Monday, February 8, 2010

Homemade Fettuccine, Two Ways

 
The first way: with fresh basil and a sauce of roasted tomato, garlic, & thyme

 
The second way: with butter, Parmesan, salt & pepper

Don't worry, I don't think I invented homemade egg pasta: I realize that you've probably seen something like this before.  But, much as I did with my post about homemade gnocchi, I'm going to ask you to indulge me. This is my first freshly-made-at-home fettuccine, so it's exciting.  Well, to me anyway.

There's really no excuse for the fact that I didn't have this in my repertoire until now.  If anything, it was due to simple procrastination. But, thanks to the pasta maker I got Poppa Trix for Christmas, I will never go hungry for fresh pasta again. 

"Hold on there, Trix," you're saying. "You bought Poppa Trix a pasta maker? Isn't that a little ... self serving? Kind of lame, even?"  Hmpf. What you don't know is that Poppa Trix had been bugging me about making pasta for months. It wasn't that I was against it, it's just that every time we were going to go out and get a pasta maker (I realize you can make pasta without a roller, but we wanted the fun gadgetry) something else came up.  So this really was a good - even a great-  present, especially as making it together is a super fun activity, and really reminds you that cooking should be as much about the process as it is about the end product.

To prepare for Pasta Making Night I did a bunch of reading, particularly the eminently useful and informative blog Memorie di Angelina to bone up on the process. Ultimately though, you just kind of have to do it and feel your way through it. A note about flour - ideally you'll use Farina "00," but if you don't have that, just go with AP flour, as I did. 

The general consensus seems to be to use between 1-2 eggs per cup of flour, so I started with 3 eggs for 2 cups; I had to add a little bit of a fourth egg. First, mound up your flour, mix in a healthy pinch of salt, make a well in the middle, a put your eggs in the well:

 
Gradually incorporate the flour and egg. At first, you'll end up with a shaggy dough:
 
Please pardon my man hands. Anyway, keep kneading by hand; if the dough doesn't come together add a little more egg. You'll want to knead the dough for about 10 minutes in order to make sure the gluten has developed; otherwise, your pasta won't hold together properly when you boil it. 

 
Ta-da!
 
Let your dough rest, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for about 30 -60 minutes. Once rested, cut the dough into sections (Memorie di Angelina suggests making the same number of sections as eggs used)
 
Roll out one of the sections on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thickness.  (Make sure to re-wrap the portions that you're not using. )
 
Enter the fun gadget:

 
All you do is run your dough through successively smaller settings  until it's the thickness you want, flouring it lightly as needed if it starts to stick:

 
I realize my edges weren't exactly pin straight, but I'm sure that'll come with practice. Now for the really fun part - making your pasta shapes! You'll want to let your dough sheet sit for a minute or so to dry out just a tad so that the noodles don't stick together - it will feel just a tiny bit leathery to the touch, but not hard. We decided to make fettuccine:

 
We don't have a proper pasta drying rack, so we just hung it and laid it out on plates and placemats:

 
  
But we really didn't need to worry about drying it because we decided to make it all. Hey, we were proud of our pasta! Just plop your noodles into salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain, and enjoy with a nice, simple sauce. For half the fettuccine, I decided on a sauce of roast tomato, garlic & thyme, and the other half I just tossed with butter, Parmesan, a little sea salt and fresh black pepper. When your pasta is this fresh and beautiful, it would be a sin to drown it in something heavy. For the tomato sauce, just toss some cherry tomatoes & garlic cloves with olive oil, a few sprigs of thyme, and salt & pepper and roast at 375 - 400 degrees until the tomatoes split:

 
I then smooshed about 3/4 of the tomatoes (I set a few aside so we could enjoy their juiciness) and reduced the sauce on the stovetop  - it really concentrated the flavors and made the tomatoes incredibly sweet. As for the fettuccine with butter, Parm, salt and pepper ... well, that's pretty self explanatory. 

If you, like me, have seen post after post about fresh pasta and always thought, "Mmm, that looks good.  I'll have to try that soon," then please do yourself a favor and make it ASAP! Nothing beats the texture and flavor of homemade pasta. It's fun and satisfying, and it makes for a very cheap (and filling) date night! 



 





42 comments:

  1. yum, yum, thanks for sharing. I love to make pasta, play dough for grown ups!

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  2. Ahh beautiful! My mum bought a pasta maker when I was little and we only used it once :( What a waste, I'll have to dig it out and have a play around with it again... I only hope I have the patience! Your fettucine looks perfect!

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  3. wow your a star can we come for dinner!!

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  4. oh wow beautiful!!.ive been wanting to make pasta n noodles for ages too but have yet to get a psta machine..it very convenient wth one m sure!!

    thanx for the visit!:)))

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  5. Yum! Homemade pasta is always the best! I've got to get my pasta maker and make some!

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  6. Isn't making fettucine great? I love it! I really don't know why. My edges are never straight either though so don't sweat that.

    Tips for drying the pasta -

    A clothes horse works fantastic. If you don't have that get a broom and two chairs. Place the chairs with backs facing away from each other and separate a few feet. Put broomstick on top and there you have a handy drying rack.

    Cheers!

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  7. ok ms Trix, you got me on this one, I have had a pasta machine for years and never learned how to use it, I cut by hand you inspired me with this.....I already know how much better this is homemade this is truly a beautiful pasta wow!

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  8. reminds me of the husband that bought his wife a lawn mower for Christmas ... now you are one up on me, I will have to play catch-up ... I think I like both dishes, can I eat them at the same time ...hey trix, would you believe I am at home catching up with friends while two parades are going by....well???

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  9. MAMMA MIA!!! That is just gorgeous! I'd be happy with one dish, but you made TWO! The pasta really looks awesome. Trix, those are hands of an artist, my dear!

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  10. Simply GORGEOUS! I also have never made pasta - the butter & parm one is for me. Glad to see Papa's getting use of his xmas toy! ~Mary

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  11. A pasta maker is one of the moste important tool you can have. I have had mine for 30 years and use it often. Fresh pasta is the best!

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  12. Congratulations on your first homemade pasta! it looks perfect and so delicious!

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  13. how beautiful. I need to bring out my pasta machine soon....

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  14. I, too, have never attempted making pasta-- this looks so good I think I will have to give it a try. Is it really as easy as you make it look? :)

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  15. Your fettucine looks so tender and delicious! You have inspired me to pull out my pasta maker.

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  16. I've always wanted a pasta machine. You can make a lot of pastas now. They look really nice and very elegant with the simple yet flavorful sauce.

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  17. I love homemade pasta, for me it tastes so much better than store-bought. And I love the process nearly as much as that of making bread.

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  18. Trix - Congratulations! There is nothing better than homemade pasta and yours looks great! I love getting my hands into the dough and your photos have me pining now. LOL Simple presentations (#2) are always the perfect way to appreciate the full flavor of the pasta. Thanks for sharing.
    Elaine

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  19. Some day, when my boyfriend and I upgrade to a grown-up apartment with a real kitchen, one of our first purchases will be a pasta-maker. We've already discussed it.

    For the mean time, can you send some of your homemade pasta to NYC? ;)

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  20. I need to invest in a pasta machine, I have always wanted to make homemade pasta.

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  21. Making pasta from scratch is always a delight! Your hand made pasta is wonderful!

    My pasta machine is 30+ years old and the handle is missing I think. Might have to invest in a new one.

    CCR
    =:~)

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  22. Wow! I just got a new Pasta Machine from Santa Claus this Christmas! Haven't broken it out, yet, but you've inspired me. (Old pasta machine has been working for me in my potter's studio.) Nothing beats a great dish of fresh pasta which I get when I visit my sister. (That's one way to keep in touch!)

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  23. Really nice illustration of the process. Looks delicious too! Ken

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  24. You are so right, nothing beats homemade pasta! And I love all the steps involved and then the process of eating it when you are done-so satisfying!

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  25. congrats on making the top 9 Trix!

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  26. Wow...homemade pasta! Nothing is better than homemade. Well done! Looks perfect and delicious. I love both types.

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  27. This is magnificent!! What a great dish! Your pasta turned out PERFECTLY!

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  28. Very nice demonstration! And thanks for mentioning Memorie di Angelina. :)

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  29. you do not have man hands, haha. making pasta is so much fun - yours looks lovely!

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  30. Looks great! How do you get the eggs not to flow all over the cutting board? My egg volcano leaks!

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  31. Yes, every thing looks delicious ... and like my fellow foodies who were given or have pasta machines or attachments for KitchenAid ,(I broke mine after a little too much wine before whipping cream for dessert one recent dinner party), I now want to use mine!

    Guess it's the knife or the appliance repair man.

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  32. I bought an Atlas pasta maker 20 years ago and have used it intermittently to make lasagne. I have never made fettuccine! Now I want to! You made me salivate at the thought!

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  33. This looks divine! I have always wanted to make pasta, but have been nervous about how you do it, therefore I have never looked into it, but you make it look so super easy! I think that I will attempt to make it this weekend.

    Thanks for building my "pasta confidence"

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  34. I am always so impressed by those who make their own pasta - it just seems like such a feat! Nice work!

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  35. I haven't made pasta for a few months. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  36. With all of the snowy weather we have had lately, this would make a terrific indoor activity. There really is nothing better than homemade pasta...I really should break out my pasta maker more often than I do.

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  37. Homemade pasta??? interesting! I would never thought I could make pasta at home! Makes me want to try... sounds like fun!

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  38. My pasta machine broke after a gazillion years... had to buy another the next day... god bless ebay!!! You made some great looking pasta lady...
    delicious!!!! Makes me want to start cranking!

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  39. Great recipe and picks, I would eat both one right after the other and then ask for more.

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  40. This is amazing stuff, Trix! I am truly in awe. Firstly there is nothing more comforting or even rewarding than the scent of freshly baked bread that you managed to make all by yourself. Secondly, I have to admit, so ashamedly so, that I am too much of scaredy cat to try to make my own fresh pasta, and the pasta machine is rusting away!! Thanks for the inspiration! With these recipes, I really have no excuse now!!

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  41. I'm making this fettuccine for daughter 12 birthday I just love how the recipe is detailed and easy to read with picture.

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