Homemade Pasta

Thank you so much to Wendy for hosting our pasta night at her house.  She was a great teacher and the food was pretty amazing too!  I brought my camera with me, but for some reason it never made it out of my purse!  Could it have been that I was too busy eating to remember that I was supposed to take pictures of each step?  Most likely...  Regardless, here are the recipes from the night.  The pasta really was quite easy to make and the taste made the effort well worth it!  Enjoy!

Puttanesca Sauce:

1/4 c olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp. red pepper
1-28 oz. crushed tomatoes
1-8 oz. tomato sauce
1/3 cup olives
1 Tbsp. capers
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. parsley

Combine olive oil, onions, garlic and red pepper lakes until onions are cooked.

Add everything but the parsley (or basil) and let simmer for about 20 minutes.

Add parsley and enjoy!

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce:

1 pint heavy cream
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp. cream cheese
3/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder

In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream and cream cheese.  Simmer this until all is melted and mixed well.  Add the parmesan cheese and garlic powder.

Simmer this for 15-20 minutes on low.

Season with salt and pepper.

YSA Spaghetti Sauce:

3/4 c finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. chicken broth
2 (16 oz.) cans chopped tomatoes
2 (6 oz. ) cans tomato paste
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. parsley
2 bay leaves

Chop onion and garlic.  Stir together in a microwave safe bowl with chicken broth.  Microwave on high for 3-5 minutes or until onion and garlic are tender.

Add all remaining ingredients into a large sauce pot and cook on medium setting for 15 minutes.  Turn down to a simmer and cook up to a full hour.  The longer the cooking time adds flavor.

Makes 6 dinner portions

Garlic Herb Butter:

4 Tbsp. butter at room temp.
1 clove garlic
an assortment of fresh herbs (parsley, basil, rosemary, oregano, chives, etc.)

Mince garlic clove with safety scissors.  Blend with butter.  Chop or chiffonade herbs and add to butter mixture to taste.

Pasta all'uovo Fatta in Casa

2 cups flour plus additional 1/2 c. reserved
3 large eggs

In a large bowl, measure 2 cups of flour and create in a well.

Break 3 eggs into a small bowl, making sure there are no bits of egg shell.

Pour the eggs into the well in the flour.

With a fork, carefully pull the flour from the walls into the center, gradually mixing the flour and egg.

When the mixture becomes less sticky, knead the mixture into a ball.  Knead until well mixed and firm but not sticky.  Divide the dough into 6 small balls, about the size of a golf ball.

Start your pasta machine on the rollers farthest apart.  Run the pieces through the rollers, about 6 times on the widest section, folding the pasta top to bottom or side to side to achieve a long sheet slightly narrower than the machine rollers. Continue to roll the sheets through the tollers with ever diminishing settings until you achieve the thickness you wish, usually the smallest setting.

Pile loosly on wax paper until you are ready to boil.

Bring water to a boil.  Put your fresh pasta in the water.  Fresh pasta cooks for about 4 minutes.  it will float to the top when it is ready.  Take a strand out and bite it to make sure it is not tough.

Makes 6 dinner portions.

and since there are no pictures to help, here's a resource to go to for some more tips!