ISO (in search of) a recipe to make my own pasta

[cookie1]

I hope it works for you Brazen. I haven't made my own pasta for about 5 years. Since we shifted houses. I have no-where in this house that I can anchor the pasta machine. I may have to get DH to cut me a pasta making board.

[faffa_70]

We have to open out our extending table enough to put a big chopping board that DS1 made me on the table and anchor the pasta machine to that  works though and my lot are now addicted to fresh pasta - yay 

[cookie1]

Sounds like a good idea Kathryn. I don't have a table or cupboard edge I could anchor it too.

[bluesed]

I make homemade pasta for my restaurant and i use the TM.

Here is what i do to get pasta for 1 person( aprox 155g)

100g flour (the cheapest works fine so no need to use 00)
1 egg
a pinch of salt

water/flour to adjust the dough

Put the flour,egg and salt in the TM and blend at medium speed reverse direction(the speed numbers is not visible on my TM anymore).

The dough should be looking grained and similar to cous cous. (add water or flour to adjust the result)

Take the dough out and shape it to a ball and let it rest for 30-120 min in the fridge.

Now the dough is ready to roll through the pasta machine.

Set on level 1 and roll the dough through.
Fold the dough on middle and repeat this process(10-15 times) untill the dough gets rubber like which means that you now have made very long gluten strings in the pasta and it will not break easily and be very flexible.

Continue to roll the dough through the pasta machine untill you reach your desired level. I use 9 for papardelli and 8 for lasagna and for stuffed pasta like ravioli i prefer 7 so the paste dosnt melt through.

Cook pasta in soft boiling water with a bit of salt (I use the common ration of salt/pasta/water which is 10g salt 100g pasta 1000 g water).

Cook until tender.

A nice way to serve is with fresh sliced tomato, fresh sliced onions, a bit of fresh sliced garlic and fresh chopped Sage. Just pour the fresh pasta over the very very thin sliced vegetables and add a bit of olive oil and flavour with fresh grinded pepper and salt.

[Deeau]

Bluesed, Do you use something to stop the pasta sticking together before you cook it ?

[judydawn]

Wow, I can't believe you have worn your speed numbers off    How much use does a machine have to have for that to happen 

[cookie1]

Thanks for that bluesed. I really must get to making my own pasta again. It is so nice.

[CreamPuff63]

thank you bluesed. everyone in our family loves their mama more when she (I) makes fresh pasta. i think i could also love them a little more if they helped clean up the big mess i make. in a restaurant, do you have lots of little one person pasta serves resting in the fridge - or do you have one big dough ball that you take off roughly 155g when/as you need it? how long would dough last in the fridge?

[Cornish Cream]

Wow, I can't believe you have worn your speed numbers off   How much use does a machine have to have for that to happen 

It's nothing to do with use jd but excessive cleaning when wiping the machine down, well that is what I heard when at UK Thermomix one day when we were using a machine with the same problem.

[judydawn]

Mine gets cleaned lovingly plenty of times but if the numbers were to start to fade I would have to write them in with a texta or something 

[cookie1]

Perhaps they rub too hard. I'm gentle with Termite.

[Cornish Cream]

Perhaps they rub too hard. I'm gentle with Termite.

I think you hit the nail on the head Cookie.I think in a commercial kitchen they are more vigilant with their cleaning.Not like that in this house!

[bluesed]

To make the pasta not stick together just pour over lots of flour dont worry about the look of it as all goes out when you boil it.

 I scale of 155g rations and put them in freezer bags and put them in the freezer. I think they can last up till a month but i never have it that long.

For those of you who is considderring to make pasta but dont have the machine yet make yourself a favour and buy a model that can be attached with an engine!

Lots of models has the posibilty of attaching a seperate engine so you dont need the handle and either the table attachment which btw never fits in the kitchen!
 Engines can be purchased from ebay and other online shops and cost around 50-100$. Those money spend on an engine and a pasta machine is earned back very fast(depending on how much pasta you eat) but it really taste so much better then dried pasta.

Also most of the "fresh pasta" you can buy in shops are not very good quality and has lack of flavour and texture. Also the cheap brands are made with a teflon press which make the surface of  the pasta very smooth which is bad because then the sauce will not stick to the pasta.

I prefer good dried pasta compared to the "fresh pastas" you can buy but homemade pasta tastes so much better that you will never eat anything else after you have tried.

Ohh and i forget by making your own pasta you can add lots of nice colors and flavours to make it taste even better. Try with, spinach, sundried tomatoes, squid ink, garlic powder, fresh herbs like basilic, parsille.