Comfort Food

It didn't take me a whole day, at times, it just felt like it had. Ava is a very contented girl and can put up with a lot when it comes to her mommy baking, but when she gets to the point when she feels neglected, she will let me know, and very loudly. This is what happened 3/4 of the way through our adventurous afternoon. I spent the whole morning pouring over each of my many cookbooks and lingered on each worn recipe card which reviled a pasta recipe -- that is until I had each of them memorized and a decision was made. I had my heart set on preparing the pasta that was in my traditional Italian book, with the most simplest and whole ingredients of flour and eggs, but since I was using whole wheat flour, I went with a recipe that called for an addition of olive oil and a pinch of salt. I set to work, laying a clear plastic table cloth over my dining room table, and Ava settled in her play pen next to me. I gathered all ingredients and set up the pasta maker.



I was surprised to find that making my own pasta was easier and faster than making my sugar cookies. I found that having a pasta cutter and a ruler were the only tools necessary. After mixing the dough, dusting it with flour I preceded to run it through the maker. With each sheet, I measured the length I needed for my lasagna. The length and width are subjective and depends on the size and shape of the dish you will be baking in, mine measured 4 inches by 12 inches.




I had made ten lasagna noodles and two fist fulls of fettuccine noodles. I didn't have a pasta rack, so I spread the noodles out on all of my cooling racks, this work well, however, the noodles dried with a slight curve in the ends where they were too long for the racks and hung over the edges. After drying the pasta for three hours, it was time to make the lasagna. At this point, Ava needed more attention, so she helped mommy brown the 93% lean ground beef. I honestly can't remember the last time I bought the canned spaghetti sauce, I have been making my own for quite some time. Ava, of course, helped with that too. While the sauce simmered, Ava picked out a movie she wanted to watch. After a long discussion on how that movie is not appropriate for a girl her age, we boiled the pasta. It took only about three minutes to cook. We then drained it and assembled the lasagna and baked it on 350* for about 35 minutes, give or take.






With the fettuccine noodles in the freezer, we made eight nights worth of dinners, and a lunch or two in one afternoon. This was a very realistic task and I strongly urge mothers everywhere to make your own pasta, even if you do it only once it's well worth it. The pasta has such a rich texture and taste to it, which you cannot find in any store bought pastas. In attempts to eliminate an excuse as to why you can't make your own pasta, here is the recipe I used:

2 1/3 C. Flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 tsp. Salt
2 Beaten Eggs
1/3 C. Water
1 tsp. Olive Oil

Start with the flour and salt in your mixing bowl and make a well in the center. In a smaller bowl combine eggs, water and oil. When fully combined, add to center well in flour mixture. Stir until all combined. Knead, separate dough in half or quarters and put through the machine to desired thickness, cut into desired shape. Dry minimum one hour.

Buona Fortuna!