Recipe: Fresh homemade pasta

I’ve been on a fresh homemade pasta kick lately. That’s because I just bought a Mercato Atlas Wellness 150 pasta maker (yes, it’s made in Italy). I’ve been wanting to try my own hand at pasta-making at home, and Luca from this season’s ”MasterChef” recommended me this particular brand, saying he’d gotten it as a wedding gift and loved it.And now, I do too. The hubster’s eyes brighten every time I bring the pasta maker out of the closet because, well, being a guy, he likes anything mechanical. So it’s nice to have such an eager helper in the kitchen while making pasta. So far, I’ve made two types of pasta: a mushroom duxelle stuffed ravioli topped with a white wine tomato and basil sauce; and angel hair with shrimp, garlic, tomato, and white wine sauce. (We’ve had an influx of tomatoes in our garden this summer, so I’ve been constantly putting them in my pasta dishes.)Fresh pasta is not that hard so long as you have the press and a little bit of extra time. It also tastes much better than the dried, packaged pasta. The first time I made pasta, I did it the old-fashioned way where you dump a mound of flour onto the counter and make a well in the middle in which you add the eggs. Then, using a fork, you stir in the flour a little bit at a time symptoms of propecia until it becomes one big, elastic ball of dough. I then kneaded it by hand. The second time I made pasta, I dumped everything in the stand mixer and let the dough hook do its magic. I know ancient Italian grandmas would scoff at my stand mixer, but hey, it’s the 21st century, and I’ll put my equipment to use, dammit! The hubster didn’t dish out a pretty penny for my KitchenAid to just stand there looking pretty (although looking pretty, it does). So next time you’re in the mood for pasta, try making it from scratch. You’ll put Chef Boyardee to shame. If the Blind can Cook it, you can too.

Recipe: Fresh Pasta

Ingredients

1. 4 lg. eggs, lightly beaten
2. 3 c. Unbleached AP flour + more for dusting
3. 1 tsp. Salt
4. 2 to 3 tbsp. Water

Instructions

1. Combine flour, eggs, salt, and 2 tbsp. Water in a food pro or stand mixer with a dough hook. Pulse or mix until an elastic dough forms, adding 1 tbsp. Water a drop at a time if necessary.
2. Turn dough ball out onto lightly floured surface (Preferably wooden). Knead until firm and elastic, approx. 8 to 10 min. Let rest under inverted bowl for 1 hr.
3. Divide dough into 3 pcs. Roll out with lightly dusted pasta machine. Submerge in boiling water for 30 to 60 sec.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8