Solidarity Sunday

I tend to live out my "cooking" life much as I live my real life.  I never take the easiest route, and I can be, yes, a tad high maintenance.  Pause.  Let that shock sink in.

Why make dried pasta when you can make it from scratch?  Why use a machine when you can roll it out by hand?

You may be catching on,  in solidarity with the pioneers and Italian mamas all over the world, I made pasta.  From scratch.  By hand.

Sage Pasta with Sweet Potatoes in a Pine Nut Sage Sauce

2 cups flour (plus more for dusting)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup water
1 tsp sage (if you wanna)
1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tsp sage
2 tbsp butter

2 sweet potatoes, cubed and roasted (instructions to follow)

1) Mix the flour, sage, and baking soda in a bowl.  Make a well in the center and pour in the egg, oil, and water.

2) Don't freak out when your well doesn't look like the picture tutorials on the internet.

3) Mix into a dough ball, knead, and let rest for 20 minutes, covered.

4) Roll the dough out into a rectangle that is 1/16th of an inch thick.  Or as thin as you can get it with your puny Norwegian arms.

5) Let rest, yet again, for about 10 minutes.  Or, make it 8 if  patience isn't your strong suit.

6) Roll the dough loosely into a roll.

7) Cut and unroll.

8) Exclaim "look Matthew, noodles!!"

9) Boil noodles for 2 minutes and strain.

10) Make sauce: brown butter, add in sage and pine nuts.  Smell repeatedly.  It smells goooood.

11) Toss pasta with sauce and potatoes.

12) Eat.


The Verdict:  Awesome, I think Matthew may have said "off the chain" again.  We both ate until we were stuffed.

How to roast a sweet potato:  Peel and cube potatoes, toss with olive oil and desired spices, bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Toss every 10 minutes.

Sweet potatoes just might be my new obsession...look out kale.

I'm going to go ice my arms, which are sore from rolling out pasta.