A Pasta Maker

A simple tool I feel no kitchen should be without.  Making your own pasta is a very simple process (especially if you invest in an electric pasta machine).  Fresh pasta is very easy to make, quick to cook and extremely versatile in shape, size and flavor.  The biggest benefit for a home cook is that pasta dough works well out of the freezer, thus convenience.  This enables you to make in large batches, portion, and freeze...just make sure you completely thaw the dough before rolling it out.  To further the accessibility of a quick but comforting meal on a "short" night you could streamline the process even more.  On a boring and rainy March weekend afternoon make your large batch of dough and instead of portioning it, go ahead and roll it out, shape the dough THEN freeze.  Now when one of those late nights happen, all you have to do is boil some salted water and drop the frozen pasta in.  It still only takes minutes to become al dente.

Don't know how to "dress" your pasta?  Well, inn my humble opinion, fresh pasta should be enjoyed with a simple sauce.  Fresh noodles are too delicate to stand up to hearty sauces, that's what dried pasta is for.  There is one exception, a fresh papardalle is perfect with a rich ragu (of shredded meat not ground) as long as you go easy on the sauce.  Fresh pasta has such a wonderful taste and texture that sometimes all you need is a good olive oil and some fresh herbs to make a surprisingly satisfying and nearly perfect dish.