Cooking
Not too long ago I was given a set of pasta maker plates for my Kitchenaid mixer. This mixer has an amazing variety of attachments available, including a grain mill, a juicer, a can opener, and even an ice cream maker. The pasta maker plates are designed to be used with the food grinder attachment – the one attachment that I have.
I had made spaghetti before and was really pleased with the way it turned out. Tonight I decided to try making macaroni. It’s a very simple process, though I little time-consuming. A basic egg noodle pasta recipe is provided in the instruction manual. I haven’t worked up the courage to deviate from it yet - I’m not sure if just any pasta recipe would work
Once the dough is mixed, kneaded, and has rested, the fun begins. Anyone who ever lusted after the Play-doh Fun Factory as a kid will understand! You drop walnut-sized lumps of dough into the hopper of the food grinder and pull away lengths of pasta as they are extruded. With the macaroni, the instructions advise you to pull it off in approximately 6-inch lengths. These long pieces should be laid on kitchen towels to dry a bit, and then you can break or cut them into shorter lengths before cooking.
I think the spaghetti was possibly better than dried pasta, but I wouldn’t say the same for the macaroni. It was good – but no better than dried. But making homemade pasta isn’t just about taste, it’s about having fun.
- Artisanal Italian Pasta
If you go to most grocery stores or supermarkets you can find dried pasta for as little as about $1 per package. At the same time there is “artisanal” dried pasta which costs at least twice as much, and often much more. Is it worth it? Yes, it is...
- Sea Urchin Spaghetti Recipe
Sea urchin or uni is rich and creamy. It tastes very briny and yet sweet. Emulsified with some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, it makes a wonderful sauce for pasta. The type of pasta you use is up to you of course, but isn't it gorgeous on...
- Ecco La Pasta!
Dried pasta is the perfect convenience food, after all it only takes a pot of boiling water to cook it. But fresh pasta is another story. It takes work. Having a food processor and a pasta rolling machine make it a little easier but it's far from...
- Pasta, Sausage And Bean Ragout
With the arrival of the latest Bon Appetit (which has replaced Gourmet as my favorite foodie mag), we're trying lots of new dishes. One I made last week was Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout. Oh, yum. I mean, yum. What a fabulous dish. And...
- A Pasta Virgin No Longer
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } I lost my pasta making virginity on the last day of 2006. Yes, really. I've...
Cooking
Making Macaroni
Not too long ago I was given a set of pasta maker plates for my Kitchenaid mixer. This mixer has an amazing variety of attachments available, including a grain mill, a juicer, a can opener, and even an ice cream maker. The pasta maker plates are designed to be used with the food grinder attachment – the one attachment that I have.
I had made spaghetti before and was really pleased with the way it turned out. Tonight I decided to try making macaroni. It’s a very simple process, though I little time-consuming. A basic egg noodle pasta recipe is provided in the instruction manual. I haven’t worked up the courage to deviate from it yet - I’m not sure if just any pasta recipe would work
Once the dough is mixed, kneaded, and has rested, the fun begins. Anyone who ever lusted after the Play-doh Fun Factory as a kid will understand! You drop walnut-sized lumps of dough into the hopper of the food grinder and pull away lengths of pasta as they are extruded. With the macaroni, the instructions advise you to pull it off in approximately 6-inch lengths. These long pieces should be laid on kitchen towels to dry a bit, and then you can break or cut them into shorter lengths before cooking.
I think the spaghetti was possibly better than dried pasta, but I wouldn’t say the same for the macaroni. It was good – but no better than dried. But making homemade pasta isn’t just about taste, it’s about having fun.
- Artisanal Italian Pasta
If you go to most grocery stores or supermarkets you can find dried pasta for as little as about $1 per package. At the same time there is “artisanal” dried pasta which costs at least twice as much, and often much more. Is it worth it? Yes, it is...
- Sea Urchin Spaghetti Recipe
Sea urchin or uni is rich and creamy. It tastes very briny and yet sweet. Emulsified with some extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, it makes a wonderful sauce for pasta. The type of pasta you use is up to you of course, but isn't it gorgeous on...
- Ecco La Pasta!
Dried pasta is the perfect convenience food, after all it only takes a pot of boiling water to cook it. But fresh pasta is another story. It takes work. Having a food processor and a pasta rolling machine make it a little easier but it's far from...
- Pasta, Sausage And Bean Ragout
With the arrival of the latest Bon Appetit (which has replaced Gourmet as my favorite foodie mag), we're trying lots of new dishes. One I made last week was Pasta, Sausage and Bean Ragout. Oh, yum. I mean, yum. What a fabulous dish. And...
- A Pasta Virgin No Longer
.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } I lost my pasta making virginity on the last day of 2006. Yes, really. I've...