* * * * *
There was a large boom just outside the window … I suppose this means that
2008 finally went out with a bang. Or is that 2009 came in with a bang? In
any case, there was much banging
Happy New Year!
It was quiet here at Chez Boca (notwithstanding the aforementioned banging
outside the window). Bunny and I spent the evening making fresh ravioli
(using the pasta machine she received as a gift) and then watching “Hancock
[1]” (an enjoyable flick and a rather refreshing take on the superhero
genre).
The pasta was easy but a bit tedious and messy. The recipe for the pasta is
easy enough—100g of flour (about ½ cup for the metrically challenged) and one
egg per person, then mixed and kneaded into a dough (we did enough pasta for
four people, and did the mixing in a food processor—total time, maybe 30
seconds). Then just feed the dough through the pasta machine, a few times on
the widest setting, then start cranking it down to make it thinner.
[Warning: it can get really long] [2]
This, by far, was the longest step in the process, mostly because this was
the first time either one of us has ever made fresh pasta. The recipe we were
following came from Jamie Oliver [3] and on his show (Jamie At Home) [4] he
had the pasta made and cut in like two minutes flat.
But he's a professional—we're not. So it took a bit longer—say, twenty-two
minutes (getting used to fresh pasta dough, the pasta machine, etc).
Once that was done, we used a ravioli cutter that Bunny had—a two piece
affair. You lay a strip of pasta over the lower section:
[Even though the dough isn't that sticky, it's still advisable to dust
everything with flour] [5]
Then you press this dimpled shaped upper section into the dough, which forms
the depressions, which you then spoon the filling into (in this case, it's
fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and some tomato sauce).
[Now it's ready for the filling] [6]
[Fill 'er up!] [7]
Brush some water around the edges (to act as a kind of glue), drape another
piece of pasta, and use a roller to seal and cut the raviolis. Then pop them
out of the frame, and cook for five minutes in boiling water.
[I think an egg wash would work here as well …] [8]
[Voila! Ravioli!] [9]
[Pasta! Pasta! Eat them up! Yum!] [10]
I personally was curious about the cutting attachment, so with the scraps of
pasta, I made some spaghetti.
[Ooooh … fresh spaghetti] [11]
[I think each strand was like 3′ in length] [12]
I'm sure with practice, it'll go quicker.
And not quite as messy.
Hmm … if I'm not careful, this might turn into a cooking blog [not that
there's anything wrong with that! —Editor].
[1]
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448157/
[2]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/cranking.jpg
[3]
http://www.jamieoliver.com/about
[4]
http://www.jamieoliver.com/tv/jamie-at-home-tv
[5]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/overlay.jpg
[6]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/dimples.jpg
[7]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/filling.jpg
[8]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/glueing.jpg
[9]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/pulling.jpg
[10]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/cooking.jpg
[11]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/cutting.jpg
[12]
gopher://gopher.conman.org/IPhlog:2009/01/01/spaghetti.jpg
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