I tried making homemade pasta about 20 years ago and it was so horribly bad, I never tried making it again…until now. One of the reasons I hadn’t tried it again is because I assumed I needed an expensive pasta maker to make it. The one and only time I tried making it was by hand, rolling the dough out with a rolling-pin and then cutting the pasta shapes with a knife. It came out more like big old dumplings (I was trying to make spaghetti) that was raw on the inside. But when I talked to Executive Chef Scott Savage from The Cliff House at Pikes Peak, he told me you could use a simple pasta machine that clamps to the counter. I found mine at Ross for $19.99. Wal-Mart, Target and Bed Bath & Beyond all carry these easy machines too ($23 to $35.) But if you’re experienced with a rolling-pin, you can use this same recipe, and roll away.
The basic pasta recipe cost me 46 cents and was enough for 6 servings! To knead, press and cook literally takes less than 30 minutes and tastes so much better than dry pasta! Once you get the basic recipe down, you can experiment with different flours and pasta shapes.
BASIC PASTA –
Prep & Rest Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 to 3 minutes
Serves: 6 for approx. 50 cents
Ingredients:
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- up to 4 tablespoons water
*Some people like to add a bit of oil to their recipe. Mine just used water.
Directions:
In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the flour, add the slightly beaten eggs and mix. (It’s easiest just using your hands.) Mixture should form a stiff ball. If needed, add 2 to 4 tablespoons of water. (Start with 1 tablespoon and add as needed – or add a bit of oil. I ended up using 3 tablespoons of water.)
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes. Let rest a minute or two. With a pasta machine, or by hand, roll dough out to desired thinness. Use the machine or knife to cut into strips of desired width (or use cookie cutters to make fun shapes.)
You can of course use canned sauces with your fresh pasta or simply add a bit of butter and parmesan cheese for a really quick meal. We tried two sauce recipes with this, using fresh summer ingredients like tomatoes and basil.
For our pesto, I used pecans instead of pine nuts because they are a heck of a lot cheaper and easier to find. It tasted just like the “typical pine nut” pesto I usually make. Basil can be very expensive when you buy it in the small packages of sprigs at the grocery store. I bought a big basil plant at King Soopers for the same price as the packaged basil that only had 4 or 5 sprigs in it. Whenever I see it at our local Farmers Market, I buy it there too. Home Depot and Lowe’s usually has basil plants for $4 or $5 too. And the good thing about buying the entire plant is it will keep on producing after you’ve cut off what you need.
Basil-Pecan Pesto –
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Serves: 6 for approx. $6
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 3/4 cup pecans
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
Directions:
Using a food processor, blender or immersion blender, mix all the ingredients together till you get a chunky texture. If you prefer a thinner, smoother pesto, use a bit more oil. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. This will last for about a week in the fridge or in the freezer for about 3 months. I like to freeze leftover pesto in ice-cube trays, with a thin layer of olive oil over the cubes and covered with Saran wrap. Once frozen, I pop out the cubes and put in a big freezer bag. All you have to do is defrost in the fridge and you’ll have quick pesto for pasta, bread or whatever else you like eating it with.
Tomatoes are so cheap and delicious right now at the grocery stores. If you grow your own, this fresh tomato sauce will be even less expensive to make. This is a thin, fresh sauce that cooks in less than 10 minutes, allowing you to really taste the freshness of each ingredient.
Fresh Tomato Sauce –
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 6 for approx. $3.50
Ingredients:
- 10 to 12 tomatoes (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)
- 4 ounces olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- pinch of crushed red pepper
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- kosher salt
- pepper
- fresh parsley for garnish
Directions:
Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water for your ice bath. With a sharp knife, score (cut) an x on the bottom of each tomato. Once the water is boiling, drop tomatoes in. Once the skin starts to loosen, (you’ll actually see the skin starting to pull away from the tomato,) pull the tomato out and plunge in the ice bath. Once the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and chop.
In a large pan, heat oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute till garlic turns slightly golden. Add onions and sauté about 3 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add some fresh chopped parsley if desired.