Day 17

PASTA. PASTA. PASTA.

mmmmm.

Ah. Today was pasta day (finally.)

On the menu? Fettuccine alfredo and cheese ravioli with pesto and toasted pine nuts.

It truly amazes me that I can polish off a 16 oz steak with sides and dessert without the slightest feeling of guilt, but just looking at fettuccine alfredo makes me feel like researching fat camps for the summer. 

The pasta recipe that we used was amazing.....

Fresh Egg Pasta Recipe

heart healthy.

Fettuccini Alfredo:

Fresh fettuccini pasta

Butter 

Cream

Garlic

Grated parmesan cheese

Parsley

Salt

Pepper

Method:

Melt enough butter over medium heat to saute garlic. Add cream and bring to a simmer to reduce. Add grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and parsley. 

Cook fettuccini to 'al dente' about 2 minutes..... mine was a little bit over done. Ugh. Fresh pasta cooks very very quickly.

Add a little bit of pasta water to alfredo sauce and toss sauce with pasta.

Garnish with chopped parsley.

And it gets even better......

Cheese filled ravioli with pesto and toasted pine nuts.

Ingredients:

Fresh egg pasta rolled into sheets

Ricotta cheese

Eggs

Grated parmesan cheese

Garlic

Chopped parsley

Salt

Pepper

Nutmeg (I forgot to add this.... whoops.)

Toasted pine nuts

Pesto: Fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, salt.

Method:

Whisk together eggs and add about a tablespoon of the mixture to the ricotta cheese. The rest of the eggs will be used as an egg wash later. Combine ricotta, garlic (finely chopped or made into a paste) chopped parsley, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. 

Roll out fresh pasta dough into very thin sheets.

Place about half a tablespoon of ricotta mixture in rows on pasta sheet.

Brush a small amount of egg wash around the edges of each ravioli and cover with another pasta sheet. Press the edges firmly around the pockets of cheese and then cut pasta into desired ravioli shapes. You can also use a ravioli cutter for this. 

To make pesto, combine ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and paste like. 

Drop raviolis into salted boiling water and cook about 3 minutes until 'al dente.'

Toss with pesto and toasted pine nuts. Top with parmesan cheese. 

I smell like garlic and I feel like I am 300 pounds. Really sexy. No, really.

I want to be an old italian woman who rolls out pasta dough with a cigarette in her mouth and Prada (or some other equally fabulous Italian shoe designer) heels on her feet. 

I do not smoke, nor do I condone it..... especially in the kitchen. Shock value only.... and probably the best visual image ever.