Pasta, Sauce and Bread

I had no errands to run or any place to go today so I decided to make cavatelli pasta.  When I went to the store to get the ricotta for the pasta and some stuff to make sauce for it, I thought it'd be nice to have some sort of fresh bread with it so I started looking for that too but decided I'd make my own at home.  It's been a long day of cooking and here are the results!

I got the bread dough going first.  This is the recipe I used:

Italian Sesame Bread

I made it just as instructed except that I put some vital wheat gluten in with the flour.  I did not have any of the dough improver that was optional so I threw 4 tsps of the gluten in there instead.  Would it do the same thing...have no idea but I figured it wouldn't hurt at all.

Here are some pics:

This is the dough shaped with the first of 2 egg washes on it.

 

This is the dough after rising and with the second egg wash and sesame seeds on it.

Here the bread is done.  The left end split a little bit as it rose while baking but it looks like it will be a nice, soft loaf of bread.  I had in mind to make crusty bread but this will do...I never turn any kind of bread away.

Next, I got the pasta dough started.  Here is the recipe I used:

How To Make Cavatelli Pasta By Hand

I won't go into too many details as to the process here because the page the recipe is on does.  I will tell you though, it is a long process indeed...as the author of the recipe states.  I did not deviate at all from the recipe as this was my very first time making homemade pasta and I wouldn't even know what to do if I were to change it up.

Here are some pics:

                                    

I had to weigh out the ricotta...could not find a 16 oz container, they were all 15 oz, so I bought a 2 lb container and weighed out the 16 oz I needed.

Can you see the little guys?  They kinda blend in with my counter and the flour...look closely though, they are there. (You can click on the pics to make them bigger to, if you want)

Here the little guys are after being shaped with the dough scraper...it's pretty cool to see them transform into their final shape.

       

Here's the whole crew.  There are 3 layers of them in the baking dish with plastic wrap or wax paper in between to help them from sticking to each other.  They are now in my fridge awaiting their swim in my big pot.

As I was shaping these, I noticed that I am not the best at keeping the sizing consistent and that they were holding onto a lot of the flour I was using to keep them from sticking to each other.  I decided a test run was in order so I boiled up a few to see if it was just a disaster waiting to happen and I should be making alternate plans for dinner.

What a little bowl of lovely...they cooked up very nicely and tasted great.  I put some sauce on them that I've had simmering and I can say that I am sooooo looking forward to dinner tonite.

The sauce I made is nothing special.  I am an extremely picky and will only eat sauce that I make so I know what is in it.  I don't like onions...no, let me rephrase that, I H-A-T-E ONIONS.  I also don't like chunky tomatoes or chunky anything else in my sauce either.

This is what I do for my sauce....I know it's not anything authentic or way out there for deliciousness, but it's what I like and therefore, it's what I make....

I take one 29 oz can of tomato puree and add this to it:

crushed garlic

salt

pepper

basil

oregano

honey

grated cheese (I used freshly grated romano today)

Add however much of whatever you want to the puree and warm it through or let it simmer for a while...it's up to you.  I don't know that I notice too much of a difference if I let it simmer vs. just getting it nice and hot and then eating it.  It just felt right today to let it simmer on the stove while I was doing all the other work.

This is what the pan looks like before I stir it up.

I will be making meatballs as well but have not made them yet...I usually use this recipe:

Baked Italian Meatballs

So, that's it for today...I think that's enough though.  I am wiped out and hungry.  Can't wait for 6:00 to roll around so I can eat...yum!

Happy Cooking.......