It’s been a busy month. My fiancé and I said goodbye to our “cute” little rental house in Maple Leaf and moved into a much bigger, nicer, more spacious house in the University district. Did I mention that our new house has more room? We haven’t quite settled in yet, and there is lots of organizing to do and decisions to be made, but we are excited to be here. We’ve painted a room, built a wall, patched things up, and redone a door frame (and by we, I mean my fiancé. I did help with the priming though, and supplied gallons of hot coffee and snacks!)
Clothes are put away and the coats have been hung up, but don’t ask me where my flip flops are or where the remote control has been stashed. On the other hand, I have found the egg beaters, potato ricer, and silicone baking mat. I had all but forgotten about my pasta machine at the old house, so I am excited to have rediscovered it. It’s like when you find a twenty dollar bill in an old wallet; you know that it’s your money but you can’t help but be excited.
So today, when I should have been paying bills or sorting through the piles of miscellaneous stuff in the living room, I made pasta. Whole wheat pasta, because I love the nutty, sweet, and mellow flavor of whole wheat flour and it boasts more healthful qualities than the refined stuff (fiber, vitamins, and minerals just to name a few). Sauced with nothing more than browned butter, some of the cooking liquid, salty Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper, this is the sort of “kid-friendly” food that adults can appreciate too.
Most people picture a flour-dusted Italian grandma slaving away all day long to serve up a homemade pasta meal and although it only took about an hour to make, my fiancé doesn’t know that. So tonight when he inquires as to why I didn’t unpack any of the boxes in the dining room, I’ll hand him a steaming bowl of cheesy, al dente deliciousness and I’ll reply, “but honey, I made pasta today”. Who could argue with that?
Whole Wheat Fettucine with Brown Butter
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Pasta Dough:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 large eggs, beaten
To serve:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
kosher salt
1 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, Asiago, or Grana Padano cheese
freshly ground black pepper
Make the pasta dough: In a food processor, blend the flours and salt. Add the eggs and process for 30 seconds, until the dough comes together in a ball. Dump the dough onto a floured countertop and knead for 5 minutes, until it is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 1 day in the refrigerator.
Roll the pasta dough: Cut the dough into six pieces. Work with one piece of the dough at a time, keeping the other pieces wrapped in plastic. Run the dough through a pasta machine on the largest setting. Fold the dough in thirds (like a letter), then run it through again. Fold the dough into thirds again, and run it through once more. Dust the dough with flour and continue to roll the pasta through the machine, narrowing the setting each time. My machine has 9 settings, but I stop at 7 for cut pasta and 8 for filled pasta.
Cut the pasta: Put the cutter attachment on the pasta machine, and run the sheets of pasta through to make fettuccine. Coat the pasta strands liberally in flour and place on a floured cookie sheet. The pasta can be refrigerated like this for up to 2 hours or frozen on the sheet and then transferred to a plastic bag for up to 2 months.
Cook the pasta: To cook the pasta, bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add the pasta and stir gently. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain the pasta.
To serve: In a large sauté pan, melt the butter, then cook until it starts to brown and become fragrant. As soon as the butter is brown, add the pasta and 1/3 cup of the cooking liquid and toss to coat. Add half the cheese and more liquid if necessary to coat the pasta in sauce. Serve immediately, topped with the remaining cheese and black pepper.
