Fresh Pasta From Scratch!

I've got this big list of goals & fun things I want to do before school starts back up, & making fresh pasta was one of them. Little did I know that my mom would spot this awesome Ampia pasta machine at Goodwill! It's really heavy-duty.


We think that the ravioli attachment, on the right, doesn't actually go with the base part, since there is no way to attach it---it was just sort of piled on top of the pasta maker, so we got it. Maybe another brand? It doesn't say Ampia on it...oh well. I may try to use it as is, but didn't attempt ravioli this time. I'm going camping tomorrow & don't have a lot of tasty filling options on hand.

I used the recipes from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman & they worked really well. I ended up making 6 pounds of pasta---24 main course servings! I figured I might as well make as much as I could, since I had the house to myself & could freeze it all.

First I made spinach pasta:


It wanted to become fettuccine, so I obliged:


Then I made black pepper fettuccine, which I'm super excited to try:


Next, I made some plain ol' spaghetti:


I froze some of the plain pasta sheets for lasagna, then made tomato fettuccine, flavored with tomato paste:


The only kind I've tried so far was the tomato. I put a little pesto on it (not the best color combo!) & it was heavenly---so light & tender. I'll post some pictures when I make something that looks somewhat appetizing!

Traditional Egg Pasta Dough

• 10 ounces all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• a few drops of water, if needed

You basically just mix these ingredients together, adding a little water, if necessary, then knead for 1-2 minutes. If it's too sticky, add a bit more flour. For best results, let rest for at least an hour. Divide dough into 6 pieces, then roll it out according to your pasta machine.

*Spinach Variation---use 2 more ounces of flour (12 ounces total), add 1/4 pound frozen chopped spinach (cook, mince, & squeeze out all water)

*Black Pepper Variation---add 1 tablespoon of freshly ground pepper

*Tomato Variation---add 3 tablespoons tomato paste