Rosie Makes Semolina Pasta.

I've been having a hankering for some time now to make my own pasta. And I finally did yesterday.

2 cups semolina flour 2 cups flour 2 eggs, well-beaten 1/2 cup cold water 1 TB olive oil salt

I beat the eggs and added a tablespoon of Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil to the mix. Extra Light Bertolli is my go-to olive oil. It has no over-powering flavor like an extra virgin olive oil and it doesn't taste like turpentine. It's just a behind-the-scene olive oil that lends itself to whatever I want to do. I use the butter for flavor and the olive oil to bring up the smoke temperature. It's a nice symbiotic relationship.

I added 1/2 cup cold water to the mix.

I mixed the two flours and the salt and made a well, into which I gradually poured the eggs and worked the flour.

Working and pouring.

And kept adding the liquid and working it.

Pouring and working.

Almost another 1/2 cup of cold water was added to work the dough.

Along with flour, as needed.

I kneaded and kneaded for about 15 minutes, adding flour and water as needed until I got this lovely dough.

I floured it and covered it up with a plastic wrap while I fixed the fixin's.

I used maybe 1/3-2/3 of the semolina pasta dough for last night's dinner.

I started working the dough through my pasta machine at the lowest setting.

Folded it over and ran it through again. And again and again through the different settings, getting thinner and thinner.

Then I piped my sweet potato filling down the center. Recipe to follow.

I squished the pockets apart.

Crimped the edges.

Check this out. I have 7 settings on my pasta machine. I'm comfortable getting to number 5. Number 6 is tough. Never gotten to number 7.

This is the pasta on Number 6 setting.

Piping out the sweet potato filling.

Crimping.

Separating.

Here's the next type of ravioli I made. Mascarpone and ricotta cheeses, blanched asparagus and FROZEN green peas.

Now here's the sweet potato filling.

I peeled, diced and cooked the taters in salted water until tender.

Added buttah.

Salt and pepper.

Bit of squab spice.

Next I fried some sage leaves for topping.

And blanched some sage leaves for the sauce.

Sage leaves get plunged into ice water bath to stop cooking and set the color.

Drain on paper towels.

Next filling: asparagus.

Dice.

1/2 cup each diced asparagus and FROZEN peas.

Blanch for about 90 seconds.

Then into ice water bath.

My ingredients: blanched asparagus and peas mascarpone ricotta butter parsley parmesan Next is the topping for the asparagus and pea raviolis.

I put two Roma tomatoes in boiling water for about 20 seconds so I could easily peel them.

Peel, seed, and juice tomatoes.

Chopped onions, tomatoes, and parsley.

Melt butter in saucepan and add onions.

And tomatoes.

And parsley.

Cook, then add a bit of heavy cream. Sauce for the asparagus and pea ravioli is done. Now, the sauce for the sweet potato agnolotti.

First, I made a beurre monte. And what is beurre monte, you ask. Regular butter, in its solid state, is an emulsification of 3 components: butter fat water milk solids. When you melt butter, these 3 components separate. By boiling a tablespoon of water, then whisking in a tablespoon of butter at a time, over gentle and consistent heat, you can melt the butter and at the same time, maintain the emulsification.

Then I added some heavy cream.

A little buttermilk.

Salt and pepper and Dijon mustard.

I processed the blanched sage leaves, then poured in the beurre monte mixture.

And added a bit of lemon juice at the end. Sauce done. And it's delicious.

I tossed a few of the sweet potato agnolotti and the asparagus/pea ravioli (What's the difference between agnolotti and ravioli?) into boiling water for about 4-5 minutes.

On the left, my asparagus/pea concoction with a tomato basil/parsley sauce. Did I forget to mention I put some chopped fresh basil in there? On the right, sweet potato agnolotti with sage cream sauce.

And on top of the sweet potato agnolotti with the sage sauce, I added fried sage leaves which sends it to a whole 'nother spectrum.

Mascarpone and ricotta cheese with blanched asparagus and green peas, with a tomato/onion/parsley/basil/cream sauce.

With a sweet potato stuffed pasta with a sage/beurre monte/cream/mustard sauce topped with fried sage leaves which are to die for.

Sage pasta.

Asparagus/pea pasta with tomato cream sauce. Now, while I was making semolina pasta, creating the stuffings, and making the sauces, Mr. Hawthorne was thawing out his crab cakes, which means, I told him where to find the crab cakes in the freezer and he left them on the counter and I went back to my work, while he hied to the sofa with the remote control and watched another stupid movie.

Melted some butter in a pan. Added the crab cakes.

Browned one side and turned over.

Served with tomato cream sauce and remoulade sauce (recipe from Lucky 12 Tavern), and lemon.

No filler. All crab. Delish. You will not find any of these dishes in a restaurant.