yeah, but will you use it?

so every time another kitchen gadget joins the kitchen club, i always wonder if it was worth it. we just rediscovered the juicer recently, but it sat in the cupboard for the last two years. the potato ricer was used the handful time times i made gnocchi (ok, twice) and apple corer/slicer was not all i hoped it would be. even the pasta maker, that i LOVED, was so. much. work. and mess. and time. 

but the electric pasta roller was probably the best purchase i have made (thanks to the MIL's gift certificate!) we have already used it a dozen times, most of them during the week. we have found that it takes about an hour, still long after a day of work/gym, but it is totally worth it. well, most of the time...

the ravioli last night was kind of a disaster. if you were forced to partake in my nyc ravioli nights, you know there is a learning curve with the pasta machine. i gave up on ALP a long time ago - gummy and bland - there was no texture. i moved to semolina (thanks james beard!) and found success; josh and i mastered the consistency and the ratios and how to work with the dough. when we ran out of the whole foods brand we were using, i finally got to use the semolina my wonderful sister/wife brought back for me from bologna! but the flour was so different, it was like starting all over again. so back to tough, dry, cracked dough. we rolled it out, but it dried out quickly, so by the time i made the filling, they were like cardboard. after they were filled and cut, they needed MAJOR surgery. cut to a starving me and josh sitting at the kitchen table, dip dip dipping our fingers in the water and then dab dab dabbing the raviolis, putting them back together. i looked at the table and it looked like a MASH unit. they all made it through their water-bath, but they were tough and chewy. now we know. 

the spinach fettucine tonight was fabulous! i cooked down some spinach and garlic, salt and pepper and pureed it into a nice green paste. mixed with some of B's semolina and an egg, and we had some nice fresh pasta - right from the machine to the pot. some cheese and done! this is def a repeat recipe.