2-Jan-2014

Homemade Pasta and Stana's Special Tomato Sauce and Meatballs

I love pasta, I simply do. And I love tomato sauce, this is a quintessential for my family and for me. So now that we have a pasta machine at home I simply couldn't resist making some past with meatballs and tomato sauce, all from scratch. I always feel so accomplished when I cook something from scratch, like I'm the best chef out there. Or at least that I actually know what I'm doing. To be honest, I was tiny bit scared from making my own pasta, because I'm picky and I like good food, so I usually buy the best possible pasta in the shop, just to make sure that I have covered all my bases. Luckily, it turned out that making pasta is so easy that even a baby can do it. Highly recommend trying and doing your own pasta at home, if nothing else it's an experience worth remembering.

Ingredients:

For the Pasta:

• 3 Eggs
• 1 Cup of lukewarm Water
• Flour (as much as it takes to make a not-sticky dough)

For the Tomato Sauce:

• 2 Tomatoes
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 2 Tomato Cans
• 2 Onion
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Olive oil
• Fresh Basil and Parsley
• Pinch of Sugar

For the Meatballs:

• 1kg Minced Meat
• 1 Onion
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Cup of Breadcrumbs
• Salt and Black Pepper
• Cumin and Basil

How-To:

For the Pasta:

1. Start by mixing the eggs with two cups of flour.
2. Then add the water, stir well and start adding flour, kneading the dough until it makes a nice ball, not sticky, not too soft nor too hard. It should look like this.
3. Let it rest for up to 20 minutes and than you can proceed thinning it out and cutting it in the desired form. I did tagliatelle using a pasta machine that thins the dough and cuts it in the desired shape. 
4. Alternatively you can go old-school and use a rolling pin and a knife. The taste of the pasta will be the same and both methods are equally time-consuming.
5. After you cut your past all you have to do is boil it (for best results add 1tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the water). Since it is a fresh past it takes only 2-3 minutes to be done.
6. When cooked drain and pour cold water on them to cool them of. And they are ready to serve!
   

For the Tomato Sauce:

The easiest most delicious sauce ever. According to my Mum - THE basic recipe.

1. Start by peeling and cutting the onions and the garlic cloves.
2. In a deep pan heat olive oil and add the cut vegetables.
3. Stir them every now and then until the onion turns transparent.
4. Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and add a pinch of sugar - that will prevent them from turning sour and unpleasant.
5. Stir well and let cook for minute or two.
6. Then add the rest of the tomatoes (i.e. those from the cans), add the salt and pepper and let cook until it starts to boil than turn down the heat for 5 minutes and add the diced bell pepper.
7. If you want you can add a spoonful of flour to thicken-up the sauce and still well. And this is it. Let it cool down for at least 15 minutes then puree it with a hand blender, adding the fresh spices.
8. Serve warm.

For the Meatballs:

1. To make those meatballs as healthy as they can be - bake them in the oven. Preheat your oven to  180°C/ 350°F/ 4 Gas Mark.
2. Dice the onion and mix all the ingredients together, making a smooth mixture.
3. With your hands form small balls, no bigger than walnuts.
4. On a baking tray put baking paper, grease just a little bit with olive oil  and put the meatballs.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until ready.

Et voilà ! 

Simple yet delicious dinner from scratch! I would recommend consuming it with red wine and fine company!

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