Salad Days

This morning I made my own pasta. I had a recipe for making pasta but I had lost it and looked on line for a recipe a few months ago.  The pasta was dry and took forever. Then last week my old recipe turned up.  It is so easy to make in a stand mixer.  Then I used my Atlas pasta machine to roll out the dough. 

Pasta Flavors

 I flavored the dough with powdered cheddar and Berber spice from my last trip to Surfas (a food supply source in Culver City).  They can also be ordered on line at surfasonline.com. Berber spice is a combination of North African spices (paprika, coriander, chilies, and cinnamon).  It has a rich, deep orange/brown color.  I have also made spinach pasta from a powdered flavor purchased from Surfas.  

Basic Homemade Pasta

1 cup semolina

1 cup all-purpose flour (with flavor added)*

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

Measure the semolina into the bowl of your stand mixer. *Place 1 or 2 tablespoons of the flavoring into your 1-cup measuring cup adding the all-purpose flour and leveling off.  Add to the mixing bowl along with the salt.  Add eggs, one at a time and mix on low speed until incorporated.  Continue to mix on medium speed for 4 minutes or until dough is smooth.  

Remove dough from bowl and knead on a lightly floured board until dough is no longer sticky.  Divide dough in 4 parts.

Pasta machine with Spinach leaves

Starting with the widest opening of the pasta machine (# 7 setting), extrude the dough.  Each time the dough is extruded, change the setting until dough reached desired thickness.  At this point attach the noodle maker to the machine and cut desired length.  Alternately you may choose to leave the dough on the board and cut with a small hors d'oeuvre cutter.

Italian Pasta Salad

1/2 pound pasta (use flavored pasta for color and flavor)

1 16-ounce can cannellini beans (drained)

2 tomatoes, washed and drained

1/2 cup Pesto Sauce (recipe follows)

Basil leaves to taste
Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil adding salt and olive oil to the water.  Add pasta and boil 3-4 minutes until al-dente.
Drain.  Transfer to serving dish.
  

Italian Pasta Salad

Place drained cannellini beans over the center of the pasta leaving a 2-3 inch border.

Add cut tomatoes in a ring shape around the beans. Pour Pesto sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and add a few cut basil leaves for garnish.

Pesto Sauce

2 cloves (or more) garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon basil leaves, rinsed

1/2 cup olive oil

Mince garlic on food processor.  Add other ingredients until smooth.  Pour Pesto Sauce over all and refrigerate until ready to serve.  Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top and garnish with basil leaves.