Pasta

I'm in the mood for home-made pasta tonight. It's so easy to make, particularly with a bread machine.

2 large eggs
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup durum flour
1/2 cup semolina flour
2 tbsp spinach or tomato powder (optional)

Put the eggs and oil into the bread machine bucket. Add the dry ingredients. As the machine starts to knead, watch the dough - it will probably be dry and crumbly. Use a spray bottle of water to spritz the dough lightly just until it forms into a ball. Let the machine knead for 10 to 15 minutes more until the ball of dough is glossy and firm. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for a while. Roll into your favorite kind of pasta.

I'll use this batch to make cavatelli, one of my favorites for a quick meal. I get the durum, semolina and spinach powder from King Arthur. I can buy tiny amounts of semolina locally, but not the more finely milled durum, so it's much easier to mail-order larger quantities.

Comments

[Charleen]

Yum, thanks! I haven't used my pasta machine in ages - I'll have to bring it up this weekend.

[Carolyn]

Yum! I was also thinking about using the pasta machine soon. . . Do you make cavatelli by hand?

[Catherine D.]

I use a hand-cranked machine. This is the second I've owned (first one wore out after 20 years!), and I like the nice deep ridges it makes.