Pasta..making Your Own

[ethandron]

Contemplating having a bash at making some pasta from scratch.
Have you done it? Do you always do it? Is it worth the faff? Is it significantly more scrumptious than buying fresh pasta in the shops?
Any tips?

[DTCwordfan]

when I am in my own kitchen and with my pasta machine.

The reward is that, yes, they are ultra-fresh and you made it, not some chain! Only do it for dinner parties and when the eldest wanted to make some - loves cooking.

[DTCwordfan]

Oh, and get the dough nicely kneaded and smooth before you roll it out as thin a poss.....I would go for a simple one first, such as tagliatelle - you only need a good work surface and a sharp, pointed knife to cut the ribbons.

Presume you have some nice sauce recipes, fresh tagliatelle is great at holding onto a nice creamy sauce like a carbonara or arriabata - and make the latter from fresh vine toms too!

[anneasquith]

life is to short. buy fresh made,

[bednobs]

have ti say i agree with anneasquith. However, as pasta reminds me of wet cardboard anyway, i'm probably not the best one to answer

[ethandron]

Well I would generally tend to agree about life being too short but as I'm tied in a little more than usual at the moment, and eating more pasta than usual too, I have a hankering to give it a go.
Thanks for all replies.

[Old_Geezer]

One cooks for the joy of doing so, the creative act. As a bonus one knows what goes into ones food and has control over variations and enhancements. If the product proves tastier that's an additional benefit.

[EcclesCake]

I enjoy making filled pasta but cannot be bothered with making plain cut pasta.

A machine for rolling does make life easier but isn't essential.

Don't skimp on the kneading either, but if making in a food processor be sure to not over work the dough.

If making filled pasta scatter some polenta on a baking tray to keep the pasta from sticking to the tray.

[ABAuntie]

ethandron

i agree with OG it is worth having a go just for the sheer joy of making something from scratch yourself.

I have never made it but i imagine it could be really useful for people with special dietary needs or to make your own special fillings to suit your personal tastes.

I say go for it but i wouldn't invest in a proper machine until you decide to do it all the time :-)

auntie xxx

[ethandron]

Yep, if one enjoys cooking then it's a pleasure and relaxation to make something. I'm not much of a baker myself, prefer cooking with its chopping and stirring to baking with its kneading and creaming. Himself enjoys the precision needed for baking, I enjoy the tasting and tweaking of cooking.
Do I need particular flour...durum wheat?? Being a complete novice, will it make a difference if I get the wrong one? I've seen reference to 00 flour, I'm guessing that's finer than the SR and plain I have in the cupboard. Do any of you have a particular recipe you use to make the dough?
And now we have an AB auntie, well, well, that's nice :)

[EcclesCake]

You are best with 00, Waitrose stock a good Italian one in a light green or yellow bag. If you just want to try your hand you can get away with strong bread flour.

1 large egg to each 100g of flour, is a good rule of thumb....and a pinch of salt.

Depending on the age of the flour and general humidity you may need to add a tad more or less egg.

I'm tempted to suggest you make some fillings and Ron makes the pasta......and you meet in the middle for a tortellini making competition:-)

[ethandron]

Thanks Eccles, you always come up trumps (ooh, pardon me!) :)
I think I'll buy some nice fresh flour, the stuff in the cupboard has been there since January when Ron made lemon and poppyseed cupcakes. I'll see if I can get something like the waitrose one, we don't have a waitrose round 'ere oop north, maybe have to wait till we're back down in Berkshire. Or have a look in m&s.
It's only the egg yolk that's used..is it?

[jomifl]

Pasta is easy to make using eccles' proportions, no machine necessary, it is quite easy to roll it out with a rolling pin and cut it into ribbons with the point of a knife. It takes little longer than the Ads. on channel 5.

[Barmaid]

I'm a convert. I started making my own when I had a glut of eggs and was given a pasta machine. Now I can knock it out really quickly. I use 200g 00 flour, 2 medium eggs lightly beaten, tbs olive oil and pinch of salt. After you've made the dough it must be rested for 20 mins or so.

Like Eccles, I dont bother to make plain pasta, but you can be really creative with ravoili or tortellini (again, bit of practice and you'll be whipping it out in no time).

Is it significantly more scrumptious? Well Mr BM wont eat shop bought pasta now! I like to think so. Although I wouldnt bother if I didnt have a really good quality pasta machine.

[ethandron]

Ok, I'm convinced, tortellini it is :)
Won't be doing it till Saturday, and will be shopping for the necessary on Friday.
Any suggestions for tortellini fillings and sauce?
Thanks everso much everyone, I am inspired.

[EcclesCake]

Ha Ha, I knew the rozzers would find you eventually Eth ;-)

And, yes, it is whole egg.

I'm quite sure the other supermarkets will have 00 flour, do you have a Booths nearby they tend to be very good as a Waitrose of the North? If not an Italian deli will have the flour.

I'm tempted to blow the dust of my pasta machine later this week, egg production is currently a bit low so I need to save them up :-(

[EcclesCake]

A crab filling with a shrimp brown butter dressing.

Squash with pine nuts and a sage butter.

Beetroot and goats cheese with a pomegranate molasses, chive and EVO dressing.

A herby cheese filling on a bed of finely chopped ratatouille.

Prosciutto and ricotta with herbs with a Neapolitan Tom sauce.

[ethandron]

Hmm, all sound delicious.
Did your chickens bum sort itself out?

[EcclesCake]

Squash filled with a cobnut dressing is fab in autumn!


Hen is still a bit off, tried yogurt and now worming......again. Generally she is fine in herself but need to get her sorted :-(

[ethandron]

Poor chicky, I can empathise :(
Don't you have bees too, or did I dream that?