The mister loves pasta, as does the boy - they must eat it about 6 times a week - however their idea of pasta is a bit different from mine. The boy loves the little blue box...Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, what can I say? It was the only food he would eat for about two years straight...now it's his "go-to" snack, morning, noon and night. The mister prefers his pasta in the form of elbow macaroni and canned tomatoes...with salt. Their idea of REAL pasta is eating at Olive Garden or Macaroni Grill or Maggiano's. When I make pasta at home, store-bought pasta, they are always thrilled and there are never any leftovers. So why risk letting them know there is something better?!? Infinitely better? Call it a momentary lapse in judgment. Because now that Homemade Pasta Godzilla is out of his cage I fear there is no going back.
Isn't it a thing of beauty?!? As I was taking it out of the packaging (I ordered it from Amazon, $36 for this amazing machine!) the mister walked in. Usually when he sees something new in the manse he'll ask, in his sarcastic manner, "Do we need that?" Of course, the answer is always yes! But on this day, he stopped himself, probably bite his tongue in two and said, "Wow! Is that ours?" He was duly impressed. And instantly he started drooling as he pictured himself being served vats of hot, steaming homemade pasta...he was banished from the kitchen, only to creep back a half dozen times to check to see if I was REALLY making him homemade pasta. Listen, this machine is my key to retail therapy...I can see NOTHING that I purchase in the future that will illicit a sarcastic remark from the mister - not with this baby around!
Homemade pasta, with a machine or not, is about the easiest thing you could ever make. I kid you not. Three ingredients, a bit of kneading and that's it. I pulled off pieces of the dough, ran it through the machine a few times and just like that I had myself a batch of Fettuccine! FETTUCCINE! It was as if the ceiling opened up and the angels sang - miraculous!
Homemade pasta cannot be served with a sauce from a jar...oh no...it needs a nice little Bolognese sauce, gently poured over the top...it's enough to make your head spin! You will notice the difference between store bought pasta and homemade pasta with the first bite...it's so, so good! And when it's cooked al dente (firm to the bite) it's a bit more chewy, has more substance and it will hold whatever sauce you smother it in - or if you just toss it in butter, you'll be in for a treat!
Homemade Pasta Dough
3 cups all purpose flour
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
Ragu Alla Bolognese - Adapted From Real Italian, April 2010
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
1/2 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1 medium rib celery, finely diced
1 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. thinly sliced prosciutto de Parma, very finely diced
freshly ground black pepper (no salt is added because of the saltiness of the chicken broth and Parmesan cheese)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 (28 oz.) can Italian plum tomatoes with their juices
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup hot milk
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Make the Sauce first, as it takes a while to cook: Heat the butter and oil in a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed sauce-pan over medium heat. When the butter begins to foam, add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until they're lightly golden and soft, about 5 to 7 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the pork and prosciutto, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the pork with a large spoon until the meat loses it's raw color and just begins to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the wine and basil, cook, stirring, until it's almost completely reduced, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the broth. As soon as the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce (uncovered) at a bare simmer for 2 hours. Add the hot milk and Parmesan cheese and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point, the sauce should have a thick but saucy consistency and a light reddish-brown color. If the sauce has thickened before the cooking time is up, cover the pot. If the sauce is still too thin at the end of cooking, continue to simmer gently, uncovered, until it's thick. Spoon sauce over pasta. Serves 6 to 8.
To make the pasta: Pour flour into a mixing bowl and make a "well" in the center. Add the water and oil into the well. Using a fork, slowly blend the flour and liquid until they are well blended. Continue until the dough becomes sticky and too difficult to work with a fork. Use your hands to form the dough into a mound, shape and over with a damp towel. It is important to let the dough now rest for 15 minutes to allow the ingredients to blend together. After the dough has rested, cut off a small piece, about the size of a golf ball. Re-cover remaining dough with damp towel. If using a pasta machine, follow machine directions for rolling the dough. If doing this by hand, roll the dough out to desired thickness, and then cut into 1/4-inch strips. The pasta has to dry before being cooked - either lay it out on a lightly floured surface or place on a drying rack for about 15 minutes to dry before cooking. Cook pasta in 2 quarts of rapidly boiling water with 2 teaspoons of salt. Cooking time will vary based on the size of your pasta, but begin checking after 3 to 4 minutes. It is better for the pasta to be undercooked than overcooked. Once pasta is cooked, drain it but never rinse. Makes about 6 servings.
