There was a large boom just outside the window … I suppose this means that 2008 finally went out with a bang. Or is that 2009 came in with a bang? In any case, there was much banging

Happy New Year!

It was quiet here at Chez Boca (notwithstanding the aforementioned banging outside the window). Bunny and I spent the evening making fresh ravioli (using the pasta machine she received as a gift) and then watching “Hancock [1]” (an enjoyable flick and a rather refreshing take on the superhero genre).

The pasta was easy but a bit tedious and messy. The recipe for the pasta is easy enough—100g of flour (about ½ cup for the metrically challenged) and one egg per person, then mixed and kneaded into a dough (we did enough pasta for four people, and did the mixing in a food processor—total time, maybe 30 seconds). Then just feed the dough through the pasta machine, a few times on the widest setting, then start cranking it down to make it thinner.

[Warning: it can get really long] [2]

This, by far, was the longest step in the process, mostly because this was the first time either one of us has ever made fresh pasta. The recipe we were following came from Jamie Oliver [3] and on his show (Jamie At Home) [4] he had the pasta made and cut in like two minutes flat.

But he's a professional—we're not. So it took a bit longer—say, twenty-two minutes (getting used to fresh pasta dough, the pasta machine, etc).

Once that was done, we used a ravioli cutter that Bunny had—a two piece affair. You lay a strip of pasta over the lower section:

[Even though the dough isn't that sticky, it's still advisable to dust everything with flour] [5]

Then you press this dimpled shaped upper section into the dough, which forms the depressions, which you then spoon the filling into (in this case, it's fresh mozzarella, fresh basil and some tomato sauce).

[Now it's ready for the filling] [6] [Fill 'er up!] [7]

Brush some water around the edges (to act as a kind of glue), drape another piece of pasta, and use a roller to seal and cut the raviolis. Then pop them out of the frame, and cook for five minutes in boiling water.

[I think an egg wash would work here as well …] [8] [Voila! Ravioli!] [9] [Pasta! Pasta! Eat them up! Yum!] [10]

I personally was curious about the cutting attachment, so with the scraps of pasta, I made some spaghetti.

[Ooooh … fresh spaghetti] [11] [I think each strand was like 3′ in length] [12]

I'm sure with practice, it'll go quicker.

And not quite as messy.

Hmm … if I'm not careful, this might turn into a cooking blog [not that there's anything wrong with that! —Editor].

[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448157/

[2] /boston/2009/01/01/cranking.jpg

[3] http://www.jamieoliver.com/about

[4] http://www.jamieoliver.com/tv/jamie-at-home-tv

[5] /boston/2009/01/01/overlay.jpg

[6] /boston/2009/01/01/dimples.jpg