Homemade Pasta Wishes and Ravioli Dreams

Lets start this out with a revelation...I can make homemade pasta.  And, believe me, if I can do it so can you!! (feel free to be impressed by us both right now)  I was thoroughly convinced this was a feat that should only be attempted by an Italian grandma.  For some reason though, a while back inspiration (and a fridge full of eggs) struck and I decided to give it a try.  'N ya know what?  Like so many other things in the culinary world it really is not as hard as they make it out to be.  All you need to make this happen is flour and eggs.  Anything else you might need can be omitted or improvised.



To make your pasta start with 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and two eggs.  The mixing can be done in a mixer, food processor or even just by making a well in the flour on the countertop and mixing the eggs in with a fork (full disclosure: I did not have much luck with the last option, guess that's where the Italian grandma skill comes in).  Mix until it all comes together into a ball, you might need to add a little water.  You want the dough moist enough to stick to itself, but not to you.  Once it is all worked together turn it onto a countertop and knead until it begins to feel smooth.  Shape it into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes before rolling.  I'm still working on a perfect dough, the Internet is filled with variations and additions, I'll make sure to post when I have my recipe down.

 

Now that you have your pasta dough you have unlimited pastabilites (sorry, couldn't help myself).  After it has rested, split it into quarters and roll to about 1/8".  A pasta machine can be a huge help here (I found one for about $25 at Hobby Lobby).  Then you can slice into fettuccine, lasagna noodles or really any pasta you want.  My first batch of homemade pasta went into a lasagna.  It worked really well, because you can cut it to perfectly fit your dish.  The noodles just need to be parboiled for about 2 minutes before you build the lasagna.  While homemade pasta definitely takes some time to make, but it cooks in only 2-3 minutes.  You can tell its done when it floats to the top of your pot.

 

Genovese Style with Chicken

Black Bean with Corn Salsa, Chicken and Avocado 

Spinach Artichoke with Acorn Squash

My favorite use for homemade pasta is to make ravioli.  You can usually only find cheese and maybe meat varieties in the store, but when you make it yourself you can get really creative with your fillings.  My first ravioli was inspired by this recipe for Artichokes Genovese.  I chopped button mushrooms, onion and bacon very fine and sauteed until the bacon was crisp then mixed with some ricotta and Parmesan.  I have since made ravioli filled with black beans (served with my homemade green chili) and a spinach artichoke variety.  Have you tried to make homemade pasta?  Any great ravioli filling ideas?

Thanks for reading--B