Once upon a time my dad owned a pasta maker. My only memory of it is a flour-covered kitchen draped in noodles and a happy man in an apron whistling to the sound of a sliver crank. Long ago, for various reasons, the pasta maker and my father went their separate ways.
Since then all things doughy have become my things and it seemed only natural that I should have my own pasta maker. This spring I took the plunge. With pasta bible in hand I made the first batch of linguine. It was so easy and fun, like a giant play-dough machine. I just knew I had to get my dad and the pasta maker back together again.
This will not be a shock to you, but my birthdays have always revolved around food. The whole day is about what I am going to eat when…actually every day is like this, but birthdays just make if feel more special. This year I decided to make my own birthday dinner and cook my “last meal” (you know the one you always say you would want to have if you ever had to have a last meal).
I figured why not?
The full menu will be discussed later, but the main course involved pasta, homemade pasta. The afternoon before my birthday, dad and I were up to our apron strings in flour and singing to the Big Chill soundtrack. Every once in a while my father would say wistfully,
“Man, I’m going to get a new pasta maker.”
Basic Pasta Dough Recipe:
From the Pasta Bible
Ingredients:
2 ¾ cups of bread flour
3 eggs
1 tsp of salt
How-To:
*Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a deep well in the center of the mound with your hands.
*Keep the sides of the well high so that when the eggs are added they will not run out of the well.
*Crack the eggs into the well then add the salt.
*With a table knife or fork, mix the eggs and salt together then gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the well.
*Try not to break the sides of the well or the runny mixture will run all over the work surface (this happened to us – fyi).
*As soon as the egg mixture is no longer liquid, dip your fingers in the flour and work the ingredients together until they form a rough and sticky dough. Add drops of cold water if it is too dry (the answer to that is yes, it was too dry – see video)
*Press the dough into a ball and knead it as you do bread. Knead for 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.
*Wrap clear film around the dough and let it rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature.
(I did that and then, of course, stuck it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Cold dough is just better, much like cold cash).
*Now you are ready to stick it in the pasta machine and start cranking!
fantastic. your dad is adorable, and i love the soundtrack.