Whilst we were in Argentina, we had a lot of "pasta casera" - that is, home made pasta. Whilst what we had might have not been as delicate as the stuff you get from the chiller cabinet in the UK, it was at least filled with flavours that had a bit of punch. Sometimes I reckon that if one did a blind tasting of shop bought pasta, you wouldn't be able to tell what they were.
Anyway inspired by this, I have decided to have another go at pasta. I have this anbition approximately every two years - make it once and then give up. I have a pasta rolling machine, an electric pasta mixing and extruding machine, and a ravioli tray. The first has been used four times in twelve years, the next has been used once and the tray with its dinky pasta roller has never been christened.
At work I looked up a recipe in one of the cookbooks that have pride of place behind my desk - to the chagrin of the boss who is positively dismissive of what he consideres to be my bourgeois foody-ism. I chose a recipe with home made tagliatelle and a spinach and Gorgonzola sauce. (Bolsover's new Co-op miraculously sells Gorgonzola and, to our joint delight, a Chilean Free Trade Carmenere.) Knowing I would be late home, I emailed hubs with a shopping list.
However when I arrived home, I discovered that I had no pasta flour in the cupboard. Obviously the last lot had been thrown out for being out of date. Tired, I decided not to use strong white flour, but to opt for some dried pasta shells in the cupboard. The sauce was made in a second, and was lovely and tasty - and yes, comforting! Served with a Co-op flatbread, what could be lovelier for a Friday night?
Anyway inspired by this, I have decided to have another go at pasta. I have this anbition approximately every two years - make it once and then give up. I have a pasta rolling machine, an electric pasta mixing and extruding machine, and a ravioli tray. The first has been used four times in twelve years, the next has been used once and the tray with its dinky pasta roller has never been christened.
At work I looked up a recipe in one of the cookbooks that have pride of place behind my desk - to the chagrin of the boss who is positively dismissive of what he consideres to be my bourgeois foody-ism. I chose a recipe with home made tagliatelle and a spinach and Gorgonzola sauce. (Bolsover's new Co-op miraculously sells Gorgonzola and, to our joint delight, a Chilean Free Trade Carmenere.) Knowing I would be late home, I emailed hubs with a shopping list.
However when I arrived home, I discovered that I had no pasta flour in the cupboard. Obviously the last lot had been thrown out for being out of date. Tired, I decided not to use strong white flour, but to opt for some dried pasta shells in the cupboard. The sauce was made in a second, and was lovely and tasty - and yes, comforting! Served with a Co-op flatbread, what could be lovelier for a Friday night?
No comments:
Post a Comment