easier. Our one big mistake was not using enough flour to dust the pasta sheets before we cut them, so we ended up with some noodles stuck to others. For the most part it broke apart in the water, but next time we’ll be more careful.
The pasta, though, was like nothing I’ve ever tasted. I paired it with a simple tomato sauce and the fresh pasta flavor really came through. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to eat boxed pasta again! I’m thinking of scheduling bi-weekly pasta making nights where we make pounds of it to dry and freeze for later use. And you’re saving pennies on the dollar by making it yourself (minus the cost of the equipment, of course). In this economy, that just seems right.
My next mountain to climb in the realm of kitchen frugality is making bread!
The basic egg pasta recipe is below. Anyone else a homemade pasta convert? Or a quick and easy bread recipe? Do share!
*Other recipes in the book call for things like semolina or whole wheat flour, which of course we didn’t have on hand – but do plan to try very soon!
Basic Egg Pasta
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon water
3 ½ cups sifted all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
Mix eggs, water, flour and salt (if you have a standing mixer, use the dough hook to knead for 2 minutes after mixture is combined). Hand knead dough for an additional 2 minutes (4 minutes total if you don’t have the dough hook). Let it rest for 20 minutes, then divide dough into 4 pieces. Feed each piece through the pasta roller. Repeat until dough reaches the desired thickness. Feed flattened sheets through the pasta cutter of your choice.
You can dry the noodles, or cook immediately. Enjoy!
Sign me up! I've been plotting doing this for a long time but have never been able to get it together. The chief obstacle is actually my cretinish next-door neighbor – apparently my kitchen wall is his living room wall, too, so whenever I roll out pie dough he pounds on the wall like a troglodyte. He works in sound I think, so he's very sensitive – hypersensitive if you ask me – the man starts doing it when hears the mice farting in the wall. But I digress…
Yes, fresh pasta is the best and deceptively simple to make. Next time you do, let me know as I'd love to help – maybe we can even catch up on some Criterion Collection DVD's!
Sign me up! I've been plotting doing this for a long time but have never been able to get it together. The chief obstacle is actually my cretinish next-door neighbor – apparently my kitchen wall is his living room wall, too, so whenever I roll out pie dough he pounds on the wall like a troglodyte. He works in sound I think, so he's very sensitive – hypersensitive if you ask me – the man starts doing it when hears the mice farting in the wall. But I digress…
Yes, fresh pasta is the best and deceptively simple to make. Next time you do, let me know as I'd love to help – maybe we can even catch up on some Criterion Collection DVD's!
MMMM I will be right over! We have been wanting to buy the pasta attachment for awhile, but it is expensive, and I didn't know if it would be worth it, but now I MUST go get it!
MMMM I will be right over! We have been wanting to buy the pasta attachment for awhile, but it is expensive, and I didn't know if it would be worth it, but now I MUST go get it!
I love my pasta machine…I got a hand crank one awhile back and made some butternut squash ravioli that is to die for! Still want to attempt the classic egg yolk ravioli…the one when you cut into the ravioli, the yolk breaks inside to create its own sauce…YUMMY!
We make a lot of bread in my family. Its one of the most satisfying things make yourself. Here is a new recipe from my mom. It perfectly emulates one of those crusty artisan breads with a yummy chewy interior. The instructions may seem weird, but trust me…
AND I think it could use a little more salt, but this is the original and you can decide the second time around:
1 1/2 cups very warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/4 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups bread flour
cast iron pan with lid
Dissolve yeast in 3 tbsp. of the water. Pour salt into remaining water and dissolve. When yeast starts to proof, mix both waters together and whisk or stir in bread flour. Let sit covered for 12 to 18 HOURS.
Pour dough on a HEAVILY floured wooden board. Heavily flour the top of the dough, fold over on itself twice. Cover and tuck with a dish towel that has been heavily floured. Let rise 1 1/2 hours.
30 minutes before rising is complete, grease a cast iron pan and lid well and preheat pan in an oven to 450 degrees. Take pan out with a mit and throw the dough in the pan. Shake pan to even it up a bit and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes at 450. Take lid off and bake 5 minutes more or until golden. Take out of pan and cool on a wire rack.
Bust out the olive oil. This bread is ridiculously good.
I love my pasta machine…I got a hand crank one awhile back and made some butternut squash ravioli that is to die for! Still want to attempt the classic egg yolk ravioli…the one when you cut into the ravioli, the yolk breaks inside to create its own sauce…YUMMY!
We make a lot of bread in my family. Its one of the most satisfying things make yourself. Here is a new recipe from my mom. It perfectly emulates one of those crusty artisan breads with a yummy chewy interior. The instructions may seem weird, but trust me…
AND I think it could use a little more salt, but this is the original and you can decide the second time around:
1 1/2 cups very warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/4 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 cups bread flour
cast iron pan with lid
Dissolve yeast in 3 tbsp. of the water. Pour salt into remaining water and dissolve. When yeast starts to proof, mix both waters together and whisk or stir in bread flour. Let sit covered for 12 to 18 HOURS.
Pour dough on a HEAVILY floured wooden board. Heavily flour the top of the dough, fold over on itself twice. Cover and tuck with a dish towel that has been heavily floured. Let rise 1 1/2 hours.
30 minutes before rising is complete, grease a cast iron pan and lid well and preheat pan in an oven to 450 degrees. Take pan out with a mit and throw the dough in the pan. Shake pan to even it up a bit and cover with the lid. Bake for 30 minutes at 450. Take lid off and bake 5 minutes more or until golden. Take out of pan and cool on a wire rack.
Bust out the olive oil. This bread is ridiculously good.
i feel that debra should throw a dinner party and invite her good friend etc and CH for some homemade pasta. you make this sound so easy that now i want to try my hand at it. i do love that the ingredients are so simple.
delia, how much salt did you use when you tried the recipe the second time? i trust your instincts and i want some homemade bread now, since i don't have a pasta maker.
charles, i think you should ignore should either a) ignore your neighbor or b) offer to split the pasta with him. i guarantee he won't complain if there's a tasty dish on the other side of the noise disturbance.
I haven't made the bread yet! My mom made it a few times over Christmas and being the jerky foodie that am, I was like, "hmmm…this needs more salt…" rather than "thanks joanie!, I love you". But I would up the salt to 2 tsp. and see how that goes.
i feel that debra should throw a dinner party and invite her good friend etc and CH for some homemade pasta. you make this sound so easy that now i want to try my hand at it. i do love that the ingredients are so simple.
delia, how much salt did you use when you tried the recipe the second time? i trust your instincts and i want some homemade bread now, since i don't have a pasta maker.
charles, i think you should ignore should either a) ignore your neighbor or b) offer to split the pasta with him. i guarantee he won't complain if there's a tasty dish on the other side of the noise disturbance.
I haven't made the bread yet! My mom made it a few times over Christmas and being the jerky foodie that am, I was like, "hmmm…this needs more salt…" rather than "thanks joanie!, I love you". But I would up the salt to 2 tsp. and see how that goes.
My mom is super jeleaus. She really wanted one for christmas. Maybe we will get one soon bc i want one also now. We have a good Kitchenade but not the attatchment. How do they cost?
I'm just replying to everyone's posts b/c its early and I don't feel like starting work…. I have a Kitchenade but couldn't afford the attachment when I went to get it. It was about 140 so I got a really nice free standing one that you crank yourself for 75. That price was from William Sonoma and I love that damn thing.
My mom is super jeleaus. She really wanted one for christmas. Maybe we will get one soon bc i want one also now. We have a good Kitchenade but not the attatchment. How do they cost?
I'm just replying to everyone's posts b/c its early and I don't feel like starting work…. I have a Kitchenade but couldn't afford the attachment when I went to get it. It was about 140 so I got a really nice free standing one that you crank yourself for 75. That price was from William Sonoma and I love that damn thing.
Chuck — if you got the hand crank it wouldn't make that much noise!
Maybe I'll have a pasta making party and everyone can come over and try their hand at it, then leave with their own pound of fresh pasta!
Delia — I will have to try the bread. I've always been hesitant because working with yeast kind of scares me, but I need to just get over it and give it a try.
Bread will pretty much always work if you use an instant thermometer on the water temp just before adding it to yeast. Any lower won't activate it and I think over 130 will kill it. When my doughs are rising, I just set them on or near my oven and turn it to 200-225 and that helps with my drafty apartment. My bread experiences used to be unpredictable, sometimes great, sometimes terrible and then I realized I could just do everything really scientifically and now it always works!
Chuck — if you got the hand crank it wouldn't make that much noise!
Maybe I'll have a pasta making party and everyone can come over and try their hand at it, then leave with their own pound of fresh pasta!
Delia — I will have to try the bread. I've always been hesitant because working with yeast kind of scares me, but I need to just get over it and give it a try.
Bread will pretty much always work if you use an instant thermometer on the water temp just before adding it to yeast. Any lower won't activate it and I think over 130 will kill it. When my doughs are rising, I just set them on or near my oven and turn it to 200-225 and that helps with my drafty apartment. My bread experiences used to be unpredictable, sometimes great, sometimes terrible and then I realized I could just do everything really scientifically and now it always works!
All I can say is that I can't wait to make pasta again, as well as try the various other pasta recipes. I grew up with the "fresh" pasta you could purchase in the store and always appreciated the difference between that and the dry stuff, but this was a whole other world. So good… and so much fun to boot!
All I can say is that I can't wait to make pasta again, as well as try the various other pasta recipes. I grew up with the "fresh" pasta you could purchase in the store and always appreciated the difference between that and the dry stuff, but this was a whole other world. So good… and so much fun to boot!
Well, well Miss Domestic Goddess, color me impressed! I bet it was better than the boxed stuff considering that most fresh things are. We don't eat enough pasta to justify it (nor do we need to) but it sure sounds like fun!! Oh, and the only bread I make is either in the bread maker or beer bread which is-
3 c. self rising flour
1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
bottle of beer
combine and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 30 min. then pour half a stick of melted butter over the top and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Delish!!!
So I think you are now officially ahead of me in the Martha Stewart contest. :)
Well, well Miss Domestic Goddess, color me impressed! I bet it was better than the boxed stuff considering that most fresh things are. We don't eat enough pasta to justify it (nor do we need to) but it sure sounds like fun!! Oh, and the only bread I make is either in the bread maker or beer bread which is-
3 c. self rising flour
1/2 c. sugar
pinch salt
bottle of beer
combine and pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 30 min. then pour half a stick of melted butter over the top and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Delish!!!
So I think you are now officially ahead of me in the Martha Stewart contest. :)