Thursday, July 21, 2011

Marcato Pasta Maker..the best in pasta makers!


I recently found one of these at a local thrift store for an entire 8 bucks! When I saw it I knew it was one of the good ones. It is all stainless steel and sturdy, made in Italy. The box was entirely in Italian and so were the directions book. I knew I found a good one. I prefer my kitchen accessories to be made in Italy. They make the best kitchen items! 



It comes with various attachments depending on what model you purchase.


This is the one I have:
Marcato
Here are the various combination models offered: Marcato Combination Pasta Makers


You can get various attachments for the machine as well. The base model is available here and does come in various colors such as pink for those who like a pink accessorized kitchen. :)




These are great to have! It's very easy to make pasta and all you need is some flour, egg, water and salt and a little time and patience. Once you make your own pasta you will want to do that every time you make a pasta inspired dish. I have made ravioli, fettuccine and lasagna noodles. You can add flavor to your homemade pasta which always gives a nice added extra flavor to the pasta when you bite into it. A little basil pesto fettuccine is amazing with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese.




Here is a quick and easy pasta recipe


Ingredients\


4 cups flour
4 eggs lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup of water
1 tbs Italian seasoning or you can leave it out or add your own seasoning. Basil pesto is another that goes well in the pasta.


Directions


Mix flour and salt in a medium bowl.  Make a well in the middle of the flour. Add the egg and mix. Mix til it forms a stiff dough, if needed add another tablespoon of water. 


Now turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 5mins or til smooth. Form into a ball shape, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Then slice into about 2 inch chunks and run the thorough the pasta maker til you get desired thickness or thinness. Once you have the pasta rolled out flat pick your attachment and make your pasta!