I have been wanting to try my hands at homemade noodles for some time now and, having stumbled across a recipe that promised me I didn't need a new KitchenAid attachment to do so, I decided now was the time. The process was incredibly easy, the end results were incredibly delicious. Though I'm sure we will rely on dried store bought noodles from time to time, I'm also sure I'll be doing this a lot more often.

Pappardelle is a wide ribbon Italian noodle. I made two different kinds—a standard white flour noodle and a spinach noodle. Of the two our favorite was actually the spinach noodle, and I have a it on my list to try a whole wheat noodle next time as well.

Homemade pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 2 cups flour
  ● 2 large eggs
  ● 1/4 cup water
  ● 1-1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Put 1-1/2 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center of flour and add eggs, water, and olive oil. Stir until flour is moistened and leaves the side of the bowl.

2. See step two (and on) below,

Homemade spinach pappardelle

Ingredients:
  ● 1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
  ● 1 large eggs
  ● 1-1/2 cups flour
  ● 3-4 tbsp water
  ● 1/2 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. In a blender or food processor, combine the spinach and egg; cover and blend until pureed. Put 1 coup of the flour into a large bowl; make a well in the center and add the spinach puree, 3 tablespoons of water, and the olive oil. Stir until well blended, adding additional water if it seems dry.

2. Turn the dough out onto a slightly floured surface and gather it into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic, adding as much of the remaining flour as need to keep it from sticking (be careful, though, too much flour will make for brittle noodles).

3. Shape the dough into two equal balls; wrap each ball in wax paper and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

4. Working with one ball at a time, place the dough on a lightly floured surface and flatten it into a round withthe palm of your hand, then use a rolling pin to roll it into a rectangle about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. If the dough is too elastic to roll out, recover and allow it to rest longer. Once rolled thin, cover loosely with a towel and allow to try for 30 minutes.

5. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough to desired width of noodle (pappardelle is usually about 3/4-inch wide). Separate noodles and allow to dry for another 30 minutes to 2 hours (I draped mine over my cooling racks. I also have a friend whose Italian mother does not dry additionally but just drops the noodles right in to cook, so I'll be trying that next time).

6. To cook noodles, bring salted water to a boil and add noodles for just 2-3 minutes—they cook fast, so don't overdo it!

And here they are, served with spicy Italian sausage sauteed in olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic with julienned red and yellow peppers, and vidalia onions and garnished with chopped fresh tomatoes and basil (from our garden!). This was superb!

First off, yes I know that isn't mostaccioli in the picture. The original recipe called for mostaccioli but I had whole wheat rotini just begging to be boiled, so that's what I used. I didn't change the name, even though I made several changes to the recipe itself, because Mediterranean Rotini doens't sound as good, and because next time I'll probably make it with whole wheat mostaccioli anyhow. We liked this one. Especially with a little freshly grated romano on top it was a real winner.

Mediterranean Mostaccili

Original recipe: Better Homes and Gardens
Yield: 4-6 servings
Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
  ● 12  oz. whole wheat mostaccioli
  ● 3 cloves garlic
  ● 8-16 oz. ground beef
  ● 3  cups sliced zucchini
  ● 1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
  ● 18 oz. pasta sauce
  ● 1/2  cup shredded carrot
  ● 1/2  cup snipped fresh basil
  ● 1/2  cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Directions:
1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook beef, eggplant, garlic, and zucchini over medium heat until meat is brown; drain off fat. Stir in pasta sauce, carrot, and basil. Bring to boil then reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for about 2 minutes or to desired consistency, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

3. Transfer pasta to a serving dish and cover with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.

Enjoy!