Thursday, July 17, 2014

Oodles of Noodles




Before deciding to buy the  KitchenAid pasta attachment, I decided to try an inexpensive countertop pasta maker.  I've seen a kazillion Food Network shows where chefs and wannabes whip up a batch of pasta and make it look so simple.  Of course I had to give it a try.  Believe it or not, it is SO simple:  time consuming and messy, but very simple.  If you can play with Playdough, you can make pasta.

I've tried a few recipes including the basic one that came with the pasta maker and Mario Batali's recipe found here.  Whichever recipe you choose, here are a few of my tips:

  • All purpose flour will work, but semolina flour works best for Italian dishes.
  • DO NOT rush.  You must pass each piece of pasta through the pasta press multiple times.
  • If you don't have a pasta drying rack,  use a cookie sheet elevated on a stock pot.
  • Cook pasta in heavily salted, boiling water.  It will cook in 2-4 minutes.
  • Although the countertop version is another piece of equipment, it works very well.  
Ciao!








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