Thursday, August 20, 2009

how (not) to make pasta

1.go to far away grocery store to buy some ingredients. realize when you get home you have no eggs. go to corner store to get eggs. realize when you get home you only have wheat flour. decide to use this in lieu of yet another trip to the store.2.turn some music on. assemble your eggs, olive oil, and salt in flour mound. think "this will stay in place long enough for me to take a photo". spend next five minutes frantically trying to prevent egg from running all over kitchen. knead dough until it is not smooth and does not come together, but is a crumbly mess.
3. add more oil, some water, and some of your mother's south beach diet approved pre-separated egg whites. knead.
4. feel satisfied with dough. let rest, covered, for one hour. split dough into 2 sections and roll out until as close to paper thin as you can get it without breaking the dough. hang on floured, suspended mop or broom handle and let dry 15 minutes.

5. roll and slice each section, perhaps making your sections too thick.

6. lay pasta out in pretty little curly-cues and let dry 1-2 hours.

7.cook pasta according to this recipe,except with less arugula. forget to chop arugula before adding to pasta. forget to add any olive oil to the dish.
the verdict? the pasta was an odd texture, probably a result of using wheat flour and attempting to boil it in too small a pot. the dish was a little bland, and the arugula should have been chopped and slightly wilted. however, the dish was not inedible and is definitely worth trying again, correctly.

11 comments:

Naomi Rose said...

haha I lurrrrve your writing style! <3

Mombre said...

Excellent lemon into lemonade :) Good work!

Rose said...

Oh dear! Regardless what all the Italian Grandmothers say, I always start my pasta in a bowl - for just that reason (egg running everywhere). I add oil & water & sometimes extra eggs. I find that alternating between wetting my hands and adding a touch of oil and a good 20 minutes+ of solid kneading can beat any flour into submission.

wheat flour should have been ok, it just looks as though it needs more kneading perhaps?!

Not sure how much pasta you've made, but I spent countless nights in tears at failed pasta until I found this easy recipe :)

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Pasta-107835

Lauren said...

I love your writing. I completely understand, too. I make my own pasta from time to time and it comes out pretty good texturally and whatnot but not as good flavor-wise as the stuff I buy. Your post is inspiring me to try again!

Joanne said...

Making my own pasta is one of those feats that I am deathly afraid of so kudos to you for even trying! Quite impressive even if it didn't quite turn out. There's always next time...

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog! You've got some awesome recipes on here that I can't wait to try.

Trish said...

Hey...just trying to make pasta is a HUGE bonus...I give you credit for that...gee whiz! I have never tried it and they say practice makes perfect. Will you try it again?

nora@ffr said...

this is very helpful!! i always enjoy making home made pasta!! my first visit here and m enjoying every bit of it!! keep it up!!
cheers and have a great day!!

Molly Jean said...

Haha!

There is nothing wrong with a little trial and error. In fact, you should give yourself some major credit for even ATTEMPTING homemade pasta. I'm too scared.

You are my hero :)

april said...

Wow your an amazing cook!

theUngourmet said...

You are funny! I loved the part about trying to snap the picture! HA! :D

Muneeba said...

Thks for that honest look into pasta-making for amateurs! That's exactly what my first time will probably look like ... hence, I'm afraid :(