#37 (Homemade Pasta)

I wanted to get a good start on my 101 in 1001 before I had to go back to work, so I got busy right away by photo documenting a start point for #61, completing a run yesterday and a run today for #60, and making my first of many batches of pasta for #37 yesterday.  Also, by photographing #61 and writing this post I am holding up my end of the deal on #9.  And, just for the record I have played several way too many rounds of pogo scrabble in an attempt to cross off #89.

I have had a pasta roller before.  I got it at Goodwill for $10.  I don’t know what happened to it.  Maybe dh took it to North Peak when he was the chef there and it never made its way back home.  Maybe I decided I didn’t use it and donated it back to Goodwill.  Maybe it is in a box someplace in the abyss that is the storage area in the garage (I recently found two boxes of canning jars in there).  All I know is that I can’t find said pasta roller.  So, I’ve been looking on-line at my options.  I checked Amazon.  And ebay.  I googled attachments for my Kitchen Aid mixer.   Dh took notice of my search attempts.  Under the tree Christmas morning I found my very own pasta roller.

I really like it.  It’s not hard to use and the pasta is tasty.  I think it will get easier with practice and using it every month shouldn’t be much of a challenge at all.  This recipe is a modified version of one I found at food.com for a Kitchen Aid pasta attachment.

Homemade Pasta

Ingredients:
4 cups flour
2 large eggs
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 t. salt
1 c. cold water

Directions:

1. Add salt to flour in either a 4-cup measure or a bowl.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs with the whisk attachment.
3. Add the oil and mix.
4. Add the water and mix until blended.
5. Remove the whisk attachment and add the flat paddle.
6. Add half of the flour and salt, mix for 20 seconds on 2.  Add the rest of the flour and salt and mix an additional 20 seconds on 2.
7. Remove the flat paddle and insert the dough hook.  Knead for 2-3 minutes on speed 2 until a dough ball forms.
8. Remove dough and knead by hand for 2-3 minutes.  The dough should be elastic and pliable but firm.
9. Return dough to mixer bowl, cover with a damp cloth and refrigerate for at least an hour.
10. Remove dough from the refrigerator and let it rest for 15 minutes.
    

    Ready to turn into noodles!

11. Roll the dough into a log about 12 inches long.
    

    It's law-g, it's law-g, it's big, it's heavy it's dough.

12. Cut the log into 8 slices and cover them with the damp towel. 
    

    Time to get to work.

13. Working with one piece at a time, flatten the piece
    

    Flattened section.

    and roll through the pasta maker at the widest setting (mine is 7).
    (I rolled mine too thin the first time so for the last 7 pieces I rolled each piece through the “7″ setting 2-3 times.) 

    

    Ready to be cut.

14. If you want thinner pasta run it through on thinner settings until it reaches the thickness you want.
15. Let the sheets dry for ten minutes before rolling them through the cutter attachment. (I skipped this step and had problems with my noodles sticking and breaking.)
16. Run the pasta through the cutter attachment and hang to dry.  I don’t have a drying rack so I hung it on clean clothes hangers overnight.

You can cook the pasta after letting it dry ten minutes, but I let mine dry overnight.
Cook in  boiling, salted water 4-5 minutes.

Gwen's dinner. The rest of us had ours with beef on the side.

This recipe made enough for dinner tonight plus enough for another dinner in the future.  I’m storing the extra noodles in a large zipper bag.

Now, I’m going to go write to my grandmothers.

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