How To Make Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta is simply eggs and flour. Making fresh pasta takes some skill, but once mastered, is simple to make time and time again. When working out portion sizes, the rule of thumb is one egg per person and then as much plain flour [do not use self raising flour] as the mix will take.

How you mix it is up to you. When I was first shown how, I was told to make a hollow into the flour and gradually mix the flour into the beaten eggs. In the end of the day, it really doesn't make or break the recipe, so long as the mix is the right consistency. When the mix is right, the pasta should not stick to anything like the mixing bowl or table. It should be like a dough and should be moist enough not to crumble.

The Pasta Machine

These are not too expensive [shop around] and the good ones are actually made in Italy. This device is both a roller and cutter. The roller portion has several thickness settings and you start at 1 and work through until you reach the desired thickness you want. The sheets on the table behind were taken through at the thinnest setting of 7. At this setting, the pasta is thin enough to see through, but if mixed and needed correctly, is surprisingly tough and will not easily tear.

The cutter on this machine allows two styles of noodle. There are other attachments [sold separately] that allow you to make ravioli and gnocchi. Once you have finished making the pasta, it needs to dry before you can cook it. The best method I have found is to freeze it.

When cooking fresh pasta, you need to have the salted water boiling rapidly. The pasta does not take long, and will be cooked in minutes. Basically, boil the water, add the pasta which will sink, then as the water comes back to the boil, the pasta will float, and that is pretty much done. No 20 minutes of boiling here! Drain well and mix with a fresh pasta sauce. Enjoy!!!

Mark

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Got To Love This City

There is something very special about our city at night. I took this shot from the cliffs at Kangaroo Point...Moments like this should be shared...

Mark

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Moving On And A New Beginning

Well after 18 months, it is finally time to move out of this town house and back into a real house.

The strange part is, even though I hardly used them, I will miss the pool and BBQ area.

But never mind as it is for the best in the long run...

Mark

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Making that Perfect Pasta Sauce

Ok this is something different - a cooking lesson - and todays lesson is how I make that perfect pasta sauce.

The Ingrediants

There is really no right or wrong way to making a good pasta sauce, but certainly your choice of ingrediants will affect the outcome. I have kept this sauce simple and this sauce is actaully based on Jamie Oliver's Italian special where he chose not to use mince but rather cuts of beef.

I've also used Rosemary for that special flavour.

Yes I know, it is a pack of pasta. In a future post, I will show you how to make fresh pasta from eggs and flower...

Mmm Steak

For this dish, I have actually used steak, nothing expensive, just a cut of BBQ or Round steak. In the past I have even used rib eye!

Jamie's special raised some valid points and asked some serious questions -

1. If pasta sauces have been around well before stainless steel mincing machines, what did they use and
2. What exactly goes into mince anyway?

So starting with browning the onions and beef [with the rosemary] and some good olive oil, I added the about half a glass of the wine as required. This creats steam, sealing the meat and helps to prevent anything from sticking. The rest of the glass goes into the Passata which is simply tomotoes pure'd.

Season as required...

Slow Cooking Is The Secret

After a long slow cooking process, the meat will fall apart. Jamie used a high pressure cooker, but I have simply taken time - about 3 hours to cook this sauce on a low heat...

Cooking With Wine

My Mum's tip for cooking with wine is simple "if it ain't good enough to drink, it ain't good enough to cook with" and I think she has a good point, becuase it will affect the final dish. You will notice that I am using a white wine instead of a red.

Basically one day, I didn't have any red wine in the house, so used a white wine only to find that I actually preffered the flavour. It is interesting that on Jamie's special, he finds what he calls "a mumma" in Italy who also tells him the same thing. If you haven't tried a pasta sauce with white wine, I highly recommend it...

Enjoy!

Mark

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New Years Eve

What a way to end 2007
Fantastic company, great food complimented by great wine.

I was invited to join some wonderful people for a dinner party for new years eve and bring in the new year. The night was awesome and I would like to thank the hosts for their warm hospitality and for providing a truly wonderful evening...

Mark

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