tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7775578015970437200.post-4732662614188156512008-01-23T10:50:00.000+08:002008-01-23T11:17:41.861+08:00<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2334/2186993892_681cc742dd.jpg" width="500" height="375" /></center><br /><br />Yet another adventure in the kitchen! It all started out with my sister wanting pasta for lunch. I checked the pantry, and surprise surprise, there wasn't any dried pasta left! Since it was a fantastically boring day, I thought to myself, "Why not make your own pasta?". I mean, I've seen old italian women doing it on the television. Heck, even Jamie Oliver does it, so why not?<br /><br />Making pasta is pretty simple and consists of only a few major ingredients. Because so few ingredients are used, it's best to use top quality olive oil etc. I made a really small batch since my sister is on her "40 lbs must go!" diet.<br /><br />To make things worst, I didn't even have any tinned tomatoes or a sufficient amount of roma tomatoes to make a good sauce. That's when the thought of Aglio Olio came to my mind. "But I hate Aglio Olio!" my sister proclaimed. "Shut up." I said.<br /><br />I managed to find a yellow bell pepper, some Parmigiano-Reggiano, ONE roma tomato and a white onion. "I guess this will have to do!"<br /><br />In the end I made a dish which was based on Aglio Olio, with a couple of other things added in just for some extra oomph. I tried my best to roll the pasta dough as thin as possible since I don't have a pasta machine. I'm sure a pasta machine would have done a much better job, though. Do try it out sometime soon!<br /><br /><center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2024/2186993894_a31eafaa64.jpg" width="500" height="384" /></center><br /><br /><strong>Homemade Pasta Dough</strong><br /><strong>Serves 4</strong><br /><br />- 1 egg<br />- 1 tablespoon of cold water<br />- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil<br />- 1/2 tsp salt<br />- 1 - 2 cups flour<br /><br />Combine the first 4 ingredients and whisk together with a fork. Add a 1/2 cup of flour and mix it in with the fork until all lumps are gone.<br /><br />Keep adding flour bit by bit until a non-sticky ball is formed. You will use between 1 &amp; 1-1/4 cups of flour, depending on the humidity of your kitchen.<br /><br />Knead the ball of dough well for about 10 minutes. Dust the final lump of dough with a light coating of flour and allow it to sit for 30 minutes.<br /><br />Cut off billiard ball-sized pieces and roll them out flat (about 1/4 inch thick) on a well-floured board. Cut the pasta into whatever shape or width you require.<br /><br />Stretch out pasta and let it dry (either hanging or on a plate) for a few minutes or up to an hour.<br />Cook in a pot of boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes or until the pasta floats to the top.<br /><br /><strong>Pasta Sauce:</strong><br /><br />- 1/2 yellow bell pepper, diced<br />- 1 medium roma tomato, diced<br />- 1 small white onion, diced<br />- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced<br />- 2 tbsp olive oil<br />- 1 tsp red pepper flakes<br />- 2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano<br />- Salt/Black pepper to taste<br /><br />Heat olive oil in a pan and add onions. Sautee till limp and then add in your minced garlic. Toss well.<br /><br />Add your diced bell peppers and sautee for about a minute or so. Add tomatoes, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Mix well until tomatoes are heated through.<br /><br />Add your cooked pasta in and toss well. Add a little of the water the pasta was boiled in if the dish seems a little dry.<br /><br />Finally, add in your grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Dish and top off with some dried parsley.Amritahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13918731073096498509noreply@blogger.com