Here is my ten-year old pasta maker. Is it the most terrifying thing that you have ever seen? Does the thought of using it send chills up your spine? Or at the very least, does it bring visions to mind, of a messy kitchen? With a sink overflowing with dishes, sticky, flour-covered countertops, and hours of effort? I have only used this a handful of times, (and full disclosure here – not for many years) because I always associated it with too much trouble to be worth it. But I am here to admit the error of my ways, and tell you that I was so very, very wrong. It was not nearly as difficult as I remembered! Fresh pasta is delightful, delicious, and delovely! It is absolutely worth the minimal time and effort that it takes to make it!

The recipe I used was as basic as you can get. Two cups of all-purpose flour, three eggs, and a few teaspoons of water. That’s it! There really isn’t any need for a recipe to write down. If you have a food processor, this recipe takes literally thirty seconds to put together. If you don’t, it will take five minutes, but it’s still very easy! Just put the flour in a bowl, or your food processor, and mix it for a few second to aerate it. Beat the eggs, and add to the flour. If you are doing it by hand, mix the eggs and flour until a ball forms. If it is crumbly, add water, 1/2 a teaspoon at a time, until  they fully incorporate. If you are doing it in a food processor, it only takes thirty seconds to one minute for the eggs and four to form the dough. Again, use water sparingly, if necessary.

Turn the dough out onto a flat surface, and knead a few times until it is smooth. Then wrap it and allow it rest for fifteen minutes or so, before you put it into the pasta maker.

Cut a small section of the dough (about 1/5 or 1/6 of it, and press it out into a small disc shape. Make sure that the pasta roller is on the first setting, and gently begin feeding it into the pasta machine. Now, before we get too much further, pasta machines come in many different varieties. Electric, manual, attachments for stand mixers, there are choices galore, ranging in price from $30 – $200, depending on what options you want. I bought a very basic manual model, that makes a few different kinds of pasta, and doesn’t really offer many frills and extras. It gets the job done, though, quickly, neatly, and efficiently. That makes it A-OK in my book!

So essentially, you are just rolling the pasta through the machine, over and over again, until you reach the desired length, and thickness that your recipe calls for. If you want a heartier noodle, like a fettuccine, you can roll it through the first stage, which flattens and lengthens the noodles, just a few times, then put it through the second stage, which cuts the noodles into strips.

My version clamps to a tabletop, or other flat surface, for stability. It uses a crank to operate the rollers, and requires almost no effort to make the pasta.

Every time you put it through the machine, you set a little dial that is on the side, to the next notch, which makes the rollers squeeze closer together, allowing the pasta to strech more. When the strips of pasta reach their appropriate level of thinness, (I was making ravioli with most of the pasta, so I wanted them stretched to the point of translucence.) stretch them across a clean kitchen towel, and then cover with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out.

Now the one thing that really surprised me about this whole procedure, was that my kids became wildly curious about what we were doing. Shamefully, I hadn’t involved them, because I didn’t realize they would enjoy it. I make dinner seven nights a week, (making the occasional exception for family movie night pizza, etc.) and usually the kids are nowhere to be found until dinner hits the table. Then of course, they descend upon the kitchen like a horde of locusts, devouring everything in their path.

They took an interest this time, though, and were soon fully immersed in carefully rolling out pasta like absolute professionals. I credit their years of Play-Doh training for their expertise!

They decided they wanted to make plain spaghetti instead of the ravioli, so they took turns feeding the pasta through the roller, holding it carefully, and making sure it didn’t twist or fold. While they worked, I put water on to boil to cook their pasta. By the way, once the pasta was cooked, the kids inhaled it, and proclaimed it the best pasta they had ever eaten.

So, one thing to keep in mind when you are cooking fresh pasta. It doesn’t need to cook nearly as long as dried pasta from a package, so set your timers, accordingly. My rule of thumb is to put fresh pasta in boiling water, for three minutes, and then start testing it  to see if it is done. Some pastas might take a little longer, if they are thicker, but none of them will need the 10-12 minutes that regular pasta takes!

So, you are probably wondering what is inside this lovely plate of ravioli, waiting to be cooked and find its way to my plate, yes? Well, let me tell you; it is seasonal, it is delicious, and it is roasted butternut squash ravioli. And we are going to show you exactly how to make the incredible filling, and an amazing brown butter and sage sauce to top it with. But that is for another time! Meanwhile, if you want to try and make your own pasta, I can personally attest to the results. So, give it a shot. I don’t think you will be disappointed with the results!

P.S. You’re welcome!