I’ve learned a lot about making pasta in the last few weeks. The first batch is still turning up in odd places. The instruction booklet is useful as a set of guidelines, but each batch turns up something not mentioned. Now it’s time to read other recipes and try new things.
One of the experiments I’ve been doing involves how long the refrigerated dough will stay useable. To that end, I made a batch, divided it up and stuck it in the refrigerator. Unfortunately for my guinea…um…family, that has meant pasta every day since.
The reason for this experiment is that we simply can’t eat a whole batch of dough in one day. If you count the cat, there are only three of us to eat it. I must admit that Sapphire Samurai likes the pasta, preferably cooked and coated in butter. That doesn’t mean he is supposed to get it. It does mean I can’t turn my back on him when he’s in the kitchen and I’m working with the dough.
In the end, it wasn’t that the pasta dough went bad, nor was it really the screams of horror at yet another pasta dish that put the end to the experiment. It’s that the dough, made from semolina, became hard enough to work that it would have taken Superman to soften it. However, it did last for three days.
The best dish made from this last batch was Swedish meatballs. As the tomato based dishes left something to be desired, I decided on that tactic and it worked. As these are made with eggs, it stands to reason that it would work.
The noodles that have come from this experiment are a lot easier to work with than those made from all purpose flour. One of the chief benefits has been the lack of clumping after being cut. The noodles still have to be separated, but it doesn’t require the speed of light to do it.
All in all, I think we’ll get our money’s worth out of this equipment. Either that or we won’t be able to look at another pasta dish for the next ten years. Now it’s time to start working with my mini flame thrower.