Cravings of a Lunatic

I Crave It, I Make It, I Eat It!

The Daring Cooks’ July, 2011 Challenge: My Noodle Hands- Pappardelle

By 35 Comments

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks’ July hostess.  Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine.  She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!

So this is being posted really, really late. I blame the edema and the heat. The thought of heating up my kitchen right now just did not appeal to me. I knew I had to do it though and we had some rain yesterday so I thought it would be good to take advantage of the slight drop in temperature. I am glad I did this. Although mid project I wanted to hunt this Steph girl down and ask “why”. I stuck with it and was still getting no where. So after struggling with trying to make ravioli from scratch first, I gave up and pulled out my pasta roller. Sorry folks but I did try.I have never tried to make pasta from scratch before. I have also never used my pasta roller. My sis had sent hers to me in a huge act of kindness but with the heat pasta just hasn’t been on the menu these days. Once I pulled that out and shifted gears so to speak I did great. Now I have a better understanding of how to make it, what to do and not do and to make sure I set aside a huge chunk of time to do it. I will be doing it again for certain as I like the taste of fresh pasta better but hate paying such ridiculous prices for it. So now that I know I can, I will. So thanks to the Daring Kitchen and Steph for opening my eyes to something new and wonderful. I apologize for it’s lateness but I was a good girl and contacted the Daring Kitchen to let them know I was behind the 8 ball. You’d think this being my first challenge that I would have been on time, early even. I blame edema, and the heat, and anything else I can think of. 

 
So here it is. The Lunatic’s adventures into pasta making. Hope you enjoy it.
 
Recipe for the Pappardelle Pasta Dough:
 
3 and 3/4 cups of flour
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon basil infused olive oil
1 tablespoon basil paste
Salt
 
Directions for the Pappardelle Pasta Dough:
 
Place your flour in a mound on your counter.
 
Make a well in the middle.
 
Add your eggs, oil, salt and paste into the middle.
 
Beat eggs with a fork and make sure nothing seeps out.
 
Start pulling in the flour towards the well with your hands and start forming a small ball.
 
Start kneading with the palm of your hand.
 
You should be able to form a large ball. 
 
Let rest covered for 30 minutes.
 
Roll out by hand or use a machine.
 
I used the flat attachment and made long sheets then cut them with a pastry wheel into pappardelle. Basically I made almost a lasagna sheet then cut it into 1 to 2 inch ribbons. Most people use straight wheels but I thought it would fun  to make it fancier. 
 
So this how it went down:
  
Recipe for Simple Sauce:
 
Ingredients:
 
1 pound hamburger
2 can Italian peeled tomatoes, blended
2 tablespoons sugar
Basil to taste
Oregano to taste
Chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
10 Pearl onions, peeled but left big
1/2 white onion, cut into strips
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
 
Directions:
 
Brown your hamburger in a pan over medium heat.
 
In a separate pan cook onions in olive oil and caramelize them. Start on medium heat until they start to cook then lower to medium low and continue to stir them until they go golden. I have a gas stove top and find it takes about 20- ish minutes.
 
While everything is cooking, pop your tomatoes in a blender or food processor and pulse them. This will speed up your cooking so you don’t have to wait for them to break down. I don’t usually do this but spent so much time doing the dough I had no choice.
 
Once hamburger is brown and juices run clear, add tomato, sugar and spices. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, then reduce to a simmer.
 
Once your onions are done, add them into the sauce and simmer until you are ready to serve. It can simmer for 30 minutes of 2 hours. Whatever works for you.
 
Once you have both your pasta and sauce ready mix it together and bottoms up people. Fresh pasta rocks, once you eat fresh you will never want anything else. 
 
Yup, not too bad for a first go at home made noodles. Only took about 2 and a half hours to figure it out. And about the same amount of time to clean up the kitchen after I demolished it in the process of this remarkable meal. Lol!
 
As ever, toodles and smoochies. xx
Photos missing due to a G+ incident. They will be replace soon. 

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Comments

  1. Tori @ The Shiksa in the Kitchen says

    I love making noodles from scratch! My mom and I have "noodle parties" where we make our family recipe for egg noodles together. It's so much fun!

    Reply

  2. Sandy @ EverydaySouthwest.com says

    Wow! What a yummy, homey, dish. I can't believe how well your pasta came out. You've inspired me!

    Reply

  3. Kim Bee says

    @ Tori- I need to perfect my technique a bit. I also did not like this dough recipe. I need to find another one. You are so lucky to get to cook with your Mom. Enjoy every minute of it.

    @ Sandy- Thank you. I was about to give up but I just kept at it. The original plan was ravioli but I just could not get it together. I will try again though. Glad to inspire someone. I think this is something that is hard the first time then a breeze once you figure it out.

    Reply

  4. renkath says

    LOL! You are braver than I am. I am just tiptoeing around the kitchen now… I will be back for more inspiration – though I can say I will not begin with homemade pasta!! Hats off to you, Kim.

    Reply

  5. Cassie @ Bake Your Day says

    I love homemade pasta and yours sounds great with the added herbs. I love playing with my food! 🙂

    Reply

  8. Kim Bee says

    Renkath- Thanks. For my first daring cook challenge it sure was a doozy. I enjoyed it though. Glad I didn't give up.

    Cassie- Thanks. I was worried after the look of that paste. But I pushed through.lol

    AMy- Thanks, it was so hard. Took me awhile to figure it out.

    Pierce- Same here, I kept eyeing beautiful pasta recipes but was too scared. This group is a riot, pulls you out of your comfort zone to try things you normally wouldn't. So fun!

    Reply

  9. Ann says

    Kim – this looks delicious! I love homemade pasta! Don't you just LOVE the herbs in a tube? They finally figured out how to make them so they taste like they should!

    ….and you're right – you DO need a rack! :o)

    Reply

  10. Culinary Hill says

    I can't wait to try this! I always order something like this at a local Italian restaurant made with Italian sausage instead of beef. I'd love to be able to make even just the pasta from scratch. It's something I've always wanted to try!

    Reply

  12. Kels says

    Kim! This dish looks delicious. Great first try on making fresh pasta. I need to get up the courage to try it soon. You've inspired me!

    Reply

  14. Happy When Not Hungry says

    This looks delicious! I've never tried making homemade pappardelle, but I should def try. Nice job!

    Reply

  15. Dee at Deelicious Sweets says

    Wow! Not sure I want to make homemade pasta after seeing this! LOL! I have a Tyler Florence cookbook and he hangs it on his oven handle! Not even Tyler has a rack 🙂

    Reply

  16. Kim Bee says

    Lol Dee. That paste was a bit over the top. That's a great idea about hanging it on the door, except with stainless it would be a *b* to clean. rofl! Good to know the pros don't even have all the toys.

    Reply

  17. Kim Bee says

    Ann- Thanks. I had never seen these tubes till hubs brought some home. Now I love them. I know right? Must hit a chef store one day. I need so much stuff. Lol!

    Culinary Hill- Now that I've done it I will do it all the time. So cool. Just don't get discouraged if it takes a bit to figure out your mojo.

    Jennifer- Thanks and thanks. xx

    Kels- Thanks so much. I was terrified but did it anyway. You have to try. I think I am hooked now. Just need to do some more research on proper technique.

    Kelly- Thanks. You are rocking food buzz girl! Well done!

    Happy When Not Hungry- Thank you. You should for sure try. It is time consuming the first time but I think it's like pie crust. Once you figure out the feel of it you're golden!

    Reply

  18. Chic & Gorgeous Treats says

    Kim Bee: Oh yummmmmmmmmmmmm… I've tried once to make pasta from scratch when I way younger. The result.. it didn't turn out and I made a mess in the kitchen. LOLs.. This recipe is so tempting and I really can't resist from trying this out. Thanks for stopping by and buzzing me in my blog. xoxo.. Jo

    Reply

  19. Kim Bee says

    I loved trying this. I am determined to try again and make ravioli this time as I had planned. You are so welcome. I just popped by that cake again. I can't stop looking at it. I cannot pipe worth a darn. I need to take some classes.

    Reply

  20. Amy J. and Tiffanie A. says

    You are so talented! I could never make my own pasta… well maybe not never I just never tried it! Thanks for the step by step instructions. THis looks amazing!

    Reply

  22. The Culinary Lens says

    I am always tempted to buy a pasta machine but really need to realize you can make some truly delicious pastas by hand. This looks great.

    Reply

  23. Kim Bee says

    Amy and Tiffanie- Aw, thanks that is so sweet of you. It's a ton of fun once you get past the initial horror. lol

    Ari- Thanks. It was so good. I now want to do it again.

    The Culinary Lens- I always held off thinking it would be too hard to do. Then my lovely sister sent me hers to try. She has the same mixer as me so she sent me 2 of her attachments. I still think a hand crank would be fun to have. But the attachments of the kitchenaid mixers are the bomb.

    Reply

  25. Atlanta says

    Wow, this looks amazing! I don't know if I could make pasta, the idea just scares me! I just scanned over some of your past posts and man oh man you have made some really good looking ice cream too! Now I want ice cream, great. I have none in my house! Ha!

    I am visiting from VB.
    Mandy
    http://atlantamilitarymom.com

    Reply

  26. Kim Bee says

    Lizzy- Thanks. I love to have fun. I need a rack badly. Lol!

    Mandy- Lol, you must go out and get some ice cream. Or buy an ice cream maker. So easy to use. Thanks for coming by.

    Reply

  31. Kim Bee says

    Tor-Thank you so much. It was fun, not at first but eventually. Lol!

    Just for Cooking- Thanks. You should try it. I was terrified and thought I'd give up but so glad I didn't. You will see more fresh pasta recipes from me. It just tastes so much better.

    Reply

  32. [email protected] says

    Holy cow Kim! I am so impressed! You did a wonderful job with that pappardelle (one of my favorite types of pasta). I'm starting a collection now…to get you that pasta rack! (Though I love how you have improvised!) Fantastic!! : )

    Reply

  33. foodinnewengland says

    Nice job with the pasta.. looks extremely messy.. but great job anyway! I can't wait to see the raviolli. I do make fresh pasta, a friend gave me a very simple recipe for egg noodles.. did someone say ice cream?

    Reply

  35. Kim Bee says

    Anne- Thank you so much. Oh well thank the heavens cuz I really need a rack. rofl

    fooinnewengland- Oh man, my kitchen was trashed. I tried to edit some of it out but it was hopeless. So worth it in the end but I was close to tears at one point. Always ice cream on the menu these days.

    Sandra- It was scary. But I muddled through and learned something new. Now to do it with pink pasta next time.lol

    Reply

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