Stained Glass Pappardelle

Stained Glass Pappardelle with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto Sauce
Inspired by Jamie Oliver

Hands on time: 2 hours (actually, time was a blur, so I have no real idea, but we think it took about 2 hours start to finish - mostly because it was our first time and we were experimenting)

Serves 4
Ingredients:
Pasta:
2 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs
Small, well shaped herb leaves (we used Italian (flat leaf) parsley & basil)
All purpose flour to dust the table top so the pasta won’t stick

Sauce: really rough estimate on quantities…it was just “a little of this and a little of that” that would work with the sun dried tomato pesto we had.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch red chili pepper flakes (or more if you like things really spicy)
¼ - ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
¼ - ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 anchovy filets, mashed
2 tbsp sun dried tomato pesto
1 cup grape (or cherry) tomatoes, halved
½ cup pasta cooking water
½ cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
½ - 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Directions:
Pasta:
1. This time we used Joanna’s new Braun food processorwhich simplified things dramatically. If you don’t have one you can follow the traditional way to make it here.

2. Cut the dough into four equal portions. Place them on a flour dusted counter and flatten.

3. Pass each ball through the pasta maker as directed. We went to level 9 (the thinnest we could go).

4. Lay the thin pasta sheet on a floured surface and place the leaves on half the pasta sheet, across the shorter side so you can fold over the other half and feed it through the pasta maker again. Because we were going to use the pappardelle attachment to her pasta maker – just because we HAVE one),

We placed the leaves so they would not be cut by the pasta maker. (Actually, a sharp knife would have done the job better). When folding the plain pasta over the leaves, press quite hard so the leaves won’t fall out when you thread it through the machine.

5. Pass the “filled” pasta through the pasta maker one last time also on the thinnest level of the pasta maker. Another option would be to use a rolling pin for the last step. The leaves will be incorporated into the dough, as if by magic.

6. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes.

Sauce: (less than 10 minutes)
1. In a large skillet, over medium heat, sauté the chopped onion, mushrooms, chili pepper flakes and garlic over medium heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms are golden (about 5 minutes) Add the olives, artichoke hearts, anchovies, pesto and tomatoes. Toss well and sauté for several minutes until the tomatoes soften. Add a little pasta water as needed.

2. Just before serving, add the parsley and half the feta, toss and taste for seasoning.

To serve: Place the pasta in a large serving bowl, top with sauce and toss. Sprinkle with additional feta cheese and fresh chopped parsley.

Actually this sauce packs quite a punch and I think next time I make stained glass pasta, I’d use a simple pesto sauce or just some olive oil and garlic. That way the real flavor of the pasta shines through.

Related links: Food and Drink Easy Cooking recipes Presto Pasta Night Pasta Food Blogging Event