One of my favorite comfort foods has always been pasta. No matter how you serve it, with butter and melted parmesan, or doused in sweet red marinara sauce, it’s always satisfying and delicious. It may sound strange to some but one of my favorite ways to have pasta growing up was casserole-style, mixed with tuna fish, mayonnaise and dill pickles, mmm. And I can’t forget to mention my mother’s scrumptious pasta salads that are the staple at most of our barbecue’s all summer long.
As of late, pasta has gotten a bad rep. Many of us hold the noodle accountable for packing in the carbs and adding on the pounds. But really, when eaten in moderation, pasta is a wonderful addition to most meals. So take these next two gadgets into consideration if you can hear the tiny Italian chef inside you yelling “tortellini!”
The Imperia Pasta Machine, available from Williams-Sonoma for around $50, brings the art of making pasta and spaghetti right into your own kitchen.
Imperia Pasta Machine
Simple to use, you can make your pasta dough from nothing but flour and eggs. With multiple width settings on the pasta machine you can make either flat sheets of pasta, perfect for lasagna, or fettuchini that is ready to be thrown into boiling water and cooked to al dente perfection. Nothing can beat homemade, hand-rolled pasta, not even the best of Bertucci’s!
Small and easy to clean, the Imperia Pasta Machine even comes with an attachment ready to crimp and create ravioli’s! Fill them with ricotta cheese or your homemade meat sauce and you will never turn back to Chef Boyardee.
Not looking to buy a whole next gadget when you already are running low on cabinet space? Try out the KitchenAid Pasta Press Attachment, also available from Williams-Sonoma. Although this gadget is a tad on the pricey side, starting around $180, if you are a pasta-fiend you will no longer need to buy boxes of pasta from the grocery store. Instead, fresh pasta is at your fingertips. From macaroni to rigatoni this attachable gadget will most likely win over your pasta-loving heart.
Make your pasta hearty and healthy by using whole wheat flour. Or, add herbs and spices to your dough to kick the flavor-notch up a level. Any way you do it, homemade pasta will be you newest kitchen craze.
And if you’re feeling extra saucy, check out next week’s blog for some tips on how to make your own homemade Marinara!
