I love homemade pasta!

I've been wanting to try my hand at homemade pasta for a long time! After watching an episode of Ciao Italiana on PBS, I decided I was going to start with gnocchi. Gnocchi is a pasta made from potatoes and they are like little pillows of deliciousness!

 

Start with plain old Idaho Potatoes....I used 6 small potatoes to make 3 servings.

Bake the potatoes in a 400 degree oven for about 1 hour- until soft. Remove the skins and let the potatoes cool. Use a fork or a ricer to finely mash the potatoes.

Stir in 1 egg (beaten), a good pinch of salt, and flour a little at a time until the dough forms a ball.

I used about 1 cup of flour...and probably should have used a little more. Don't over knead the dough- just work it together until it's no longer sticky.

Cut the dough into quarters and roll each section into a rope. Using a sharp knife, cut about 1/2 inch pieces.

At this point, I put on a big pot of boiling water and started my Alfredo Sauce. In a medium saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter with half a cup of cream. I also added 3 cloves of finely minced garlic and LOTS of black pepper.

Heat the cream and butter over Medium heat until it starts to thicken, then stir in 1 cup of fresh grated Parmesan Cheese and another 1/2 cup of cream. VERY LOW FAT :)

After cutting the gnocchi, flour a fork and roll each piece down the back of the prongs. This gives the gnocchi little grooves to hold the sauce. Drop into boiling water and cook about 3 minutes...remove as soon as they start to float!!!

Add to the thick and creamy Alfredo sauce. Wouldn't you love to see the finished product??? I know, but I forgot to take a picture :) I was too anixious to eat it!!

Overall a great 1st experience with homemade pasta- one I will be making again very soon!