I am very excited. Stupidly so. All because of a pasta machine.
For my birthday I asked Husband to buy me an Imperia Pasta Machine. I had been reading up and this seems to be the king of domestic pasta-making. Despite the fact I have always sworn that the purchase of a kitchen appliance for my birthday would be grounds for divorce, I ate my words (and my pasta) when I gleefully unwrapped my coveted equipment.
I did have a pasta machine once, but it was a cheap one that twisted when you wound the handle and despite pasta dough going in, it seemed to get stuck around the cogs and not really come out. Certainly not in a thin, beautiful sheet.
However, this is a different matter, and last night I cooked Nigella’s Linguine Tagliatelle with Lemon, Garlic & Thyme Mushrooms FROM SCRATCH!
I did use my second fav cook’s recipe for the actual pasta dough – Lorraine Pascale’s cracked black pepper pasta – without the pepper. But the rest of the recipe was all Nigella. It is delicious, easy and swish enough to serve to friends.
Anyway, I digress. My pasta machine performed beautifully and the tagliatelle tasted amazing. I always thought that once I started making my own pasta, nothing else would be good enough. And I fear this may be true. However, it is so quick and easy to do that it’s not a problem and feeding the pasta through the machine is actually quite therapeutic. As is having it hanging around the kitchen.
Recipes from Nigella’s ‘Nigella Express’ and Lorranie Pascale’s ‘Home Baking Made Easy’.
Congrats on your birthday!
Stefanie (from Holland)
My husband would love to have one, I just hesitate to buy it because I'm not sure whether it would get used more than once. Keep me posted on progress, I may need recipes soon :)
Do you know, I amusing it weekly at the mo. I know it is still a novelty, but actually it is not a time-consuming process and there isn;t much washing up either! When you think how long it takes to cook a 'normal' meal (prep, cooking, eating, washing up) this is a cinch!
I am undertaking my first go at ravioli tonight…will keep you posted!
x