Pasta Dryer

When I blogged about my homemade pasta here,  I got many comments about my pasta dryer.  I was looking on line for one several years ago but didn't like most of them.  I wanted something sturdy yet easy to store.  I also wanted it to hold lots of pasta because I never seem to do anything in a small way.

Barry looked a several photos and decided to make me one.  He didn't use a plan - he's good with wood that way.  :)

Here are all the pieces of the dryer.

 

The two side pieces have a notched top and a single notch for the cross piece.

 

Here are the top pieces and the cross piece.  Notice how nice and smooth Barry got them all.

 

 

This is a closer look at the top edge.

And the bottom.

Here the rack is standing nice and sturdy with the cross piece.

 

Now fit in the drying strips and you are ready to go!

And here is the finished dryer - all together and ready to go.

 

I think Barry and I work well together.  I come up with the ideas and he takes them and turns them into reality! 

 

Lucky me!  ;)

Sourdough Sharing - Pasta

This month's sourdough challenge was pasta.  I had made homemade pasta before so that was not a surprise.  The surprise was how lovely the dough turned out using sourdough.

I used this recipe and found it easy to work with.

Ingredients (I doubled the original recipe)
1 c sourdough
3 c flour
4 eggs

I used my Cuisinart with the bread hook to mix and knead the dough.  Pour sourdough into mixing bowl.  Mix in eggs and then flour.  I then set the timer to knead for 5 minutes.  I found the dough a bit sticky so I added a bit more flour.  The dough turned out lovely and soft.  I placed the dough in a greased bowl and let rest for several hours.

 

You can use a rolling pin to roll out the pasta but I have a pasta machine so used it.  Cut off a piece of the dough and flatten on a floured surface.  You need to keep the surface of the dough floured or it will stick. 

 

Roll the dough through the machine at the widest thickness (#7 on mine).  (Thanks to Barry for helping out so I could get pics!)

 

 

Flour both sides and keep putting it through the machine getting thinner each time.  (I stopped at #3 thickness)

 

I found the sourdough dough very easy to work with.  The other dough I made had a tendency to stick - it was hard to get enough flour on it.  With that dough, you needed a second person to help because you didn't have enough hands to roll the dough, turn the crank and hold the dough coming out so it wouldn't stick.  This dough just ran though the machine so easily that you can easily do it by yourself.

 

Now cut the dough into manageable lengths. 

 

 

 

I then ran it through the machine on the fettuccine cutter.  Mine only has two widths - fettuccine and spaghetti. 

 

Separate the noodles and place on pasta dryer, rack or flat surface to dry for storage, if you wish.

I dry the noodles and then break them in half and store them in a flat container.

 

Or you can boil up a batch and eat them immediately!  

 

I made mine into Fettuccine Alfredo using this sauce.  Homemade sauce and homemade sourdough pasta - YUM! YUM! YUM! What more can a person ask for?  ;)

 

Since the dough was so easy to work with - this will now be my regular pasta recipe.  Easy and tasty!  Enjoy!   ;)

 

 

 

Check out some of the other recipes below for April's Sourdough Surprises Challenge.

 

 



Alfredo Sauce

This month's Sourdough Surprise is pasta so I decided to make a homemade Alfredo Sauce to go with my Fettuccine noodles.  I checked out this three different links - one, two, three and combined the recipes to make my own sauce.

Ingredients
1/2 c butter
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pkg cream cheese
1 c 1/2 & 1/2 cream
1 c milk
1/4 c shredded parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste

 

Melt butter in saucepan over medium to medium-low heat.  Add garlic and cook for a few minutes before adding cream cheese.  Mixture looks curled as cream cheese melts.

 

Whisk mixture until smooth.  Slowly add milk and cream while whisking to keep it smooth. 

 

Mix in parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  If the sauce thickens too much, add a bit of milk.

 

Cook fettuccine noodles.  Drain well and pour into bowl.

Mix in Alfredo Sauce.

Sprinkle on some parsley.  Enjoy!

This was so heavenly.  Rich and tasty.  We only used half the sauce, so will be making another meal with some add-ins.  Some ideas - grilled chicken breasts, spinach, fried mushrooms and onions, broccoli, grilled salmon . . .   The list goes on and on.

Turkey Noodle Casserole



We love turkey and all its trimmings.  I always make extra of everything because the leftovers are as good as the original meal.  We had turkey for Easter and after a number of days of leftovers there was still a goodly amount of turkey left so I made a turkey casserole.  I based my recipe on this link.  http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Turkey-Tetrazzini/Detail.aspx

I find that most casseroles that contain pasta have a tendency to be too dry as the pasta soaks up the sauce.  Keeping this in mind, I adapted the above recipe.

Ingredients

1 900 gm pkg spaghetti

1/4 c butter

2/3 c sliced onion

1/3 c flour

4 c milk

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 pkg bacon

2 c shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1 can sliced mushrooms

3 to 4 c cooked turkey cubed

1 can cream of mushroom soup mixed with 1 can of water

Cook spaghetti in salted water until cooked but still firm.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  Set aside.



Dice bacon and fry until crisp.  Drain and set aside.

Cube leftover cooked turkey.  Set aside.

Grate cheddar cheese and set aside.



Melt butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Blend in the flour  then gradually add milk stirring so no lumps form. Season with seasoning salt, pepper and paprika. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add 1 cup cheese and mushroom soup mixture, stirring until cheese melts. 

Stir the drained spaghetti with the sauce.

Add the cubed turkey. 

Add mushrooms.

Add bacon.

Stir well to mix all ingredients.

Pour into a large buttered casserole dish or roaster.  (I usually use a roaster for most casseroles so there is no chance of the sauce bubbling over.)

Sprinkle on the remaining cheese.

 Cook at 350F for about 30 minutes until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted. 

Serve with a green salad and enjoy!