I’m not sure how I got there (possibly @wrightkitchen …gorgeous pics), but through some mutual Instagrammers that I follow…you know “you might like” “friend’s of” etc… I landed on @saltyseattle and followed her. Go check out her Insta account right now and just look at her gorgeous pasta creations! They’re colorful, fun and whimsical!
I was very lucky, and so excited, a few months ago to win The Cook’s Atelier cookbook from another Instagrammer, @thefrancophiles (have I mentioned how much I love Paris & France in general?) I’ve looked, from cover to cover, through the stunning photos and loved the stories that are shared about French life and the mother-daughter journey of getting to this place in their lives, but wow those recipes take some dedication and time. I think I am going to try the gougère recipe at some point, but that might be my only foray into French cooking. This leads me back to Salty Seattle and the excitement of finding out she had a cookbook coming out in October. Seemed a bit more manageable and fun for me.
Oh, how I wanted to make fun pasta! I ordered the book, borrowed a pasta making machine from a friend, shopped for the very specific ingredients, and had so much fun this past Saturday trying my hand at pasta making. First I read her very funny commentary throughout the book, which made it less cook-booky and then dove right in. Some people start with basics, perfect them, and then move on to the “advanced” techniques….but that’s not me. I’m impatient and wanted to make polka dot pasta, so I skipped to the “advanced pasta sheeting techniques” section and went for it! I wanted red pasta with black dots. The end result wasn’t perfect…I’m also not a perfectionist…but it was reasonably two toned, fun to make and gives me something to practice and strive for next time….i.e thinner dough, more “black” ingredient, and use of a rolling pin when making patterned dough to make it more manageable.
I realized when I was done, that the rolling out of the dough and the feeling of accomplishment when I was done was a bit akin to Pizza Monday. A fun activity that delivers yummy results…and probably different every time, like pizza! I envision future pasta making sessions with the grandkids…fun and messy…and kind of like playing with playdough!! Yes, I’m getting a simple pasta machine for myself!
Go buy this cookbook, check out her Youtube channel, and have fun making colorful pasta…no dyes, just natural colorants from nature!
