Recipes: homemade pasta

A few birthdays ago, Hubby got given a pasta machine, an Italian cookbook and an assortment of pasts trays and cutters for his birthday (combined family present). While his Mum is visiting from the Sunshine Coast, we thought we'd make them some homemade pasta to show them how much we enjoy their present. They were so pleased with the results that they've decided to invest in one themselves!

Until last night, they thought it would be too much Hard Work but we've convinced them that it's easy enough and well worth the effort of NOT buying dried pasta off the shelf.

If you're flirting with the idea, we heartily support it as a good investment for your kitchen. I know purists will pooh-pooh the idea of a pasta machine, saying that their nonna only ever needed a marble slab benchtop, the mother of all rolling pins and some really good arm muscles...and pop-kiddies with a social engagements bursting at out of their iPhone calendars will say the San Remo fresh pasta stuff will do the trick...ah well! I say, if you enjoy eating pasta, try it out, you won't be disappointed! We've even experimented making soba noodles with it. Ahem. Abit of a disaster but quite fun nevertheless.

The latest Spice magazine has a section on fresh pasta, so check it out.

Fresh Pasta

Ingredients:

(Makes 700g of pasta...last night this served four adults plus two for lunch...or maybe will serve four hungry Italians or three hungry teenagers...anyway you get the idea...)

500g 00 / Tip00 / Doppio zero flour*

4 eggs

chilled water

polenta (for dusting your sheets / shapes)

Method:**

(If you're doing the pumpkin filling, roast it while you're making the pasta)

Mound the flour on a clean work surface or in a large bowl.

Break the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork, incorporating flour as you whisk.

Sometimes you need to add a smidgen of chilled water at a time to help the dough stick.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface. If you've done it properly, it will be play-dough soft and dry to touch. Just sift / sprinkle flour onto the mix if you've put too much water in!

Knead for about 10 minutes till your dough is smooth, elastic and slightly glossy.

Cover with a damp tea towel and rest for about 30 minutes before rolling out.

(I usually make my filling or sauce then, see below for more recipes)

ROLLIN' OUT WITH A MACHINE:

Divide the dough into two to four balls.

I usually go four to five because I'm short and I run out of arm length and height, which is useful when you have really long bits of dough. You'll see when you make it...

Keep the rest covered while you work the first ball.

Put your machine to the lowest setting and feed the dough through.

Fold in half lengthwise and then repeat.

Feed the dough through this setting about six times, till the dough holds together well. If the edges tear, mend with abit of water, but usually when you fold it back in it'll fix itself.

Then, roll it through once on the next setting up, fold, turn it up a number, roll through, fold...etc***

If you're going to fill the pasta, don't let it dry out, cover immediately.

Notes:

*You can use plain all-purpose flour and I'm sure there's alot of documentation of why or why not, but personally I think you need to sift it alot to get the same result AND it's harder to knead / roll out. In WA, Anchor makes a Tip00 floor and sells it in Woolies and Coles, so it's not a drama to purchase.

**You can do this in a food processor. As much as I love my food processor, I think it takes more effort to clean the dough out afterwards than it does to knead. About as good as a few push-ups, really!

***If we're making ravioli, we only roll to about 5 or 6, but if we're making spaghetti (it's a cross between that and angel hair...) we roll out to 8. Sometimes we make lasagna sheets as thin as 8 and it's lovely, a change from thick, doughy instant pasta sheets!

If you're cutting into shapes or fettuccine-ing, let it dry out, uncovered, while you roll the rest.
Sometimes we roll spaghetti out and stick it on coat hangers to dry.
We tried hanging lasagna sheets out one night and got a rude shock when sheets cracked and shattered in the middle of the night, onto the timber floor boards. Hehe, oops!

Pumpkin ravioli filling

Ingredients:

~1.2 kg pumpkin, half kent and half butternut

2-3 stalks of spring onion or one medium onion, chopped

sprinkle of dried chilli

sprinkle of nutmeg

few sage leaves, chopped

few rosemary needles, chopped

cheese (either 1/4 cup grated Parmesan and 1/3 cup ricotta, or equal amounts of leftover bits n pieces...I used Jarlsberg, pecorino and a mild Camembert...)

1 egg yolk, beaten (backup egg only, see below)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 200 deg C.

Cut the pumpkin up and roast for about 45 minutes (rosemary, salt and olive oil to your taste).

Meanwhile, fry up the onion till soft in butter or olive oil, add your herbs and spices.

Remove from heat and mix into a big bowl with the cheese.

When your pumpkin is cooked, cool slightly, cut the skin off and mash into the bowl.

Sometimes the pumpkin is abit watery, either drain it or mix in the egg yolk to thicken it up.

If you're using ricotta this adds liquid but if you're sticking to dry cheese you'll be fine. You want to avoid soggying up your pasta sheets, that's all!

Lightly flour or polenta your chopping board (only do this directly on your benchtop if it's 1)yours and 2) robust to withstand being used as a cutting surface, with a knife or a fluted cutter).

See photo!

Don't overdo it, fill about 1 and abit teaspoon of filling, leaving yourself enough edges to seal.

I dip my finger in the chilled water and draw around the edges I'm going to seal, before laying a second sheet of pasta over. I start pressing and sealing the first long edge, then I do the perpendicular and short edges. Then I seal the middle long bit next, careful to expel as much air as possible, and then the other outer long edge last. I then use a fluted cutter to trip the ravioli apart.

Tortellini is also easy, you make little squares, fill the middle, fold over inna triangle, and pinch the edges together over the fat side.

Lay the pasta in a baking dish dusted with polenta and cover with a tea towel.

Cook in small batches in salted, boiling water for about 3 minutes till al dente.

I warm my bowls up in the oven (still warm from the pumpkin!) and then put the tortellini straight in.

Sage Butter Sauce

Melt some butter (2 to 3 tablespoons was enough for 4 people), put a sprig of rosemary in for flavour, remove when the butter is frothing up, add a handful of sage leaves, stir for about 1-2 minutes till crispy.

Remove from heat and drizzle over your tortellini.

OK you may be tired at this point but the first mouthful will be heaven. And the next, and the next. I forgot to make salad but nobody missed it!

Ok, another one, can you tell I have ironing to do?? Again??

Prawn and crab ravioli

Ingredients:

(serves 3 to 4 adults)

1 small onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, crushed with salt

butter / olive oil to fry (equal amounts works well)

1 tin crabmeat, fresh if you have the patience

12 to 15 raw prawns, cleaned and tails removed*

splash of vermouth

1/2 tub (smallest on market in Perth...sorry I forget what size...let's call it 1/2 cup??)

herbs (thyme or sage)

1 bunch asparagus, blanched

chives, chopped

Method:

Fry the onion and garlic till soft.

Add prawns till pink, then stir crabmeat through to warm / cook.

Splash vermouth or white wine in.

Cool.

Mix with ricotta and season.

I made up half a batch of pasta only and made large seafood pillows; basically 2-3 prawns per pillow, 3 pillows per person, you get the idea.

Cook gently in boiling water, they took about 8-10 minutes each (1, blame the electric burner and 2, because they're huge!)

Make a burnt butter sauce with butter, sage / sundry herbs...thyme is good friends with seafood...and another splash of vermouth / white wine.

Lay the asparagus on the shallow bowl, top with 2-3 pillows each, drizzle sauce over and sprinkle with chives.

Notes:

*You can substitute also for equal amounts of scallop and lobster tail.

Fish or mussels don't seem to work, but you let me know if you have success!

Ahahahaa. Daylight savings has finished and my computer hasn't registered, even though I've got the "adjust for daylight..." thingy ticked. On ya, Microsoft :P

So I get a bonus hour to...iron? Watch CSIs? Blog moarz?

We'll see...buon appetito!