Pasta is simple to make. It's just flour and egg, and water, if needed. My grandma used to make it and hang it on the backs of chairs and everything else to dry. (This is an unnecessary step.) She used to cook it and serve it with crisp bacon, stirred in a tiny bit of bacon grease. She added salt and pepper. I would add parsley, and skip the salt! She did not have a pasta machine. She rolled it out on a cutting board and cut it with a kitchen knife. May she rest in peace. I smile thinking about her. She modelled love, but also had boundaries. My grandpa died young (53) and she met Everett and married him within months. They were happy together until she passed.
As an adult, I've never cared for pasta that much. In fact, I've been known to say that I could live without it. My freind Shari eats pasta at least once a day! We took a beginning pasta making class, also at Kitchenn Window. It was super fun. We made lasagna, fetacchini, ravioli and stuffed tortellini. Really good. They sell wine and beer by the glass in class, so this was a nice way to wrap up a week a few months ago. I really wanted to learn how to make pasta for my Sam. She loves it. It's so hard to impress a young adult! She will be coming to visit in a few weeks, so that'll be super fun! There will be pasta.
Lydia uses packaged dry pasta most of the time. I don't use it any more. It's so easy to make and sooooo well worth it. This pasta is not rolled flat, like you'd make it for spagetti, lasagna, or fettaccini. You make ropes and cut them down in to small peices and roll each one with two fingers. This would be great to make with children. "Many hands make light work." Let's do it:
1 1/2 all purpose flour
1 egg (room temp., if possible)
Seriously - that's it!. I put some water in the measuring cup to add, if the dough is too dry. In the midwest, my house gets really dry in winter, so I always need to add water. You'll learn what it should feel like.
Pour the pasta on a cutting board and make a "bowl" or "well" out of it. Crack the egg in the center. I made a double batch. Thus, the two eggs.
Stir the eggs, rapidly, with a fork. Incorporate some of the flour as you go. Continue to mix. When ithe egg is not runny, you will start to knead the dough with your hands. Since mine would not "come together, I ended up adding about 1/8 cup of water. Continue to knead until all flour has been incorporated. A dough scraper is a good tool for this job. Roll the dough in to a fully incorporated ball. Cover the ball with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 20 minutes or longer. This makes it easier to work with in the next phase, shaping.
With the dough scaper, or a butter knife, cut off a small bit of dough (about 1/4 cup to keep it easy to work with). Wrap the rest of the dough with plastic, so it doesn't dry out. Roll the small peice of dough in to a "rope", less than 1/2" thick. It doesn't need to be perfect, but practice does help. Slice the "rope" in to less than 1/2" pieces. I was trying to make them small.
(I have pics. I'll put those up soon.)
Take each piece and press with two fingers, while dragging it toward you. This takes a little practice. Lay on a cotton towel while rolling out the others.
Repeat by making a rope, slicing, and pressing.
Drop in boiling water. They'll cook up in less than 2 minutes. Drain.
I topped these with a sour cream, herb, asparagus, and cheese "sauce". Those were the ingredients that Sam and I used to put in our "Mother's Day Omelette". With fresh pasta, "it's not aout the sauce", so make something great and use just a little bit!
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