Have you ever had fresh home made pasta? No? Well it is not as hard to do as you might think. If you have had the good fortune to sink your teeth into rich, soft and yummy just-made pasta, it is hard to go back to expensive, dried store-bought pasta. It just takes a few minutes to combine the things you need. The ingredients are cheap and easy to find, just water, oil, eggs and flour. What could be simpler?
You can kneed the combined ingredients until the dough becomes silky and has a soft glow about it. Then you either roll the dough out by hand with a rolling pin or you can use a pasta maker to hasten the job. With the large number of pasta machine manufactures on the market, you have plenty of choices for your pasta maker.
The Atlas pasta machine I use has been in my family for years and still is a workhorse that I use about once a month. It takes only 5 minutes to put the dough together but be sure to let it rest for at least half an hour then you can flatten it to the required thickness by hand with a rolling pin or with your pasta maker. I use the cutting attachment on my Atlas pasta machine to finish up the noodles to the right shape.
The next step is to put the pasta for about 5 minutes into salted water at a roiling boil and cook. That's all there is to it. There is very little work involved. You will be the star of your kitchen when your family and friends taste your fresh pasta.
I have tried many different pasta machines and have always stayed true to my Atlas pasta machine. It is extremely rugged and well designed by the Italians. Who better to make a pasta maker? The machine clamps securely to a counter top or a table top and is easy to operate by hand. You can get an electric model to make things even easier, but I prefer to use the hand crank instead.
More attachments are available to make different types of pasta after you get your pasta dough to the desired thickness. You can even make ravioli and tortellini by placing your best filling between layers of dough and cutting by hand. I use my standard cutter to do angel hair pasta and am getting more cutters to make my own linguine .
If you want to impress your family and friends make some home made pasta. They will be surprised by the flavor and subtle texture. Just make sure you don't tell them how easy it really is to make it. It will be one of your best kept secrets.
You can kneed the combined ingredients until the dough becomes silky and has a soft glow about it. Then you either roll the dough out by hand with a rolling pin or you can use a pasta maker to hasten the job. With the large number of pasta machine manufactures on the market, you have plenty of choices for your pasta maker.
The Atlas pasta machine I use has been in my family for years and still is a workhorse that I use about once a month. It takes only 5 minutes to put the dough together but be sure to let it rest for at least half an hour then you can flatten it to the required thickness by hand with a rolling pin or with your pasta maker. I use the cutting attachment on my Atlas pasta machine to finish up the noodles to the right shape.
The next step is to put the pasta for about 5 minutes into salted water at a roiling boil and cook. That's all there is to it. There is very little work involved. You will be the star of your kitchen when your family and friends taste your fresh pasta.
I have tried many different pasta machines and have always stayed true to my Atlas pasta machine. It is extremely rugged and well designed by the Italians. Who better to make a pasta maker? The machine clamps securely to a counter top or a table top and is easy to operate by hand. You can get an electric model to make things even easier, but I prefer to use the hand crank instead.
More attachments are available to make different types of pasta after you get your pasta dough to the desired thickness. You can even make ravioli and tortellini by placing your best filling between layers of dough and cutting by hand. I use my standard cutter to do angel hair pasta and am getting more cutters to make my own linguine .
If you want to impress your family and friends make some home made pasta. They will be surprised by the flavor and subtle texture. Just make sure you don't tell them how easy it really is to make it. It will be one of your best kept secrets.
About the Author:
Making fresh pasta at home has been a Lauder family event for years. Family, friends and neighbors all play a role in making the dough and gathering at the table to savor the results. Watch a video on rolling dough through a pasta machine on Geri's website, find great cookbooks and select a pasta machine for your next family pasta party.
