Pastanxiety, or how I learned to stop worrying and make homemade noodles.

Thanks to the miracle that is instant social networking, all of Twitter now knows that making my own pasta was quite possibly one of the most stressful experiences of the year. I thought I'd share the melodramatic pre-pasta breakdown, the live tweeting of the main event, and the (almost) edible results. Consider it confessional pastanxiety therapy, so I can move on from tonight and never have to think about it again.

allisonejones: We're attempting to make our own pasta tonight, and I'm really nervous. Like, really nervous. #pastanxiety

RadioConelrad: Unless you're making the pasta with nitroglycerin, what's the worst that could happen? (fettuccine al qaeda?)

pdxlilly: When I have made pasta, I used regular flour, one egg, and some water! Really simple. Can even roll it out with a rolling pin.

allisonejones: I don't have any semolina! Help! Do I need semolina? I don't even really know what semolina IS! #pastanxiety

billgalusha: wait, what.. a food question from @allisonejones ?!!? it's a kind of flour, and yes, I believe it's pretty crucial.

hedinthecloudz: When Jen makes pasta the way her Italian boyfriend's Italian mama taught her, she just mixes regular flour and an egg.

hedinthecloudz Also, Jen and I (when I help) always mess up and have to add water because we didn't mix the egg+flour quite right. Also fine

allisonejones: Recipe says mix pasta ingredients as if mixing cement. Who do they think I am? Maybe we should just give up + go to @pastaworks

amigadehelado: are you making pasta by hand or by machine? Don't be afraid. You don't need semolina. I like egg and flour best anyway

allisonejones: Making it by hand, worried that I've got people coming over and it'll take too long and/or be a total gummy disaster...

amigadehelado I use the Babbo basic recipe. Once you get going, pasta rolling goes fast. Stuffed pastas harder. + you have panna cotta

allisonejones: I was just informed that pasta has been found to reduce stress and anxiety. Nice try, internets. I've still got the #pastanxiety real bad.

amigadehelado: I say go for it. Effort means more to me than perfection when someone is actually cooking for ME

allisonejones: Stay tuned for live tweeting of Pasta Fiasco 2k10, starting @ 6! Keyboard will be covered w/ flour+eggs, but I'll need support. #pastanxiety

allisonejones I've heard of using guitar strings to cut pasta. I wonder if Sam Cooper would mind me using the guitar he left in my apartment. #pastanxiety

foxtotally: this #pastanxiety endeavor of yours sounds like a Haruki Murakami nightmare. Are you the only participant?

allisonejones: @foxtotally Nope, I've got a fellow pasta neophyte tackling the endeavor conmigo. It was her dammed idea. Luckily she's not on Twitter. [after-the-fact edit: Alix, don't buy all my twitternonsense. It was fun! I don't think it was a bad idea, and we had a great night. But my fears were TOTALLY warranted, admit it...]

foxtotally: Throw a couple wet ones against the wall and Twitpic what it spells! #pastanxiety

foxtotally: My guess is that it forms the likeness of a minotaur #pastanxiety

allisonejones: I don't even know if homemade pasta sticks to walls! How do I know when it's done!?! It cooks too quickly to have time to check!

allisonejones: If the homemade pasta fails tonight, I've a free delivery coupon from @pdxpedpow as Plan B. Man the phones dudes, who knows what'll happen.

allisonejones: My horoscope says to take "reasonable risks" today. "If you can consult with an expert you should do well." Help! I need a pasta expert!

allisonejones: I'm so ready. Homemade pasta, here we come. Checkout my bowl, BOWL:



allisonejones: OK guys, here we go. Dumping cups of flour on my dining room table, which is making my OCD itch uncomfortably. #pastanxiety

allisonejones: Cracking eggs into said flour and preparing to "mix as if mixing cement" whatever that means. Bright yolks make me a lil less anxious.



allisonejones: Mixmixmixmixmix... hey it's kind of working and isn't chasing me like a raptor. But the eggs are spilling everywhereohgodtheeggsareEVERYWHEREohgod...

allisonejones: Doesn't seem very elastic... adding more water... more oil? Ugh. Don't want a #pastafail

amigadehelado: After you mix/knead it's gonna need to rest before it becomes elastic.

allisonejones: Letting it rest... do I knead more afterwards? #pastanxiety

amigadehelado: Nah, you don't want to work the gluten too much esp. since you still need to roll it.

allisonejones: Ok, rolling it out... it's not getting very thin. Not worrying too much about it as I'm frying up bacon, onions, mushrooms and fresh peas.



allisonejones: Ok, water's boiling, here we go! 2 minutes... oh wait, it stopped boiling. BLAH. #pastanxiety

allisonejones: So, it's totally, ridiculously, chewy. Think it was too thick but it TASTES like pasta...

allisonejones: OK: Pasta is pretty chewy, but the sauce is phenomenal (because it's cream and bacon and peas, duh.) so it's not a total #pastafail


So that happened and now I never ever have to do it again. It's like canning and real gardening - I'll leave that stuff to people who really love it, and I'll keep eating my salads and waxing poetic about vegetables and how much I love to cook when the fact is, when it comes down to it, I really just love chopping and mixing flavors and eating good, simple foods. Homemade pasta still totally scares me. Maybe if I had one of those attachments for my KitchenAid that rolls and flattens the pasta, but, honestly, I can get such good, fresh pasta at the farmers' market and not have days like today where I stress about kneading flour and eggs for hours before I actually do it. I just don't get the appeal.

Actually, I think the real answer is going to Italy and having some Nonna teach me how to do it correctly. Yep, that's a good plan. Until then, I'm gonna let my jaw rest and get over the chewy semi-disaster that was Pastagate 2010. Thanks for not unfollowing me, everyone. You're real troopers.

Also, let the record state that, once again, bacon makes everything better and good friends make culinary failures kind of fun. Plus, there's always dessert.

Browned Butter Eggs with Ramps and Miatakes

I don't have too much time to rhapsodize this week (my Thesis draft is due on Friday!) but I picked up so many quintessential spring foods at the market yesterday that I couldn't not share.

I used to hate eggs - my sisters would always ask for fried egg sandwiches for breakfast before school, but I was usually happier eating leftovers from the night before. I still like savory things for breakfast, and have never really craved pancakes or waffles, but my attitude about eggs has completely changed. I don't want to insult my parents, but the eggs we ate as kids weren't anything like the kind I can get at the market. If I had access to these eggs back then, with their near-orange yolks and adorable blue and brown shells, I'd likely have eaten them every day.


Miatakes from Springwater farms (above) and ramps in my market basket.


For this rather decadent meal, I sauteed chopped miatake mushrooms and spring ramps (also known as wild leeks, great wild-gathered spring onions that have a great garlicky flavor, pink and white stems, and flat, green leaves) in a bit of butter, and in a separate pan, made a bit of brown butter, and fried some fresh eggs. They weren't the platonic form of fried eggs--they were, in fact, kind of brown--but oh, goodness, they were delicious. I piled on the mushroom and ramp mixture, added some chives, and toasted up some sourdough. Yes. Eggs have certainly come a long way.

Some people think you need to do something elaborate and time-consuming with local produce to really get the most out of it, but I think it's the opposite. Simple preparation, a little butter and salt, and you've saved time and tasted our local foods at their best. Using things like eggs, pasta, good bread, and good butter and olive oil, you don't need to have fancy tools or techniques to eat really, really well. And don't worry if things get messy - if it tastes good, and it makes you happy, eat it. Even if its a rather ugly egg.

Baked Huevos Rancheros with Squash, Peppers, and Soyrizo

I've got so much food left to use before tomorrow's market. Next year, I'm getting a half share. It's Friday, and I've still got a bunch of cauliflower, fava beans, and a big pot of lentil-veggie soup I made up yesterday that will probably find its way to the freezer. Maybe I just need to have more dinner parties.



I bought a bottle of enchilada sauce at Trader Joe's last week, and it has been working its way into just about everything I eat. I was going to make a simple eggy scramble with some fresh squash and peppers from the CSA box, but I thought, why not jazz it up a bit and pull out a ramekin for some baked eggs.


Uh oh, now you know the sad state of my non-stick pans...

While the oven was preheating to 350 degrees, I diced and sauteed one yellow pattypan squash with one green chile, and added a bit of soyrizo, a soy version of chorizo that I also got at TJ's. When such a cool store is literally across the street, it's hard not to pick up fun stuff like that. I added a bit of enchilada sauce and spooned the mixture into a ramekin, topped with some shredded cheese, and cracked an egg on top. Into the oven for about 10 minutes, though mine took longer because I really hate runny egg whites. Just keep an eye on it, until it's cooked how you like it.

That's it! Pretty simple, I just topped mine with some greek yogurt and pico de gallo salsa, toasted up some sourdough, and enjoyed some brunch in my pajamas. Life is good. Anyone want some veggies?



Eat well!

CSA Round-Up!

Hi friends! The blog has been on the back burner for a few weeks, as I've been on the road, all around Oregon. I'm gathering photographs and experiences of this great state for a series of paintings, and along the way I'm spending a good deal of time camping and hiking, generally kicking my butt in some of the most beautiful places on earth. I'm living out of my van, equipped with a small grill, an ice chest (usually without ice), dry goods like beans and rice and seasonings, and enough veggies to live on week to week.

This weekend was the second week of my CSA farm-share, and I am happily drowning in produce. My friends Ron and Joan Baune over at Rainyway Farm in Hillsboro have been positively spoiling me with vegetables (and berries, too!) every Saturday. Here's what I had this week:

Two pints of raspberries (which went straight into the freezer because they were so ripe)
Yellow and Green Summer Squash
Red Leaf Lettuce
Green Leaf Lettuce
Kale
Bok Choy
Fava Beans
Sweet Snap Peas
Carrots
Spring Onions
Scallions
Two Tomatoes (SO GOOD)
Garlic Scapes
Two Heads of Cauliflower
Radishes







Such a bounty! The CSA hasn't really affected the way I eat and plan my meals - I'm pretty used to eating some combo of the vegetables in the fridge, but the weekly veggie box acts to focus my culinary energy a bit, and with the extra perk of challenging me with some ingredients even I am unfamiliar with, like fava beans. It's pretty fun to whip up a curry or soup with whatever is in the fridge, and it feels almost like a race against the clock, coming up with enough dishes to use the fresh veggies or freeze meals before the next Saturday's onslaught of delicious.

One of the most comforting dishes that embodies this sort of use-what-you've-got style of cooking comes from my mom - Eggy rice and veggies. I know. Everyone's mom probably does this, and it's a feature in a lot of ethnic cuisines, like the Korean Bibimbap or other versions of fried rice. This is one of my ultimate soothing foods - leftover rice, chopped onions and whatever vegetables I've got on hand, and an egg or two, a splash of soy sauce or chili-garlic sauce, topped with fresh herbs. So simple, so filling, and it takes me right back to my childhood kitchen, having breakfast with mom.



I used a yellow squash, garlic scapes, a spring onion, chopped bok choy, and some leftover saffron rice I had in the fridge. Topped with fresh basil, this was a great way to start off the weekend.

I'll show you my camping kitchen set up tomorrow. Until then, eat well!