Fresh Pasta

I watched an episode on Food Network last night.  The chef was making homemade pasta, Linguini alla Carbonara.  I've made homemade pasta once or twice before quite awhile back.  I thought  I'd give it a try again, even though I don't have a pasta machine.  I made it today for lunch.  Homemade pasta takes your dry pasta dishes from dive to you need to make a reservation to get into this restaurant!  Really, I am not kidding it makes all the difference in your pasta dishes.  The one I made was so good even doing it the old fashioned way, rolling out the dough with my muscles!  Next time you do pasta night, please try making fresh pasta.  And, let me know how it turns out.

Homemade Pasta

1 C cake flour
1/2 C all purpose flour
1/8 C evoo
dash of salt
2 egg yolks
water

Put above into a food processor (or right on your kitchen couter if you dare.  if you dare, put the flour down first and then make a well in the center then pour the rest of the goods).  Once it all comes together, slowly pour in the water.  There is no measurement, because it depends on the type of flour you use (you can use all all purpose flour the dough will just be more dense.  The cake flour makes it nice & light & fluffy).  You want the dough to form into a ball, and when you push it in with a finger it says together.  I think today I started with a 1/2 water but did not use it all.

Wrap up the dough into a ball into plastic wrap & put it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

If you have a pasta machine, you already know what to do to finish the dough.  I don't, so I floured a board and my fingers.  I pulled out the rolling pin and just kept rolling to my desired thickness.  Then I cut the dough into strips.  I made fettuccine noodles.  Keep in mind the dough does expand while cooking, so next time I will cut my strips not so wide.

Start your pot of water, get it boiling.  Add some salt.  This will season your pasta.  Some people add vegetable oil or evoo.  I normally don't, but heck today I was kinda sassy so I put in a little evoo.

Cooking fresh pasta takes a lot less time to cook than the dry.  Mine took 4 minutes.  Really watch it until you get the hang of it.  Take a piece out and test, the only way you'll know.  Then drain as usual.

Linguine Alla Carbonara

2 T evoo
2 T white wine
1/2 heavy cream
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic
4 strips bacon/4 oz. bacon or pancetta  chopped
1 egg seperated
1 C parmesan cheese

Put evoo into pan and heat over med low.  Cook the bacon, about 7 minutes.  Add the garlic, & stir about 5 seconds.  Don't burn the garlic.

Add the white wine, cream, and pepper.  Stir and cook until it becomes thick. About 3-5 minutes.

Once the pasta is just about done (drain about a minute before it is done), strain and put into the sauce.  Take the sauce pan off the heat. Stir in 1/2 C of parmesean.  Stir sauce and noodles being careful not the break the noodles.  Fresh noodles are more fragile than dry.

Keep the pan off the heat.  Stir one egg white into the pasta/sauce.  Then stir the egg yolk.  Mix all until well combined.  Garnish with remaining cheese.