Comments on: Fresh Fettuccine with Baby Portobellos, Green Beans and Sage in a Cream Sherry Sauce

By: Kari

Kari — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:50:49 +0000

I have the same pasta machine but it did not come with a manual. I have been having problems with the machine, but have been unsuccessful in locating any “trouble-shooting” info. Does your manual have an address I could write to or would you be willing to email me with some info? Thank you.
By the way looks very yummy. I can’t wait to try it.

By: m

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 23:55:26 +0000

I have a similar pasta press.

Man. I must have 2 left hands when I use the thing. How does one person operate it? I always seem to need a third and fourth hand in order to get everything moving properly with dough going through.

10,000 italians are spinning in their grave right now as I write this.

I had a run of successes and then a string of dazzingly failures the last few times I’ve used it. I fear it and now it collects dust in the corner. I can’t be this useless can I?

By: cathy

cathy — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:54:35 +0000

Thanks for the tip about the half-and-half, Amanda Rae and SMDNY! I think I tried it once with a “vodka sauce” (= soup), but it sounds like a good idea in this case.
Masticator: I was just thinking of sweet potatoes, too! Thanks for all the tips.

By: masticator

masticator — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 18:19:08 +0000

I almost only eat fresh pasta(I have tried making a few kinds of asian noodles but haven’t done very well yet) and I am glad you have found the pleasure that is making and eating it.
I will second the Pasta Queen – I have my mother’s which is 30 or so years old and still works perfectly(although the little foot on the clamp broke off on the uneven bottom edge of my counter).
I recommend fooling around with adding other flours to the dough. Rye, almond, chestnut, cornmeal and whole wheat have all been pretty interesting. And steamed and mashed japanese sweet potatoes make for a nicely chewy texture and a mild chestnut taste.
Now you will have to invest in buying or building a drying rack for the noodles, which at least keeps them separated before you are ready to cook them.

By: SMDNY

SMDNY — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:23:07 +0000

Ditto on the recommendation for half and half instead of cream – I’ve used it in brandy-cream sauces and it was just fine.

By: amanda rae

amanda rae — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 17:16:43 +0000

Throughout high school, I held a job as the “Pasta Chick” in a section of a gourmet market. My job was to roll and cut sheets of fresh pasta, to order. We had a number of flavors: garlic-parsley, sundried tomato-basil, whole wheat…and squid ink. This was before I really knew that squid ink pasta was a delicacy in classical, European-inspired restaurants. Brings back memories!

Also, you could *try* substituting fat free half and half for the cream to create a low-fat version, though the results of that final dish might ultimately fall flat.

By: Aoife

Aoife — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:47:37 +0000

Wow, freshly made pasta – so ambitious! I love what you’ve done to the site, by the way. The white scroll behind the text makes it very easy to read.

By: Yvo

Yvo — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 14:23:10 +0000

Wow, $10- what a score!!! And your pasta looks absolutely lovely.
Since you mentioned it, will you be making udon or any Asian noodles next? Those don’t use the pasta crank do they?
My bf told me when he was in Italy, he’d see the nonnas all making pasta … using a “guitar” he called it. They’d strum on it with the sheets of dough which would fall away in strands of pasta…. sounds wonderfully dreamy.

By: joanne

joanne — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:38:01 +0000

I love making pasta. I have that same machine, I bought it many years ago, for $40. My only problem with that machine, is that the clamp doesn’t fit my counter well. I watched an episode of Alton Brown’s Good Eats, and he suggests using an ironing board. Use some type of bracket and screws to secure the roller to the board. The plus side is that the cotton cover doesn’t need as much flour and it helps dry the pasta out. So I have a portable iron board I use just for this. There is nothing like fresh pasta! I ran across a recipe from Napa’s Tuscanny cafe for hankerchiefs in sage butter. Basically 5 inch squares of pasta drizzled in the butter and served simply. The pasta dough had about 2 c of white wine in it. It was delicious, but honestly a lot of work. I just make simple egg pasta and forget the wine. I love making simple, fresh dishes instead of eating out.

By: SMDNY

SMDNY — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:15:28 +0000

Congrats on the new toy! I just finished Bill Buford’s book Heat, where he has a few chapters about the differences in fresh and dried pasta and on learning how to make pasta in Italy.