Fresh Pasta

 Last Christmas Chris got me the pasta dough attachment for my KitchenAid mixer, which was a wonderfully thoughtful gift for someone who loves to cook and very convenient for that person's husband who has proclaimed himself "pasta deprived."  Remember I work in an Italian restaurant that specializes in fresh house-made pasta? And as I've mentioned before, they feed us. Four days a week I get pasta, which is more pasta than most people care to eat in a week.  So this wonderfully thoughtful gift had gone unopened... until yesterday when hours of free time and my nagging guilt conspired against me.

 I'm not gonna lie.  My first attempt at making pasta from scratch was  slightly less than impressive.

Typically, I over estimate my ability when I take a first stab at something labor intensive. So this time, I was prepared for disaster complete with cussing and loss of temper (check and check). After I regained my composure (read: poured a glass of wine)  I got out more eggs and flour and tried again.


The first batch of dough (recipe courtesy of kitchenAid) was too dry due to too much flour and ending flaking apart before I even got it into the roller.
The second batch was too sticky so I kept adding flour, a sprinkle at a time, until I got it just right. Only, having never made pasta before, I had no idea what just right felt like.
So I guessed.
 And for a first guess it came out pretty good, albeit a little thick, but none the less better than anything out of a box.

Here is what you will need: 
2 eggs
2 cups flour  plus additional for hands and work surface (I used unbleached pasta flour, AP will work too)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-2 TBSP water

To start sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center to which you add the beaten eggs and water.

Using your hands begin to fold the flour over and into the eggs a little at a time. Once all flour is incorporated and has formed a rough ball move dough to a lightly floured work surface to knead.  I wasn't quite sure how to go about doing this so I went over to Jamie Oliver's site for advice and this is what he says:

 "Once you’ve made your dough you need to knead and work it with your hands to develop the gluten in the flour, otherwise your pasta will be flabby and soft when you cook it, instead of springy and al dente.

There’s no secret to kneading. You just have to bash the dough about a bit with your hands, squashing it into the table, reshaping it, pulling it, stretching it, squashing it again. It’s quite hard work, and after a few minutes it’s easy to see why the average Italian grandmother has arms like Frank Bruno! You’ll know when to stop – it’s when your pasta starts to feel smooth and silky instead of rough and floury. Then all you need to do is wrap it in cling film and put it in the fridge to rest for at least half an hour before you use it. Make sure the cling film covers it well or it will dry out and go crusty round the edges (this will give you crusty lumps through your pasta when you roll it out, and nobody likes crusty lumps!)."

And there it is, a perfect, smooth ball of dough (sans crusty lumps) just needing a little rest. Cover with saran wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.

 This is the easy and fun part. This is also where I made my biggest mistake. Per KitchenAid's instructions I set the roller to the largest or widest setting. Which resulted in really thick cooked pasta. Next time I'll run it through a few more times at a thinner setting. Easy fix.

Next, hire  your most favorite little person to help you collect the noodles as they pass through the pasta cutter.  Be sure to watch your little person's fingers, they tend to gravitate towards the pinchy rolley part of the machine.

My little person was "executive pasta hanger"  He ruled that hanging tree with an iron fist:

 "No mommy, no touch! Its my job"

It didn't really LOOK like all that much.

But after I cooked a small batch (with butter and broccoli) for Liam, saw how much I had made and how much I still had left. It was a boat load of pasta.

So I bagged and put the rest in the freezer. I have no idea if this is something that you can even do with any resulting success.  I know you can freeze unrolled dough, but since this is already cut... well I guess we will see. 

The rest of this post is superfluous because really, after all that, any sane person would just open a jar of marinara sauce and pour another glass of wine.

But on the off chance that YOU TOO have an excess of vegetables in your crisper  here's what I did:

 Chop em all up.  Here, I have a motley crew of red onion, broccoli, asparagus, parsnip and arugula.

 Toss into a hot saute pan with evoo, garlic, salt and pepper. Then take a blurry picture.

Do not forget the blurry picture, it is imperative.

 Open a can of diced tomatoes, because its not tomato season, and dump that in too.

 Simmer sauce for about 20 minutes.  Just before serving fold in the arugula.

And there you have it;  MONSTER noodles and fresh veggie tomato sauce.  Top with some shaved Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil and savor every bite!


And then book yourself a spa day because DAMN if that wasn't a whole lotta work.

Caramelized Sea Scallops

I had to make two dinners tonight.

 But this, THIS was so worth the extra set of dirty dishes. 
Chris and his stubborn food preferences really missed out on an amazing meal.  Don't you miss out too!


Here is what you will need:
6-9 large sea scallops
1TBSP extra virgin olive oil
fresh sliced lemon & zest for garnish
I TBSP sugar
Salt and pepper to taste


Scallops are as quick and easy and as making a bowl of cereal. You just have to be pay close attention to them.  Kind of like and newborn in the bathtub; you cant turn your back on them, even for a second, or tragedy will strike.

To begin, remove the scallops from their packaging and give them a quick rinse at the sink. Using a clean paper towel pat them dry to wick away all excess moisture (if the scallops are too moist they will not caramelize in the pan).  Then sprinkle the scallops with salt and pepper.   Add the olive oil to coat a saute pan and heat to medium- high heat. Press each of your scallops into the sugar coating just the flat sides, then place them in the pan going in a clockwise direction starting at twelve. You should hear a firm sizzle when the scallop hits the pan, that means the pan is hot enough. Allow the scallops to sear for 2 minutes before turning, starting with the first scallop (at the 12'oclock location) and flipping each one. The seared side should be a beautiful caramel brown color.  Allow the second side to sear for an addition minute before removing  them to a serving dish. Your first instinct may be for leave them in the pan for longer, don't.  Trust me, just don't. If you overcook them they will become tough and rubbery like an old hot dog. These are lovely, lovely scallops, not old hot dogs so heed my warning!    Besides if they are fresh (ask the fishmonger when you buy them if you're unsure)  cooking them medium rare is not only safe, its preferred. 

Garnish with fresh lemon zest and serve with lemon wedges.

These scallops were tender and sweet and go wonderfully well with fresh peppery  baby arugula and asparagus risotto.  Make them soon and Savor Every Bite!

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Hash

If there is one thing you NEED to have with Pork Carnitas,  its this!

And really, its a snap; simply peel and dice a sweet potato, saute in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until just tender add 1 clove minced garlic, diced red onion and a healthy pinch of salt. Saute until the onion begins to sweat then add the black beans and favorite spices (I used a pinch of white pepper and cayenne)   Just before serving toss in all the cilantro your little heart desires.

Viola. If you make a big enough batch you can enjoy it for days, mine never lasts that long.