Over the last year or so we've slowly been accumulating new kitchen toys and cookbooks. And we've been experimenting with new recipes during that time. See Jeremy's Crockpot or Slow Cooker Chili Recipe for an example.
But things seem to have been kicked into a higher gear recently. You see, we asked for (and received--thanks Mom and Dad) a KitchenAid Artisan 5-Quart Stand Mixer back during Giftmas. And my wonderful wife got me the KitchenAid KPRA Pasta Roller Attachment and the The Complete Book of Pasta and Noodles to go along with the mixer.
My expectation was to mostly use the mixer for the occasional bread mix (which I haven't tried yet) or cookie dough (ditto). But Kathleen is a big pasta fan and the meals in the book sounded quite tasty.
So a few weeks ago I began to experiment with making my own pasta. Much to my surprise, it's a fairly easy and fun process. To make basic pasta, all you really need is some eggs and flour. In fact, 3 larger eggs and 2 cups of all purpose white flour is enough to get started.
The real trick, as it turns out, is getting the moisture level of the pasta right and working with the resulting dough. You want it to stick together just the right amount with the right texture. No too dry and not too wet or sticky. And you need to let it "rest" long enough that you can work with it.
Anyway, last night I made my third round of basic pasta and feel like I'm getting the hang of it. Combined with grilled chicken breasts, grilled asparagus, and a tasty olive oil and garlic sauce, it's just fantastic. Fresh pasta really tastes so much better than the dried pasta you buy at the store. It's hard to describe the difference. It's lighter, tastier, and less prone to sticking. You simply must try it.
I highly recommend that pasta book too. If you're getting serious about pasta and want a variety of recipes (both for the noodles and sauces), it's a wealth of good information.
Next we need to try some of the more interesting pasta recipes that use more exotic flours and spices added in.
Pictures of my first and second pasta making adventures are on Flickr in Making Pasta.
Have you made your own pasta? What's your experience been like?
Posted by jzawodn at January 31, 2009 08:02 AM
Have you tried making whole wheat pasta yet? I'd like to hear how that goes. Is that in the recipe book?
It most definitely is in the book and I'm hoping to try that in the near future. I have some whole wheat flour already. Heck, I even bought some semolina flour too. :-)
I have an Atlas hand cranked pasta maker. As you said, it's pretty easy to make the pasta. It's a bit less messy to start the pasta dough in the Kitchen Aid and then knead by hand after it comes together, I've found.
My favourite recipe book is Marcella Hazan's Classic Italian cookbook, lots of good recipes, both pasta and non.
The recipe I use calls for 2 eggs per cup of flour, strangely she recommends AP flour instead of semolina.
The most important thing I've found is to keep the pasta floured as it's being processed in the machine.
A few weeks ago I started experimenting and braised some beef short ribs, made a ravioli with the meat, and a sauce out of the braising liquid. Highly recommended.
My one protip that really helped to make silky smooth delicious pasta when I first started is: put it in on the largest setting a few times (2 or 3), folding in half in between, then go all the way down through the settings. Now fold the sheet up until it's roughly as long as the machine is wide (ie. you should end up with almost a square), turn 90 degrees, and go back through all the settings.
This really works the dough and makes the pasta silky.
This is a cool blog .... I always wanted to make pasta
We used to make our own pasta all the time. Then we had kids.
Enjoy it while you can :)
If you don't have a pasta maker, you can just use a roller and a knife, don't need to go all high tech about it:
http://www.khiewchanta.com/archives/ingredients/bami-noodles-ba-mee-yok.html
I have the same kitchen aid, so glad to hear the pasta roller works - been thinking about getting it. Do you use the kitchen aid to make the dough or does that need to be done by hand to be sure it doesn't get tough?
I use the mixer to make the dough too. It works rather well. You end up needing to do some work with your hands after the mixer has done its job, but that's going to happen no matter what you use, I think.
I love making my own pasta, though I do struggle with drying out what's left (it's messy and takes up a lot of space).
That's why last time I made tortellini with the remaining dough and it was a great success!
1 - Roll the pasta out into the usual thickness, cut out approx 4" diameter circles
2 - Fill with whatever tasty morsels are in your fridge (I finely diced sundried tomatoes, salami and feta cheese with some fresh basil and it was fantastic).
3 - Fold the pasta dough over the filling to make a semi-circle and pinch any air out. Grab the ends, fold them around and pinch them together to form what looks a bit like a belly-button. It takes practice, but once you get the technique right they hold together well.
4 - Add to boiling, salted water and cook until tender (about 8 - 10 mins)
5 - Serve with your favourite pasta sauce (arrabiata is my choice), or simply a dash of olive oil
I too love making pasta (although I'm jealous of the Kitchen Aid attachment, I'm a hand cranker. . that sounds bad).
I mix the dough in the kitchen aid with the paddle. . I put the bowl on a digital scale and put in 10oz of flour (about 1/3 semolina and the rest AP). Many stores have semolina in the bulk section for around 50 cents a pound. Add two eggs, and mix it on medium for several minutes until it starts to clump.
I smash it into a ball and cover with plastic wrap for 30 minutes before rolling it out.
Lasagne is very good if you cook the noodles for a couple minutes and then throw into cold water. Everything else cooks for no more than 3 minutes before going in the sauce.
Hi,
I don't have a mixer and a roller. I normally make everything by hand (not often) but it was quite messy. The one you are using is out of my budget. I guess I have to stick to being messy until I can afford them. However, I do agree on the taste of homemade pasta or noodle as we normally call it. It taste better.
I love pasta as well and have been thinking about making pasta for about 3 years now. Just havent gotten around to it, although I do agree that fresh pasta - you just cant beat it. I am going to buy a pasta maker so I can make different shapes
I've made a lot of bread in our mixer, and it always comes out delicious. Whole wheat flour makes the process a bit more difficult, and I think it may have the same effect on pasta.
The ravioli attachment for Kitchenaids is a neat piece of machinery; you should check it out!
haha.. i agree... if you how to make paste... i made delicious pasta when i invite my girlfriend to come at home... :-)
I eat almost anything... I like pastas with sweet and sour sauce(spaghetti) but I like carbonara than spaghetti it's much tasty and the creaminess is awesome
Great post! I'm in the process of ordering this attachment and am doing research in the meantime. Looks like a great set. Thanks for posting photos of your process. Very handy!
