This past weekend, we spent the day making home-made pasta noodles with my mom, my sister and brother-in-law. Mary and I both grew up with parents who made fresh pasta, and although I am sure we both may have been “little helpers” in our youth – this was truly the first time for either of us to really learn the art. The best part of all, was in addition to making incredible fresh pasta – we learned so much more about the past. (recipe is at the end of the post)
Tried and true recipe with vintage tools of the trade
The recipe itself is simple. Two basic ingredients. Eggs, and flour – with about 1 egg for every cup of flour. It can’t get more simple than that – and it’s easy to see why pasta of all types has fed many a generation of hungry people. It’s inexpensive and easy to make – and it filled you up!
On this day we had the privilege of using my mother’s pasta maker. It was imported from Italy over 65 years ago as a wedding present from my Italian grandmother to my thennewlywed mom. Still available new today, the classic Imperia pasta maker was impressive to see as it has stood the test of time
As the day unfolded – I became amazed at just how many things my mom still used and that still looked and worked so well from those earlier years.
In addition to the pasta maker, we beat the eggs and mixed flour in brightly colored vintage Pyrex mixing bowls, and worked the dough on an old wooden pie board that was a wedding shower present.
If that wasn’t enough – we rolled and cut dough out on a classic cherry red kitchen table from the 50’s – in the extra downstairs kitchen my father had built for mom, complete with their matching vintage refrigerator and oven.
Still both working by the way!
We joked with my mom that all of her older “things” are so “in” right now – but after spending the day working with everything – it’s easy to see why that’s the case. There is no mistaking the quality and workmanship built into the tools and appliances of our parents and grandparents era. Things were built to last, and taken care of by a generation who valued what they had. Something that I think our generation should and could learn a lot from.
So while we rolled the dough through the machine – We got to hear great stories about how my grandmother would make mountains of pasta right on the kitchen table – and all about big Sunday dinners of the past, complete with spaghetti, fried chicken and of course, homemade wine.
We finished the day with a great family style spaghetti feast – topped with pasta sauce we had canned from our garden – and yes a little wine too (someday, hopefully we can use one of our own bottles!) It felt like after all that pasta we should have included a nap as well!
All joking aside – this day will go down as a favorite. Spending time with family, passing on recipes, hearing stories of the past and enjoying great home-made food – that is something no amount of money can ever buy – and something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
We also learned some valuable lessons from my mom in keeping a pasta machine working. Never ever use any type of water to clean it. And never use salt in the dough. If you follow those two simple rules…you end up with one vintage machine that can crank out a lot of noodles in it’s lifetime. We included our little step by step process of the pasta making at the bottom of the post – if you have never tried it – it’s so worth the time!
Mary and Jim
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Homemade Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
6 eggs
6 cups of flour
Extra flour
Instructions
Beat 6 eggs in bowl
Place 6 cups of flour in a bowl or on a cutting board and make a large indention in the center of the flour
Pour eggs in the center hole of the flour and slowly mix until incorporated.
Knead into a dough ball
Cut dough into ½” strips
Run through your pasta maker – large setting than gradually decreasing to your desired thickness
In traditional Italian cooking, high-grade semolina flour was used along with water to form a perfect dough. The dough is rolled into thin sheets and cut into various shapes, from straightforward spaghetti to elaborate ones such as farfalle and orecchiette.
One of the pillars of Italian culture is family and the importance of spending time together. Making and eating pasta together as a family is just one of the few ways that Italians do this– that's why you've probably heard so much about Italian grandmothers spending hours making and cooking pasta for the whole family!
Some say pasta started with the Etruscans, a pre-Roman civilisation in central Italy, since a supposed pasta-making tool was found in an Etruscan tomb. This is a shaky theory, however, and it's more likely that pasta was introduced by Arab traders in Sicily throughout the 8th and 9th centuries.
Italians are passionate about many things: famiglia, vino, and of course, pasta! But beyond its deliciousness, pasta, holds a deeper significance. It's woven into the fabric of Italian culture, serving as a symbol of tradition, family, and shared experiences.
A common rule that Italians uphold when cooking pasta is never to break it so that it would fit the pot. Pasta is produced in a specific size for a reason. When you put the pasta in boiling water, gently push them down, so it does not break. Use the right pasta shape for the right sauce.
A4: Italian pasta commonly uses durum wheat semolina, providing a higher protein content. American pasta, on the other hand, may incorporate various flours like all-purpose or enriched varieties, impacting the texture and nutritional composition.
Italy's most popular pasta is penne. This quill-shaped pasta is unusual in that it has a very precise origin. It was born in 1865, with a new device patented by Giovanni Battista Capurro in the small town of San Martino d'Albero, near Genoa.
“Wheat grown in the United States is typically higher in gluten content, since the majority is hard red wheat, while Europe grows soft wheat which has lower gluten content,” said Christina Meyer-Jax, a standard process nutrition chair and assistant professor at Northwestern Health Sciences University.
Although popular legend claims Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy following his exploration of the Far East in the late 13th century, pasta can be traced back as far as the 4th century B.C., where an Etruscan tomb showed a group of natives making what appears to be pasta.
Bread, pasta, olives, and beans were all staples, and Italians also made a variety of different types of polenta. The diet would have varied depending on region, as well: fish featured heavily near the coast, while inland communities would rely more on pork and wild game.
Mediterranean seafood, spices from the Middle East, grains from Northern Africa and various meats were popular in traditional Roman dishes. With its wide availability, wines, grains and olive oil became three staples of Roman cooking.
Whilst you won't catch any self-respecting Italians adding olive to their pasta water, it's a different story once the pasta is cooked. Italians often use olive oil (specifically extra virgin olive oil) to dress cooked pasta.
Because starch needs to be heated to gel properly, soaking pasta in cold water will allow you to hydrate it without worrying about it sticking together. Once it's fully hydrated, you've just got to finish it off in your sauce and you're ready to serve.
It sounds unconventional to use milk in a meaty red sauce, but upon further investigation, it makes total sense why Italians swear by it. According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”.
Traditionally, pasta is formed by extruding dough through bronze dies, or bronze plates. This gives pasta a rough surface texture ideal for capturing and absorbing sauces. These days, most pasta makers use Teflon to extrude pasta.
In fact, when many of us think of pasta we think of Italian food, and most people believe that it originated there. While pasta is traditionally Italian, it actually has a very ancient history that makes it almost impossible to know who came up with the dish first.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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