Paul, aka Chilebrown, whipped up a great looking batch of home made pasta recently and was nice enough to send some pictures. Or is he just torturing us?
Whatever. Paul's technique is spot on. In the first pic, which also shows off the amazing Tibvrtini Olio Extra Virgine di Oliva we carry at Desert Island Foods™.com, he's using a traditional 'well method' to mix his eggs and flour. He didn't send his recipe, but classically it's about 1 egg per cup of flour, then adjust it bit to the humidity as necessary. It yields about one portion per egg.
You can see that Paul's got the pasta attachment for his Kitchen Aid, but if you don't have something like this, don't let it stop you from making pasta! Just bear in mind that you're going to get quite a workout kneading and rolling out your dough, but what's wrong with that? Knead it until it get soft and pliable, then let it rest covered for 20 minutes or so while you catch your breath. Take your time, and do a good job. There's a fine line between pasta and dumplings, and the difference is the gluten you develop while kneading.
Now roll it out thinly, crumple it back into a ball, and roll it out again, at least 6 or 8 times. Then you can cut it into your desired shape, and let it rest as Paul did, floured, until you cook it.
Remember, fresh pasta only needs to cook for a few minutes, in lots of well-salted boiling water, until it starts to lighten in color slightly but still is firm to the tooth, or "al dente". And don't rinse your pasta! If you have to cook your pasta well in advance of service you can oil it very lightly, but this will slightly hinder the pasta's ability to absorb your sauce.
Paul added, "Oh man, do I have to break out the camera. I got artichokes boiling, chipotle mayonaise, pasta w/pesto and sausage and mushrooms and of course a little dribble of your olive oil.. Allright.
No sign of a picture yet, but great job, Chile! If you're looking for information about pesto, along with an easy recipe, I've posted my version here.
Got pics of one of your dishes? Email me!
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