Homemade Basil Fettuccine

I have a problem. I have literally been listening to the Pitch Perfect soundtrack on repeat in my car since December 30. I cannot get enough of it. Unfortunately it has not been removed from CD player so it hasn't been synced with my iPod so I cannot rock out to it everyday all day. I think the people on my floor would thank my car for holding it hostage right now because I'm not sure if I would be able to refrain from dancing and singing along. Or putting my hands up when they sing "Party in the USA". I'm loving it. There is just something great about acapella, right? In case you need more explanation, Scott got me the CD for Christmas which meant that I opened it when we were in St. Louis before New Years. And it was put directly into the CD player. It has not even made a trip to my apartment yet.

However, one of my other Christmas presents has been thoroughly vetted in the apartment. Actually two of them-- Santa got me a red Kitchenaid Mixer (Thanks to the best two Santas in the world!) and Scott got me the pasta roller and cutter attachment. As you know, one of my bucket list to-dos is homemade pasta. These two presents allowed me to check it off the list... and want to do it over and over and over again. I have visions of spinach pasta, whole wheat pasta, beet pasta, squash pasta and etc etc etc. Don't worry, I'll share them with you. :)

I was surprised about how easy this came together. Step 1- Make the dough. Step 2- Rest the dough. Step 3- Roll the dough. Step 4- Cut the dough. Step 5- Boil the noodles. Okay, so maybe I'm belittling it slightly; it does take a bit of time but it is totally worth it. I made this quick garlic butter basil sauce to enhance the dried basil I put into the pasta and to let the pasta really speak out. I cooked up all I needed for dinner on that first night, tossed the rest of the uncooked noodles with flour and kept it in the fridge for later. They held up well to jarred spaghetti sauce and later cooked, refrigerated and reheated in the microwave worked out well.

So yummy. You should definitely do it!

Homemade Basil Fettuccine (adapted from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook)
Ingredients:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried basil
2 eggs
1/3 cup water, plus more if needed
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
In the bowl of your stand mixer equipped with the flat beater, combine the flour, basil, eggs, water and oil. Mix on speed 2 for 30 seconds. Change the flat beater for the dough hook and knead on speed 2 for 2 minutes. Remove dough and hand knead for an additional 1-2 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes. Divide into four pieces.

Flatten each piece to about 1 cm thickness. Connect your pasta sheet roller to the mixer and set to thickness 1. Turn on mixer to speed 2 and feed through the rollers. Fold in half and continue to knead until the dough widens to width of the roller. Lightly dust with flour as necessary. Continue to roll pasta increasing the knob from 1 to 2 and such until you reach 5. Repeat with the other 3 pieces.

Cut the dough with the fettuccine roller. Lay out flat, separating with your hands. Let dry for up to 1 hour. Cook immediately or after dried. To store in the fridge, toss in flour and refrigerate in an air tight container.



Garlic Butter Basil Sauce
Ingredients:
Per serving:
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 cup fresh pasta (from above)
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil.

In a small pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir and cook until browned. Add the oil and reduce heat to low.

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for 2-6 minutes (depending on how dry your pasta is) until al dente. Drain.

Add the basil to the butter and oil and stir to wilt. Toss the pasta with the sauce and garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Serves 1.