Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Homemade pasta- nothing better!


Ever since I saw Pastor Ryan's "recipe" for homemade pasta over on The Pioneer Woman's site, I have been looking for any opportunity to make it. Well, opportunity presented itself at a farewell dinner for my oldest daughter, when she felt that a change of scenery was in order, and decided that the windy city of Chicago was in her future- 1700 miles away. As I write this, she is still on the road. Gone less than 24 hours, I truly do miss her already...

{Insert joyful smile here}

I can't believe how easy this pasta is to make! Any other time I have made pasta, it had numerous ingredients, and the end result never seemed to justify the effort. But this only requires 2 ingredients- 1 cup of flour and 2 eggs- and I always have those on hand, don't you? All you do is mix the two together, let the dough rest about 20 minutes (rest is critical to the end result), roll with a floured rolling pin super thin, and then cut with a pizza cutter into your desired shape (or use your pasta roller, however, I love the rustic look of hand cut), and boil for 2-3 minutes. It couldn't be any simpler. Just remember that the thinner the dough, the nicer the end result, and if you have a wood surface to roll your dough out on, that performs much better than a smooth surface.


Originally, I had intended on making a Bolognese sauce that Pastor Ryan had also made to partner with this recipe. But it seems that no one else in my family was feelin' it... they wanted something a bit lighter. So, I sliced up about 3 cloves of garlic, and added them to about a 1/2 c of olive oil, and warmed the oil on low heat for about twenty minutes, so as not to burn and turn bitter. I turned off the heat and set it aside. It smelled amazing...

Then, I remembered that Patsy over at Family, Friends, and Food, had made some amazing roasted tomatoes, and thought how wonderful they'd be with fresh pasta. So I roasted a pint of cherry tomatoes I had on hand...


I grabbed a large handful of fresh basil and sliced into a chiffonade...



And then combined the garlic oil, basil, and roasted tomatoes (with all the roasted juices) in a bowl with some kosher salt and pepper to taste...



Then enjoyed an absolutely delicious dish...



I love finding a recipe here and a recipe there, and combining them to make a simple, yet fabulous dish. This was an easy, yet fun recipe to make... a great one to involve your children in! I absolutely loved the chewiness of the pasta, and the fresh flavors of the garlic, basil, and tomatoes.

You know, making this pasta was so easy, it will definitely be a staple in my kitchen from now on. Seriously- 2 ingredients for the pasta..? Sweet...

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12 comments:

Rosa said...

Looks mouth-watering! Its similar to a simple sauce I make in summer with the type of cherry tomatoes that one can hang up in bunches and use over winter.
Last time I made home made pasta was at Easter where it was 'all hands on deck' and took no time at all with the pasta cutting machine.
I'll bet you miss your daughter! I've been left in an all-male household too...

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

wow...love the pasta...
i made home made pasta just once...a few months back...don't hve the machine ..:(

hw have u been dear? long time no see...

Patsyk said...

Your pasta turned out perfectly! I also love the sauce you created w/the roasted tomatoes. I'm thinking homemade pasta will have to be hitting our table again this weekend. :)

Dewi said...

Fresh pasta is the best. Yours look amazingly delicious.

The Food Hunter said...

Looks delicious. I love homemade pasta. And adding those roasted tomatoes was a great idea.

Cate O'Malley said...

Ok, now you have me convinced I should be making fresh pasta. It always seems too hard or time consuming, but I think I just may attempt it this weekend...

Sara said...

I haven't made homemade pasta in AGES. I need to pull my pasta roller back and and get to work. This looks so delicious.

Stacey Snacks said...

Janet,
I make a terrific roasted cherry tomato pasta w/ olives and basil, though have never tried it w/ homemade pasta.......WOWIE!

Chef Chuck said...

I agree nothing like homemade pasta! Velvet and smooth. This dish look pack with flavor Yum:)

Peter M said...

BRAVO Janet...homemade pasta is superior, always!

I'll make the sauce, you bring the pasta, K?

Spot said...

got any whole wheat pasta recipes for me? I've managed to switch this whole house on to whole grain everything and wanna try making homemade pasta.-Spot

Proud Italian Cook said...

OOOh, How did I miss this! Yumm! Great visual, I want some now! I can't even talk about them Lemon pie up above, it's to die for and all your photo's are great!