Victor decided he wanted pasta for dinner, last night. Homemade pasta. Needless to say, I readily agreed! (I jumped up and yelled “yes” so fast, I almost gave myself a whiplash!)
One of the determining factors in buying our new mixer was that it accepted all of our Kitchen-Aid attachments- especially the rather expensive pasta rollers and cutters. Victor has made homemade pasta for years and started our rolling and cutting it by hand. Then came the hand-crank roller which he then used for years, but the new house lacks the counter space or ability to attach it, anywhere. The mixer attachment was worth it!
Problem with the Kitchen-Aid was the motor really wasn’t powerful enough to run it correctly. That ain’t a problem no more! The new machine is flawless!
Unlike the Kitchen-Aid, this machine has the oomph to properly cut the pasta at the proper speed. It really is cool.
You don’t need a machine to make pasta – a rolling pin will definitely work. All you need is a good recipe and a bit of time.
Victor has a couple of go-to pasta recipes and this one was perfect for the tagliatelle he made.
Fresh Egg Pasta
- 3 cups tipo “00” flour or all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
Spoon 2 3/4 cups of the flour into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Beat the eggs, olive oil and salt together in a small bowl until blended. With the motor running, pour the egg mixture into the processor. Process until it forms a rough and slightly sticky dough. If the mixture is too dry, drizzle in a very small amount of warm water and continue processing. Scrape the dough out of the work bowl onto a lightly floured counter.
Knead the dough with the heels of your hands until it is smooth, silky and elastic – 5 to 10 minutes of constant kneading.
Flour the work surface and your hands lightly any time the dough begins to stick while you’re kneading.
Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in a small bowl. Cover and let the dough rest at least an hour before rolling and shaping.
It made about 21 ounces of finished pasta – enough for 3 hearty meals. I froze and then vacuum-sealed the other two.
His pasta sauce with grilled Italian sausages and some crunchy garlic bread finished the plate.
I’m totally spoiled – and I love it! ♥