Homemade Fettuccine Round 2! Once I figured out how to pack flavor, color, and veggies into pasta I couldn’t stop. The first flavor that came to mind was tomato- specifically sun dried tomatoes. They have a distinctive, rich flavor and intense orange hue that would make the pasta pop. The only issue with sun dried tomatoes is they are dehydrated- meaning the water is literally sucked out of them and then they are soaked in oil and seasonings. So how do you add a dehydrated fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruit) to pasta? I’m so glad you asked!

Serves: 4                                    Prep Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

·        2 cups of your favorite flour (all purpose white flour, ‘00’ flour are both great options)

·        2 eggs

·        Half a jar of sun dried tomatoes (about 6 tomatoes)

·        Canned Tomato Paste (or sauce)

Recipe

1.     Add sun dried tomatoes to a medium sized pot and cover with water

2.     Slowly heat (medium heat) the sun dried tomatoes and water. You want them to reabsorb the moisture without burning. Most sun dried tomatoes are jarred with A LOT of oil and this can burn if heated too quickly or too hot. Heat slowly and keep a close eye to ensure they don’t burn!

3.     When most of the water is gone or the tomatoes are re-hydrated (whichever comes first), place them in a bowl and let cool in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

4.     In a large bowl (or on a clean surface), measure 2 cups of flour. Make a well in the middle for your wet ingredients.

5.     Once the tomatoes are cool, add them to the blender. Add a 3 tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 large eggs. Blend until smooth.
You may need to add a touch more olive oil or more tomato paste/sauce if not blending into a smooth paste. If your blender does not get all the large chunks, I would recommend removing any large pieces by hand to ensure smooth pasta.

6.    Pour the mixture into the center of the flour and knead until smooth. You may need to wet your hands or add a small amount of flour to get the right texture. You want the dough to be soft, but not sticky.

7.     Wrap the dough in saran wrap and let rest for 30 minutes (or more if you would like)

8.     After 30 minutes, unwrap the dough and cut into at least quarters. When working with a portion of the dough make sure to keep the rest covered.

9. Roll out each portion (by hand or with an attachment). If using the Kitchen Aid attachment, I roll to at least a 6 and up to an 8 if I have a thicker dough. You want it to be a substantial pasta (no holes), but also thin so it melts when you eat it. Roll it at a speed of 1 or 2.

10. When rolled to your desired thickness, you can cut the pasta with knife or with an attachment. Once again if using an attachment, run it through at a speed of 1 or 2.

To eat: Boil a pot of water and salt generously. Cook for about 3 minutes - fresh pasta cooks so quickly so stay close and taste test it frequently! Add your favorite sauce, spices, or veggies and enjoy!

To store: Hang the pasta to dry (on a dryer, or on kitchen surfaces- I use cabinet doors….) Once dry, I like to store in gallon size zip lock bags.

Tips:

·        I use ‘00’ pasta because it finer and great for getting that smooth, melt in your mouth texture

·        Experiment with the amounts of sun dried tomatoes, tomato paste or sauce, flavored olive oil, or other spices to make flavored pastas!

·        If you want to make more or less the rule I always go buy is for every cup of flour use one egg. So if you want to use 6 cups of flour, use 6 eggs! Then you can add bits of water or flour to get the texture just right.

·        This stores beautifully, so make it as a family activity or date night and save it for weeks of homemade pasta!