Simple Joie De Vivre~

I love the fact that I was blessed to enjoy simple things.
Like playing around in the kitchen~
I was totally taken this week at FG and TS w/ the Daring Bakers Lasagnas..
I thought to myself.."try that Spinach Lasagna"..and I did:)



Pasta is so simple.. eggs..flour..some oil..some herbs sometimes..
Simple beauty..



In the above recipe.. fresh finely chopped spinach was added..The person that got me going had this..




A simple spinach pasta heart..all the lasagnas in the world didn't motivate me..but the heart did.I wish I had kept the info of the poster..I am indebted:)

What a wonderful wonderful pasta recipe..Will I ever be able to eat a regular one now?

I had home made sauce..I made the béchamel..we had the cheese.. I just had to make the pasta..A meal that was just perfect tonight here in QC..Dark..raining and humid~

It's Sat. tonight..I often write my blog ahead of time..

Tonight's the night:)

Anyways... the recipe is divine..



We had a side of 5 Minute Artisan Garlic Bread and Jacque's wine..It was just delicious!

It's funny the final encouragement was purchasing a pasta machine yesterday..But w/ all the spinach in this recipe..I feared it would stop the process going smoothly so I rolled it by hand and used the hand roller/cutter I bought in Italy..

Do you see the boot of Italy? Beautiful..inoubliable Casteluccio...

We missed the poppies there.. they are known for those.. but saw the boot..the mist.. the hay..the unimaginable views..One of the MOST spiritual places I saw. Even compared to all the riches of Italy..this landscape held THE simple charm I love.





What wonderful memories making pasta .. brought back.. Classical music playing..raindrops on the windows...It's just nice to like being home.


I did use my machine for another recipe..it will be a later post..I LOVED it!

Here is the Lynn Rossetto Kasper recipe.. for the pasta only..

#1 Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)

Preparation: 45 minutes

Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 1 pound (450g) dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (2 ounces/60g or more)
10 ounces (300g) fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 6 ounces (170g) frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3&1/2 cups (14 ounces/400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:

Equipment:
A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.
A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.
Mixing the dough:
Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.

Kneading:
With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Stretching and Thinning:
If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagne, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm). Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

I cooked mine straight away.. 2 + minutes..and assembled the lasagna w/ my mom's sauce recipe ..and my béchamel and cheese.And I used 3 eggs as mine were not JUMBO.

It is unusual that I will eat everything on my plate(not that part) but go and eat more..:) I did w/ this.So delicious!!!