Last night was a Meat-less Monday at our house. Guess what? It was so delicious, we didn’t even miss the meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat and don’t ever see myself becoming a vegetarian, but sometimes veggies are the way to go. I have made homemade pasta before and have been wanting to make some wide noodles. I think wide noodles go really well with a creamy vegetable sauce. Of course you have to throw in lots of garlic and Parmesan. The recipe I came up with to go with my wide noodles made our taste buds do the happy dance. When you are feeling adventurous, give homemade pasta a try. FYI you *DO NOT* have to have a pasta machine to make homemade pasta. You can buy a long dowel from Wally World aka Wal-mart and use it to roll the dough out to the desired thinness. Then just cut into the desired size pasta. This dough can of course be made for ravioli. Making homemade pasta may seem intimidating but once you taste fresh homemade pasta you will realize the effort you put into it will shine in the bowl. Plus, it is a great family time activity. My cousin, Donna and I had a wonderful time making this dish. She was my flour shaker and my sauce stirrer. We laughed and had loads of fun. And isn’t that what cooking is all about anyway. . . to enjoy it with the ones we love! Afiyet olsun!
- For the Dough:
- 2 Cups Semolina Flour
- ½ Cup All Purpose Flour
- 3 Eggs
- 3 Tablespoons good Olive Oil
- Water as need to make the dough form
- For the sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Onion, finely chopped
- 1½ Cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 Cup red and orange sweet peppers, chopped
- 1 Zucchini, chopped
- 3 Cloves Garlic, smashed into a paste
- 1 Cup Grape Tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Cup Parmesan, finely grated
- 1 Cup Finely grated Italian 5 Cheese Blend Cheese
- ¼ Cup Fresh Parsley, chopped or 2 Tablespoons dried Parsley
- ½ Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
- Salt to taste
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the semolina and all purpose flours.
- Add ½ teaspoon salt and mix well.
- Make a well in the center and crack three eggs into the center.
- Drizzle in the olive oil.
- Using your fingers swirl the eggs and oil around to combine with the flours.
- Add in ¼ cup cold water.
- Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.
- Shape into a ball and cover with a damp cloth.
- Let rest 20 minutes.
- After dough has rested, roll into a log and cut into 6 equal parts.
- Either with a pasta machine or using a dowel, roll the dough into a rectangle as thin as you can get it and cut into long strips, like pappardelle. You will need to sprinkle the dough with additional flour as you roll it out.
- Hang the pasta to dry or place on a lightly floured cookie sheet.
- Continue with each piece of dough.
- Put a large pot of generously salted water on to boil.
- Pour the 4 tablespoons olive oil into a large cooking pot.
- Chop the onions and add to the pot.
- Next add in the chopped peppers and continue sauteing.
- Chop the zucchini and add to the peppers and onions.
- Smash the garlic and add it to the pot.
- Add in the mushrooms and tomatoes and continue cooking for about 5 minutes.
- At this point your water should be boiling so add the pasta to the water.
- Cook the pasta until done about 6-7 minutes. Start testing them at 5 minutes.
- Pour the heavy cream, the grated Parmesan, the spices and the Italian cheese blend into the veggie mixture and turn heat to low.
- When the pasta is cooked, use a spider or pasta scoop to drain the pasta and add directly into the veggie pot. You want a little of the cooking water to stay on the pasta.
- Stir well and top with additional cheese if desired.
- If your sauce is too thick, you can add some of the pasta cooking water to your sauce.
