Pasta with Mushrooms

The mushrooms I picked up at the farmers’ market ended up here

A simple pasta and mushrooms dish that isn’t so simple

I love fresh pasta, which is a problem

It takes a little more effort than cracking open a box of dried pasta eleven minutes before you need it

This is where the pasta starts

egg and flour

Can’t get any simpler

Well, I guess a banana is simpler

It even comes with it’s own wrapper

Anyway, pasta is still pretty simple

Lots more pictures of this

Start mixing

I know! Pretty complicated

If you don’t rush it, the mix comes together and you can start working it with your hands into a smooth ball

Yes, your fingers will get sticky

But, it’s a great hand workout

You will develop huge muscles all over your fingers

Let the dough ball rest, wrapped in plastic, for an hour or so to let it relax

Hell, have a glass of wine and relax, too. You just had an incredible hand workout, you deserve a treat

After an hour, it’s time to roll

I roll out my pasta with an attachment that fits on the front of my KitchenAide mixer, but you can also use a rolling pin. It should be thin enough to see some light through when you are done

Nice, long, even sheets. To cut, fold the pasta onto itself repeatedly. Be sure to flour between each fold. Don’t be scared to over-flour the folds. If they stick together because you didn’t flour enough, this was all for naught

Toss your sliced pasta into the air (not too high, you’ll attract cats with all that random movement) to shake the strands apart

You should end up with something like this. Now, get some salted water on boil

Get those mushrooms chopped and start sauteing them in olive oil

… add some chopped garlic to the mushrooms. When the pasta is cooked through, add it to the mushrooms and garlic. It will soak up all of that flavor

I love flavor

Flavor is the coolest