only in Montana OR fresh pasta

There are a few special dishes that families only make once a year.  Sometimes they are so time intensive that it may be impractical to make the dish more often.  Some things are associated with specific holidays or celebrations.  Some dishes may just seem out of place if they are made anywhere else or at any other time.

Fresh pasta is that way for me.

Rolling out pasta dough on the oversized well-worn bread board at our cabin in Montana is how you make pasta.  Grammy and I mix the eggs and flour in the butter-yellow pyrex bowl that has been there since the fifties.  Then we dump the floury, shaggy dough onto the board and knead it until it is smooth and elastic. We laugh and talk and take turns with the rolling pin when our arms give out.   After slicing the pasta thin with a pizza cutter, we let it dry out on the board.  Usually, our noodles get tossed into a massive pot of turkey noodle soup. 

Oh, I've made pasta plenty of times at home.   My husband loves it!  My kids like helping me mix the dough.  I have a nifty pasta roller that clicks on the counter and my girls help me churn.  I have tried several different recipes and we even make filled pasta sometimes. 

But to me, the real way to make pasta is in Montana on my great-grandma's bread board.


Fresh Pasta
by Mario Batali

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
4 eggs

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough is a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.

Note: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.

I am the "sister chef" OR Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

When my sister Brynn was in college, I was debating on what to get her for her birthday.  As a college student, I knew she didn't have much room in her shared apartment for much "stuff".
 Book?  To be read after graduation probably.
Money?  Pretty impersonal for my sister.
Movie or gift card?  I'm sure it would have been appreciated since movie/date money is hard to come by for a college student, but it didn't feel right.
Food?  Ah, yes.
 Is there anything that tastes better that "home food" when you have been living on cold cereal, bagged salad and string cheese for a whole semester?  I think not.  That year, Brynn got a big brown paper sack full of homemade frozen stir-fry dinners, pasta dishes and quick breads.  I kept the thank you note from her that had more exclamation points than I've ever seen describing how great this gift was.  I love that.
After Christmas break, when my youngest sister, Bailey, wanted to make a few things to take down to SUU with her for the next semester- I was happy to oblige!  Brynn, Bailey and I looked through my well-worn recipe book, made our list and headed off to the grocery store.  We loaded our cart with the makings for Lasagna Roll-Ups, Nana's Stuffed Peppers, Honey-Oat Granola Bars, Meatballs and Baked Chicken.  We chatted, chopped, laughed, sauteed, mixed and pretty much had a grand time being together.  Both my sisters have called to tell me how great it's been to have a meal ready to go from the freezer.  I know the feeling.  I love being able to pull out a pan of Lasagna Roll-Ups, toss a salad and enjoy dinner with my family.  Freezer meals are enjoyed at my house at least once a week and this is one of our favorites.

SPINACH LASAGNA ROLLS
from Skinnytaste-  my comments/adjustments are in blue

Ingredients:

• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked   (might as well cook up the whole box and make two pans!)
• 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained   (fresh, washed leaves work well, too)
• 15 oz ricotta cheese   (I have used small curd cottage cheese with great success)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• salt and fresh pepper
• 32 oz tomato sauce  (homemade is best!)
• 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded   (we like it a little cheesier at our house)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.

Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.

To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.