My very first Homemade Pasta

Pasta especially Italian ones are pretty expensive here. Half a Kg costs over Rs.130.

So tried my hand at home made pasta on this lazy sunday morning and it was delicious !

Here's how you do it.

You can make pasta from any flour. Atta ( Wheat flour), Maida ( Refined wheat flour) or just about any flour.

Make a mound of flour, make a well in centre, crack eggs ( or warm water and salt) into the centre and slowly mix them . When the dough is ready, keep covered with a bowl for half an hour, roll it into thin sheets and cut into desired shapes.

Let the water boil with a pinch of salt, drop the pasta into it. Fresh pasta coks in a minute. Drain it out and use it with your favorite sauce/veggies.

Here are some interesting shapes and fillings you can try..

Lasagne
Cut large squares. Half cook in boiling water, layer in a baking dish with a meat or vegetable sauce and white sauce, and bake to finish cooking.

Ravioli
Cut into long strips wide enough to be folded over . Place a little filling at regular intervals in a row along the top of the pasta strip; there must be enough space between them to fold the edges of the ravioli. Fold over the bottom strip, press down between each filling, then separate each raviolo by cutting with a pastry cutter. Press down on the edges with your fingers to close them well. Boil and remove with a skimmer, serve with butter or other sauce.

Tortelloni
Cut out disks with a glass or pastry shape. Place a little filling on one disk then place another on top and press down on the edges with your fingers to close them well. Boil and remove with a skimmer, serve with butter or other sauce.

Tortellini
Cut out 1 in. squares. Place a little filling in the middle of each and fold the pasta over diagonally to form triangles. Press down on the edges to stop the filling coming out during the cooking. Fold the two tips around the index finger and press them together with your thumb.

Tagliolini, tagliatelle, papardelle
Let the pasta dry a little. Roll it from the outside towards the middle to form two parrallel rolls. Cut the roll crosswise into strips whose thickness will determine whether they are tagliolini, tagliatelle or papardelle. Slip a long knife under the middle and lift up the strips so that they unravel. Lay them out to dry before cooking. This pasta absorbs the sauce wonderfully.

Maltagliati
Form a loose roll with the pasta sheet. With a sharp knife cut first diagonally and then horizontally, alternating. When you unravel the pasta it will form irregular rectangles. Often used for "pasta e faggioli" or with "minestrone".

Stuffings for Pasta
Stuffings for pasta can be either meat, vegetable, or fish-based, and can include a creamy cheese such as ricotta. Just make a kind of 'poriyal' fill up the pasta shape and boil the whole thing. Be creative. You can use just plain shredded vegetables or spiced up stuff or pure cheese or any other stuff you love. Go ahead and experiment !