How To Guide: Kneading Dough

One of the biggest challenges I have come across while teaching myself to cook is figuring out what a new technique is and then how to do it with out any guidance. I wish there was a place I could go to actually SEE how it is done.

Well, I wasn’t able to find a place to see certain things done, but now you can.

In the first installment of my how to guide, I’ll demonstrate how to knead dough. I have now mentioned it several times, and unless you had your very own Grandma Evelyn, you might not know what it is or how to do it.

If you do have your very own Grandma Evelyn, then this video will do you no good. But, it has a wonderful soundtrack so you should watch anyway.

Knead
Verb-
to work (dough, clay, etc.) into a uniform mixture by pressing, folding, and stretching.


Ya, I rock out when I cook. You love it.

Love and Beer Floats
Angela

Pasta Dough Perfection

About this time last year, I took my fancy new knives from Santa home expecting nothing more than to cut my fingers and maybe some vegetables. Man, did I get way more than I had bargained for. One tomato turned into twenty. Twenty tomatoes turned into crab cakes and the first New Food Tuesday. New Food Tuesday turned into a weekly New Food Tuesdayz. New Food Tuesdayz became a blog. That blog and the food that inspires it seems to have taken a strong hold in my brain and has created an insatiable appetite (pun intended) to learn more. All thanks to the man who’s belly shakes like a bowl full of jelly.

Well my friends, Santa has done it again. This year, he brought me the most beautiful appliance yet. My pistachio colored, Kitchenaid, five quart artisan stand up mixer. I had nightmares that it would not be all that I had hoped it would be.

That was stupid.

It is just as functional as it is beautiful. I have been DYING to make pasta and raviolis since um… well… probably week two of my cooking journey. But, every time I tried, the dough wasn’t just right or I couldn’t get the dough thin enough. I even tried to get Morgan to do the work for me once, but even with her intense kneading and rolling, it still wasn’t all I had hoped it would be.

But now I have Gary.

Yes, I named my mixer, deal with it.

In his inaugural journey, Gary killed it. He made me the most amazingly elastic and delicious pasta dough. And then he used his amazing pasta rolling attachments to make me perfect little ravioli ribbons. Which I filled the crap out of!

It was amazing.

Amazing until I had a major user error issue. This user didn’t appropriately flour the raviolis and they all stuck together like a big ball of delicious ravioli mush. It’s ok. Ever last bit of all ball of mush got eaten.

But that my friends is another story for another time.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

The Pasta Recipe That Finally Worked!

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups semolina flour

1 pinch salt

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

Thoroughly sift together the all-purpose flour, semolina flour and salt. On a clean surface, make a mountain out of the flour mixture then make a deep well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and add the olive oil. Whisk eggs very gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the sides of the well. When mixture becomes to thick to mix with a for, begin kneading with your hands.

Kneed the dough for 8 to 12 minutes, until it is smooth and supple. Dust dough and work surface with semolina as needed to keep dough from becoming sticky. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough with a pasta machine ora rolling pin to the desired thickness. Cut into your favorite style of noodle or stuff with your favorite fillint o make a ravioli. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, then add 4 teaspoons of salt. Cook pasta until tender but not mushy (1-8 minutes depending on the thickness). Drain and toss with your favorite sauce.