I completely forgot to post about pasta. We made pasta!
Now, I have tried making pasta from scratch in the past; however, I never seemed to be able to roll it out thin enough.
For my first attempt, we had had Miss M as an unfortunate dinner guest, and I think she was none too impressed with the rubbery meal we served. Even I’ll admit that looked an awful lot like soggy pork rinds. . . .
But last week I borrowed a pasta machine (thanks George) and had a proper go at pasta making. Ever hopeful (or foolhardy), we also invited dinner guests to this occasion. They arrived right on time when we, characteristically behind schedule, were still kneading the dough.
It turned into a bit of an interactive dinner, with people flouring, winding, 
and hanging pasta all over the kitchen, but I must say it was pretty rewarding and tasty in the end.
We found the semolina flour in the bulk food section and just mixed it with water to make the pasta dough (some people use an egg too). For sauce I just put cashews, olive oil, a tomato, salt and pepper, and lots of parsley in the blender and mixed until smooth. Simple, and not even a jar of sauce to recycle.
So now that we have the recipe down, we’re on a pasta kick. Grant even made it in the backcountry a couple days ago. He just carried the flour into the ski hut, added water, kneeded by hand, rolled it out with his water bottle, and cut it with his pocket knife. That’s gourmet camping if I ever heard of it.
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That sounds like so much fun. I love dinner parties where everyone gets into the food instead of one person doing it.
Is it really that easy? Making my own pasta is on my To Do list for 2009. We practically live on the stuff here. I would love to make my own, but thought it was way beyond my capabilities.
I definitely encourage you to make your own pasta – it takes a bit longer – I’d give yourself a hour, but it’s fun and tasty and not at all difficult.