There is nothing quite like fresh, home-made pasta. Sure, you can dish out $18 for the fancy dried stuff down at the deli, or $5 for the fresh packet stuff at the supermarket - but $6 and a few hours will give you something infinitely superior to both.
To give the pasta itself a little bit of flavour, I added mashed pumpkin - it lends a very delicate sweetness to it - and teamed it up with a classic sour cream and chive sauce. Add a side of salad and its a delicious, well balanced meal.
Firstly, get half a butternut pumpkin, peel and de-seed and cut into smallish pieces. Boil it and mash it and set it aside to cool.
Whilst thats going on, measure out your "00" flour. It is 100g flour for every egg, but as we are using mashed pumpkin the ratio will differ. I used a kilo of flour and 4 eggs.
If you have a large working surface you can sift the flour onto the surface, make a well in the centre, add the mashed pumpkin and eggs. If you don't have a large work surface, just use a big mixing bowl!
Use a fork to whisk the eggs and pumpkin together then use the fork to slowly start bringing the flour into the egg mixture. Do this until the egg mixture is combining with the flour then get your hands into it - start combing the remaining flour into the tacky doughy bits until it starts to look like big chunky breadcrumbs. Give it a few big folds and kneads and punches.
Now comes the fun part - you are going to make your ugly dough into smooth silky dough by kneading it for 15 - 20 minutes!
Such a beautiful transformation!
Now wrap it up really well in glad wrap - making sure no dough is left uncovered, and put it in the fridge to settle for at least 30 minutes, longer is better, but 30 minutes is enough.
By this time your dog will be giving you the evil eye, so use this opportunity to walk to the shops and get some more "00" flour (if you dont have any spare!), walk the dog and get a coffee!
OK - so about an hour later you should have come back from your walk, and can crack open the wine you will be using in the sauce for a drink
MMMMMM- Arrogant Frog!
You can use any white wine in the sauce, as long as it is not too sweet. Make sure it is one that you are willing to drink though, as you only need about 3/4 glass for the sauce. The rest is for you - you deserve it!
Get your pasta machine out, use a big long work surface (like the dining table) and flour it. Get the dough out of the fridge and cut a small chunk of it off - about the size of your fist. Press it flat and liberally flour both sides.
Put your pasta machine at its widest setting and pass the dough through, then fold it in half and do it again, then fold it lengthways and do it again, then fold it in half... You get the drill. Do the folding and rolling on the widest setting about 7 - 8 times - this kneads the dough really well and makes the pasta nice and silky! Now put the machine on its next setting and repeat - about 4 times. Make sure you keep the sides of the dough well floured - if the dough is sticky at any time, just rub flour on it before rolling it through again.
You can now feed the dough through the machine, rolling it through each of the thickness settings until you get to the thinnest ones (6 to 8), making sure it is well floured on both sides. Roll it out as thin as you like then use the spaghetti or fettucini cutters to make your pasta! Allow the pasta to dry for about 30 minutes before cooking. Use a big pot with olive oil and salted water on a rolling boil. Fresh pasta only takes a few minutes to cook ( 3- 5 minutes) so make sure to keep an eye on it. Drain when ready.
Picture me rollin' ;)
The finished product - delicious pumpkin fettucini!
The best bit is - you can dry any extra that you make to cook up later! Just make sure it is well floured and hang it up somewhere warm and dry. Put it in an airtight bag or container once it is dry.
All super fun!
Now for sauce!
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2tbs olive oil
1/2 tbs flour
1 tin light evaporated milk
300gm light sour cream
3/4 cup white wine
1 bunch snipped chives
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water (if needed)
Brown the garlic in the oil - do not let it burn but do let it caramelise a little bit. Add the flour and mix well (this will make it thick). Add your evaporated milk and sour cream, Mix well. Add the wine, sage, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Stir frequently until starting to thicken, then add the chives. Simmer until thickened (add water, a little at a time if too thick) then mix it into your drained fresh pasta.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan and a nice side salad.
