CupcakeQ

I understand how people become so obsessed with their cars for I too love a machine with inordinate passion: my KitchenAid mixer. I coveted this marvel of kitchen engineering for over a decade before I finally became a proud owner, thanks to my family who chipped in and gave me “Minty Junior” for my 31st birthday (so called because he is the same shade of green as my equally loved Vespa which I sold before leaving Melbourne).

I strongly believe that Minty Junior and his brethren in kitchens across the world are far more powerful machines than cars and even Vespa scooters. For while a car brings joy to its owner, a KitchenAid Mixer brings happiness to everyone who eats food prepared via any one of its beautifully designed functions.

However recently, my love for Minty Junior was put to the test. I tried out my new food grinder + pasta maker attachments and the experience was not entirely joyful.

First I tried making ravioli. I used the lasagne attachment to make long sheets which I intended to cut into smaller squares and fill with a spinach and ricotta mix. The sheets came out of the machine reasonably well, but they were far too thick for ravioli, so I had to roll them out even thinner. I didn’t have the skill to make small ravioli so I decided to opt for a few big pieces on each plate instead of a pile of smaller ones. The final product was ok but still a little thick. Plus my neat circles of filling spread in the water creating even bigger ravioli than I expected. The lovely boy and guests were very complimentary but I think it was a mediocre beginning to my pasta making future.

My second attempt to make pasta was even more frustrating. I was aiming to make spaghetti or fettucine but no matter which attachment I used, the pasta stuck together when it exited, leaving me holding a messy clump. The lovely boy went online for help and discovered I’m not the only one with this problem. The KitchenAid forum conversation suggested that making elbow pasta was the simplest so we gave it a go. It was easier to extract the threads of pasta but once cut into small pieces they really didn’t look appetising.

Alas the forums were no help so we had to find our own solution. In the end we picked the angel hair attachment a sprinkled flour on the pasta as it came out of the machine. This was definitely a two-cook operation and a very messy one at that. The lovely boy held the pasta and sprinkled flour while I fed the machine with dough and separated any strands that had stuck together anyway. The result was successful and dinner was delicious as there is really nothing like home made pasta, but was it worth the effort? Only if someone else is doing the dishes.

Stephanie Alexander’s basic pasta recipe:
400 grams of plain flour
4 eggs slightly beaten
salt

Mix all ingredients in your KitchenAid mixer (or by hand for those less fortunate) until it forms a dough, about 10 minutes on your mixer. Let it rest at room temperature for an hour before making pasta.

If using the KitchenAid pasta maker attachment, feed the dough into the mixer in small walnut size balls and make sure you can always see the “worm” turning. For spaghetti, fettucine or angel hair pasta, continually dust the pasta with flour as it comes out. Cut at around 25cm and lay on a floured work bench. Cut off any clumps that stick together, knead them into small balls and feed back into the mixer.

The above pasta recipe was enough to make both ravioli for 3 and angel hair for 2.

Sage butter sauce
Melt 100 grams of butter and add sage leaves. Cook until the sage leaves are crisp and the butter slightly browned. Pour over ravioli.

Rocket alio olio
Saute 4 cloves of garlic in a good glug or two of olive oil on low heat until the garlic is cooked through but not browned. Add the rocket and a handful each of chopped flat leaf parsley and basil and allow to wilt a little. It will wilt even more when you add the pasta so don’t cook it too long. Add to hot pasta and serve garnished with parmesan cheese.

Soundtrack: Simon & Garfunkel