Fresh Pasta for a Cold Winter Day

Even as I was asking my husband for the pasta making attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer last year for Christmas, I really didn't believe that I would actually use it more than once or twice. Pasta is the simplest of meals. It comes in a box, you dump it in boiling water, and then voila - 8-10 minutes later you have dinner. Measuring and mixing, kneading and resting, rolling and cutting...I mean, how good could fresh pasta be that I would be willing to go to such great measures for a meal when I could just dump the box of dried pasta in a pot of water and be done with it? Well, as it turns out, it is pretty darn good, and I have since gone to such great measures many, many more times. It does sound daunting to make pasta from scratch, but believe me when I tell you that it is worth it. So worth it. And honestly, it's a whole lot simpler than you'd think. Here's the best (read: easiest) recipe I've found for fresh egg pasta. It's from the cookbook The New Best Recipe from America's Test Kitchen.

Fresh Egg Pasta

Fettuccine with Anchovy, Red Pepper, Garlic
and Olive Oil

Equipment needed:

food processor

kitchen aid mixer with pasta attachment

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

1. In bowl of food processor, add 3 cups flour and pulse a few times to aerate.

2. Add eggs to flour and process for 30 seconds. Dough should form into loose ball. If it's too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour. If it's too dry and won't form into ball, add a bit of water.

3. Turn dough out onto clean work surface and kneed for 2-3 minutes, or until dough is shiny and holds together well.

4. Cover in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

5. Divide dough into 4 equal parts and follow pasta making attachment instructions to roll it out through level 5 thickness. Then use fettuccine pasta cutting attachment to cut pasta.

6. Store pasta dusted in plenty of flour on counter in heaps until ready to cook. 

7. Boil salted water and cook pasta until done - about 4-5 minutes. Pasta should be al dente with a bit of a bite to it. Serve with favorite sauce (like this anchovy, red pepper, garlic, and olive oil sauce below)

Anchovy, Red Pepper, Garlic and Olive Oil Pasta Sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp. crushed red pepper (more or less depending on your spice preference)

5 cloves garlic, sliced thin

1 tin of anchovies, rinsed and chopped

1 tbsp. capers, rinsed

3 tbsp. flat leaf parsley, chopped 

Parmigiano Reggiano to taste (optional)

salt to taste

Directions: (Prepare while pasta is cooking)

1. Add olive oil and garlic slices to saute pan. Let sit for 15 minutes, or several hours if you have the time.

2. Warm pan slowly over low, then medium heat so garlic cooks through until soft, but not brown.

3. Over medium heat, add chopped anchovies, capers, and crushed red pepper. Stir until anchovies dissolve into sauce.

4. When pasta is finished, add a ladle of the pasta water to pan with garlic and oil. Stir.

5. Pour drained pasta into sauce and stir to coat. Serve with chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano. Enjoy!