Homemade Pasta

I have been cooking and baking up a storm the past two weeks!  C and I are staying in Phoenix for the holidays and have visitors here from this past Friday until after New Years, so I'm trying to stock up on treats and dinners for a group of people.  Homemade pasta is not only amazing, but also the perfect thing to make for guests!  Especially because you can make it before hand, and then the prep doesn't take any time at all.  

I used a simple pasta recipe that I learned from The Italian Dish; 1 egg for every 3/4 cup of flour. Mound the flour on your counter and create a well in the center.

Whisk your eggs.

Starting incorporating the eggs into the flour.  I use a pastry scraper to keep everything in one place and it works really well.

Roll the dough into a ball.

After you make the dough wrap it in flour covered plastic wrap and let it rest for around 1/2 hour. 

I use the Imperia pasta maker, and it worked really well.

Once the dough has thinned out, then run it through the spaghetti maker.

Let the pasta dry or you can use right away.  I am keeping it in a large zip lock bag until I use the remainder when my guests are here!

I added a meat marinara sauce topped with a little Parmesan cheese.  Once you have tried homemade pasta you will never want to go back, as you can really tell the difference.  I love how fresh and soft it is!  

What is one of your favorite things to make for guests?  

See you back here tomorrow to continue my Christmas recipe week!

Homemade Pasta

Adapted from The Italian Dish

Serves 2

1 egg

3/4 cup flour

Mound the flour on your counter and create a well in the center.

Whisk the eggs.

Starting incorporating the eggs into the flour

Roll the dough into a ball.

Wrap the dough it in flour covered plastic wrap and let it rest for around 1/2 hour. 

Using whatever pasta maker you have, roll out the dough to your liking.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pesto Mozzarella Pasta

Due to the fact that C and I live so far away from our families, it's usually only him that gets to taste my cooking.  So, while I was in Traverse City and had my parents and grandparents around, I decided to treat them one night!  Simple ingredients, but the outcome was pretty tasty.

 

In a large skillet, over medium heat, cook chicken breasts until about 3/4 of the way cooked through.

Do you all remember my friend Nicole and her blog Thought For Food and Other Things?  She's a friend of mine from my home town and our parents know each other.  She's also very Italian, as is her Dad.  Turns out her Dad brings my Mom a container of his homemade pesto once a year, how nice!  Especially nice for me because I was able to cook and eat some! Slice fresh mozzarella, tomatoes to put on top of the pesto.

Line a baking sheet with foil and non stick spray.  Cover the chicken breasts with the pesto.  

Cover with slices of tomatoes.  Bake in the oven at 350 F degrees for around 10 minutes to make sure the chicken is cooked through and that the tomato and pesto flavors start to sink in.  While the chicken is cooking in the oven cook whatever pasta you fancy according to package directions.  

Cover with mozzarella and put back in the oven for around 2 minutes to melt the cheese.  When pasta is finished cooking, drain and coat with olive oil and any leftover pesto you might have.

Serve chicken on top of pasta.  This dish has a bit of everything good.  The homemade pesto was awesome, and made me want to make my own.  Fresh and homemade just makes such a difference.  Enjoy :)

Chicken Pesto Mozzarella Pasta

Serves 4

4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup pesto

8 oz fresh mozzarella

2 tomatoes

pasta

olive oil to taste

In a large skillet, over medium heat cook chicken breasts until about 3/4 of the way cooked through.

Line a baking sheet with foil and non stick spray.  Cover the chicken breasts with the pesto. 

Cover with slices of tomatoes.  

Bake in the oven at 350 F degrees for around 10 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking in the oven cook pasta according to package directions.

Cover with mozzarella and put back in the oven for around 2 minutes to melt the cheese.  

When pasta is finished cooking, drain and coat with olive oil and any leftover pesto you might have.

Serve chicken on top of pasta.