Fresh Pasta...Fresh Herbs...Fresh Vegetables...Yes! It's Almost Springtime!




Yes, it's almost springtime...almost...Temperatures here in Paris not yet so "spring that's sprung". Anyway, as if our strong wish could make things happen...we want to see green on our dishes, we want our meals to be lighter (eh oui, soon we have to leave our "manteaux" -overcoats, in the closets and show the world our "real selves"-OMG!), so just pasta with fresh veggies and herbs suited the occasion!


But it also happened that my dear Heavenly Housewife, from "From Donuts to Delirium", invited a blogger to join her making home-made pasta. I accepted the challenge for two reasons: First and foremost because for me, this "not so Heavenly Housewife"'s blog is almost therapeutical: HH writes using this typical, ironic, subtile English sense of humour that I love...and she makes me laugh, and for me, that's the best medicine..! Second, because home-made pasta is Sunday tradition, "chez moi" (at home), probably due to our Argentinian-therefore-Italian background...
The idea of "invite a blogger to your table" was actually started by Valli, from More than Burnt Toast. It is a good "challenge" to take a blogger-friend out of her/his comfort zone, and to share experiences, so I encourage you to do it too! 
Here are the rules:







1) Choose a dish to prepare and invite 1 blogger to create that dish with you. You can source your recipe from a cookbook, magazine, blog or any other source.2) Decide upon a date that you can both mutually post your recipe.3) Link back to More Than Burnt Toast http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com/ somewhere in your post.4) Please feel free to use the Avatar/Badge above “Invite a Blogger to Your Table.5) Once you have made your dish with your blogging friends and posted it or you can choose to stop or continue on and “invite another blogger to your table” to make something different.6) Cut and paste these instructions into your post and contact a friend.

But, going back to my dish, that could be part of Chefex (if you buy fresh pasta), you will need barely a couple of minutes to do this, because it is just a question of using a mandoline or sharp knife to cut raw zucchinis in julienne, slicing some mint leaves, chopping coarsely some hazelnuts, and adding a touch of lemon juice! 


What really feels me with pride is to share with you, this piece of my life: my 16-year-old daughter, and her father sharing this recurring self-imposed Sunday challenge, in our minuscule, not so full of light kitchen (yes, that's the negative side of the "grandeur Hausmannien")


We can barely move there, the photos come out awful! but I don't mind...We are happy sharing all this, and a "Hollywood" kitchen would not make our pasta better or tastier... We are a boisterous family, we criticize each other harshly, but then, two hours later, we all sit around this pasta, and we laugh, barely talk because we are hungry and the pasta is delicious...that's my Sunday lunch...as simple as that!




To make fresh pasta dough, you will need: 


*flour, 500gr *eggs, 5 *olive oil, 3tbsp * salt, one pinch

In a stand-mixer, with the hook, put the flour with the salt, the eggs and the olive oil. Start mixing slowly until the dough is formed. Then, flour slightly your work top, and knead the dough until the dough is resistant to your touch...it bounces back when pressed. Let rest for 30'. Cut the dough in small balls. Put your pasta machine in "1". Put the dough ball (previously flattened a bit by hand) in the slot. Pass it again several times until it is even.
Sprinkle the dough with flour if necessary. Change the machine to "2", then to "3" until desired thickness. Let the tagliatelle, or spaghetti rest and "air" to dry a bit, hanging from these hangers for 15'. In the meanwhile, put abundant water to boil. Once boiling, add some coarse salt, and put all the pasta in. Stir with a fork, to make sure it does not stick. Cook till "al dente". 


For the greens and herbs:


Cut the zucchinis (how many, depends on quantity of pasta and your taste) in julienne. Slice some leaves of mint (again, it depends on how strong you like to feel the mint), some chopped hazelnuts, and one spoonful of lemon juice. Before adding this, I sprinkled the pasta with olive oil, to prevent it from sticking.

Comments

Jenn said…
Gorgeous photographs, and I love your pasta hanging method! What a great idea :) I too am really excited about seeing all sorts of fresh green produce again, yay for Springtime!
You are making me want to buy a pasta maker, I've resisted thinking it would be too time consuming to make my own, but perhaps I was wrong. I'm sure the taste is divine when you make it fresh.
fromBAtoParis said…
@Sylvie:

Before, I used to think that making pasta was a big hassle..I was wrong! It is not complicated at all, it is quite fast, and nothing compares to fresh pasta!
Miriam said…
Qué las fotos en tu cocina salen mal???
A light and very flavorful spring dish! Perfect when made with homemade pasta.

Cheers,

Rosa
Unknown said…
You did such an amazing job, and you made it look so effortless LOL, mine almost had me shipped off to a spa for a week of recuperation :D. How come everything you do looks so easy and fantastic while I always look like I've been through a war? Thank you so much for teaming up with me. I'd don't think I'd ever get around to making this otherwise.
*kisses* HH
I am so glad that you rose to the challenge. No matter if you work in a postage stamp sized kitchen or all of our "dream kitchens" the excellent results would be the same. Thank you so much for participating in this challenge!!!
Val
Susan said…
Christina,

This is such a nice post. Your kitchen may be small, but you make it a very welcoming place fr us to visit! I think it's a wonderful idea to invite other bloggers to share the same recipe and 'talk shop' when the food has been made and enjoyed!

The pasta looks truly fresh and popping with fresh green flavors!

I hope your Spring has finally sprung there in Paris!
Stevie said…
Your pasta dish sounds perfect for spring. I really like the photos of the whole family working together to make it. Truly, it is a team effort for homemade tagliatelle!

Thanks for checking out my blog.
@Heavenly Housewife

It was a pleasure to team up with my "friend/neighbour" Only the Channel separates us...
Thanks for all the nice things you said about me;D
Anonymous said…
The more often you make fresh pasta, the easier and faster it goes--the only exception to this is making ravioli as they are really time consuming and only work really well if you have a small army of people helping you.

That dish does look like the perfect springtime meal--it makes me so excited for spring produce to finally come back to the markets!
Anonymous said…
I see the whole family was involved. There is nothing like home made...great post!
FOODalogue said…
Funny...I, too, did a pasta-vegetable dish for Val's event with my friend, Norma.

Seeing the pasta on the hanger reminds me of the stories I heard about my Italian grandmother -- they also spread the ravioli out on a bed sheet. :)

The best thing, of course, is sharing this with your family.
Claudia said…
You certainly put a spring in my step. All that freshness - lushness really - peeking out and hanging from a hanger. It's "almost spring" here and I am also thinking of celebrating with fresh pasta.
Magic of Spice said…
I think the photos are charming for one, and I don't mean that in "just polite tone"! There are not many things in this world more amazing than fresh pasta, and the ingredients you have accompanied it with are perfect.
Barbara said…
I remember coming home from school to find all the kitchen cabinets open with drying noodles hanging over them on top of dishtowels. My grandmother rolled out the dough, no pasta maker for her, and then boiled some up...draining and then adding to some browned butter in a pan; Swiss cheese topped it all off!

Not quite as healthy as your dish. :) The lemon makes it all so fresh and delightful.
fromBAtoParis said…
@Barbara

Thanks for sharing those lovely memories, Barbara!
Lori Lynn said…
Hi Cristina - looks so fresh and light!
Love the pasta photos!
LL
Adelina said…
Very impressive in that small Parisian kitchen! I am proud of your collaborate family efforts and blog-o-communion. Beautiful creation!
Unknown said…
I love seeing you and your family getting creative in your lovely kitchen. I like the team work aspect of making your pasta with another friend blogger. I also love this light pasta sauce and have to chuckle at the image of the shock of Springtime and removing our Winter coats, ha ha, in more ways than one;-)
SeattleDee said…
Such a lovely way to welcome spring. I too am ready to leave the season of cabbage and kale and welcome spring greens. Tonight's pasta will feature asparagus with lemon sauce.
cailen ascher said…
homemade pasta is always the best! what a delicious looking meal and fun family project : )

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