…and boy is it worth it! My aunt gave me this hand-cranked pasta maker called the “Pasta Queen” about a hundred years ago and I believe I used it once when I was like 25 and then put it away for good, intimidated by my first experience with it.
The Pasta Queen:
I have been meaning to bring it back out again and being Easter, I decided this was the right day to take on such a labor-intensive activity. I enlisted my 5-year old and my 3-year old to help and the results were priceless. If you are a baker, this is something you should try because it is not that difficult. But let me warn you-we got pretty messy!
I used Mario Batali’s recipe for fresh pasta, which seems to be the same one I found everywhere. You take 3 1/2 cups of white flour and dump it on a floured table and make a well in the center with your fingertips (5-year old’s job). Then you crack 4 eggs into the well (enter 3-year old) and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil in there too. You gently mix up the eggs and the oil with a fork. Then you knead the whole thing together with your hands, just like you would bread.
You knead for 5-6 minutes, then wrap it in plastic wrap or a towel and let it sit for 30 minutes. Once it has rested, you cut it into pieces and start putting them through the thickest setting in the “Queen.” Then you run the same piece through a thinner setting, then again until it is the thin/thickness you desire.
Above you see my 3-year old putting the dough into the machine. After you get the dough pieces thin enough, you move the crank down to either the spaghetti or the fettucini setting (that’s all I have on my machine but I know you can get all kinds of settings). You then stick the thin dough through and crank out your pasta. See below.
Next, we take a brief pause so my son can pretend he is Louis Prima as we dance around to Buona Sera in the kitchen.
Finally, we dump our pasta into boiling, salted water, and cook for like 2 minutes. While it cooks, we saute a little garlic with breadcrumbs and fresh parsley and red pepper. When the pasta is done, we toss it with the breadcrumb mixture and add some grated Pecorino Romano cheese on top and enjoy!
For variety, we grated some lemon zest into one of the balls of pasta to see if that would give it a nice essence. Of course we had leftover sheets of fresh pasta, so we sprinkled some semolina flour on the sheets (you could use regular flour or cornmeal but without something, it will stick) and wrapped them in wax paper and stuck them inside a plastic bag and into the freezer.
The kids had fun, we made a mess and boy was this the best pasta I ever had!
March 23rd, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Hi,
What darling pix of the kids. I remember making dough recipes with my older kids during the ’60’s. Today they brought over their kids and we made bupa c’luova and decorated them. Then they take them home as a reminder of a nice Easter.
This is a “doll” made of sweet roll dough, folded with a egg as it’s ‘head”
March 24th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
This sounds so great. I haven’t made home made pasta in years. Our grand kids love to cook so this might be something to try with them.
Thanks for the reminder,
Donna (mommombarr)
March 24th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
What time will your show be on ,on April 7,2008?Days of our Lives will start in your time slot.I am in Houston,Tx and I watch and or record your show every day.I hope to hear from you soon.
March 24th, 2008 at 10:16 pm
Can you use these same amount of ingredients in a pasta maker?
March 24th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
I have an electric pasta maker and I lost the recipe for pasta….help!!
March 25th, 2008 at 8:39 am
I need help… I have a project i have to do for a class I am taking. I have to make a food in front of my peers and I don’t know what to make.
March 25th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Yes, Gwen you can use the same ingredients
March 27th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Folks, Hear me out,fresh home made pasta is truly better than just about anything you have ever eaten. Cooks so fast, you won’t believe it’s done. Especially good when you are going to have a dinner party. Add several different things in the basic dough. Such as different color peppers. Don’t ignore this. Home made pasta really is a treat.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:14 pm
I AM 26 YEARS OLD AND I REMEMBER MAKING PASTA WITH MY DAD WHEN I WAS A LITTLE GIRL.ITS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MEMORIES ABOUT BEING LITTLE.I HAVE NO CHILDREN BUT I BET IF YOU MADE PASTA WITH YOUR KIDS,THAT SOME THING THEY WOULD ALWAYS REMEMBER.FOR A KID ITS A BLAST.!!! I WONDER IF MY DAD STILL HAS THAT OLD PASTA MAKER.
March 29th, 2008 at 4:05 am
hello!ı’m from Turkey.ı watch you everyday and ı love you too much.ı cook your meals because they smells like turkısh food.ı have got a son whose 7 years old and a daughter 8 months age.too many kısses from TURKEY.
March 30th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Instead of freezing the dough I cut the noodles let them dry for awhile, put some in a freezer bag. I always keep noodles in the freezer, so if something comes up unexpected you have them. Also I have dried them completely and give away as gifts.
March 31st, 2008 at 6:18 pm
Hi I’m ten years old,and I think that your show is really cool! I also think that this would be really fun to do.I hope that I will be able to make pasta just like you.
with love,
Miranda Winters
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Hey!
Im a big fan of yours but I need help because my mom just had a baby but im already 13 years old! I want to help make dinner easier so can u give me some simple recipies that i can make? thanks! Mary Evelyn
April 9th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Hi! I am nine years old and my family and I are haveing trouble eating healthy. I was wondering if you had any simple, easy to cook recipies for my family. Thanks!
Sincerly,
Christina