Leslie Karst here, and today I'm happy to present an amazing homemade pasta recipe from our guest author, Kate Lansing, whose newest book, A Pairing to Die For, released just last week. Kate is giving away a signed copy of her new book, which GIVEAWAY you can find at the end of this post. Take it away, Kate!
Adventures in Pasta Making
I love pasta. Spaghetti, penne, farfalle, orzo. It doesn’t matter—if you boil it, I will come. No, not really, but you get the point. I’m a fan. A big, gluten-guzzling fan.
So, it may come as no surprise that I’ve long harbored a desire to try homemaking pasta. Especially when hosts on cooking shows lament over how easy it is. You just make a mound of flour on your countertop, crack an egg in the middle, add a drizzle of olive oil, and knead it together, right? Reader, it is not that simple. At least it wasn’t when I first attempted the feat. In fact, that particular experiment resulted in raw egg all over the kitchen and a hurried order for delivery pizza (if I’m being completely honest, this actually happened twice—TWICE).
When I was brainstorming recipes to include in A PAIRING TO DIE FOR, I knew I had to at least try homemaking pasta again. Plus, I’d dreamed up the most mouth-watering dish while writing the story that I was hankering to taste IRL—pumpkin ravioli in a sage and butter sauce.
After researching recipes to use as a base along with various cooking techniques, I discovered the secret: a food processor. With this handy tool, there’s no need to mix the flour, egg, and olive oil by hand! There’s still a decent amount of work, especially if you, like me, don’t own a pasta-maker machine or attachment, but hey, you can consider it your strength training for a day! And oh, it is worth the extra effort. The fresh pasta has a soft yet chewy texture and fresh flavor that’s to die for.
Below is the recipe I came up with for pumpkin ravioli in a sage and butter sauce, which I suggest pairing with an oaky chardonnay to really push it over the top. Hope you enjoy!
Pumpkin Ravioli in a Sage and Butter sauce
2 cups flour (plus extra for countertop)
3 eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup water
Pinch of salt
2 medium shallots, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
15 ounces canned pumpkin
½ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 sage leaves, chopped
¼ cup grated Parmesan
For the pasta, mix flour, eggs, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, water, and a pinch of salt in food processor until combined and dough has a sticky texture.
Knead dough on floured surface for 2–3 minutes. Place in bowl, cover, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Divide dough into 4 sections. For each, roll with rolling pin on floured surface, fold dough over, rotate, and roll out again. Repeat 7–8 times until dough becomes thin (~⅛ inch) and pliable.
For the filling, sauté shallots in remaining tablespoon of olive oil for 3–4 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add pumpkin, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir together and cook for an additional minute.
Dollop spoonfuls of filling onto pasta dough, roughly 1 inch apart.
Carefully lay another sheet of pasta dough on top and press around edges of each dollop. Cut out ravioli with cookie cutter, or use rim of a cup, creating pillows of deliciousness. Repeat for the other 2 sheets of pasta dough.
Bring pot of salted water to a boil and place ravioli in, being careful not to overcrowd. The ravioli will float to the top when they’re done, which should only take 1–2 minutes.
For the sauce, melt butter in pan and add sage leaves, bringing to a simmer. Cook for 2 minutes, or until fragrant.
To serve, place ravioli on plate with a healthy spoonful of sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan. (See photo at top of post.)
🍝 🌿 🍋
Kate Lansing is an award-winning short story author. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband, daughter, and a chair-napping tabby cat named Maple. Killer Chardonnay is her first novel.
Website: http://katelansing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lansingkm/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lansingkm
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmlansing/
About A Pairing to Die For: A young winemaker is over a barrel when her new boyfriend is accused of murder in this delightful cozy mystery. It's fall in Boulder, Colorado, and the leaves aren't the only things changing. Parker Valentine, owner of Vino Valentine, is finally settling in to her winery and her new relationship with Reid Wallace, a local chef. But their delicate pairing is endangered when Reid's estranged family comes into town to celebrate the opening of his new restaurant.
Reid and his family are immediately at loggerheads, given their often acidic temperaments, but Parker still wants to make a good first impression. However, her efforts might be in vain when Reid's sous chef is found dead in the alley behind the restaurant, and Reid is implicated in the murder. In order to save Reid, Parker will have to find the real killer, even if the truth is difficult to swallow.
Penguin Random House: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/621061/a-pairing-to-die-for-by-kate-lansing/
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Pairing-Die-Colorado-Wine-Mystery/dp/0593100204/
B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-pairing-to-die-for-kate-lansing/1137073696
Bookshop.org: https://bookshop.org/books/a-pairing-to-die-for/9780593100202
IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780593100202
I have never made homemade pasta but it is something I want to give a try at least once.
ReplyDeleteKitten143 (at) Verizon (dot) net
I’ve never tried making pasta. It’s a lot of work. I’m sure it is worth it. suefoster109 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThat looks yummy, Kate! I tried homemade pasta years ago and decided not to attempt it again, LOL. But I'm a big believer in the food processor, so maybe I'll try again. Best of luck with the new book! (Don't enter me in the drawing.)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Edith!! Yes, isn't the food processor amazing?! Definitely makes pasta--and so many other things--much more manageable!
DeleteThank you for sharing your recipe today. Looks yummy. When I was a teen, my mom decided to make pasta. I mean with seven of us, we went through a lot of pasta. LOL Anyway I got to help and we had so much fun in the kitchen. Music playing in the background and lots of laughing in the kitchen. Anyway, it seemed to take forever making it. But it was very tasty. Mom had decided to add some herbs to the mix. Everyone loved it so much, that once a week mom and either me or one of my brothers would help make a huge batch for the up coming week. And yes we would get creative and make different shapes
ReplyDeletequilting dash lady at comcast dot net
Lori, that sounds like such a blast!! And love that you got to be creative with the shapes. Thank you for sharing :-)
DeleteHubby and I both love to cook. We enjoy making our own pasta and it does taste a lot better than store bought. The one we make the most often is egg noodles.
ReplyDeleteThe recipe for Pumpkin Ravioli in a Sage and Butter sauce sounds delicious. Just reading the recipe (and even this early in the morning) has my mouth watering. This will be a recipe we will be trying.
Thank you for the wonderful chance to win a copy of "A PAIRING TO DIE FOR"! It's on my TBR list and I'd love the opportunity to read it. Shared and hoping to be the very fortunate one selected.
Have a wonderful Sunday! Be safe, stay healthy and have a little adventure - even if through the pages of a good book.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Thanks so much, Kay! Egg noodles sound like they would be super delicious homemade. Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, too!
DeleteI made Asian pork-cabbage-scallion dumplings from scratch yesterday for the first time, so that would be the closest to making a homemade pasta. The dough recipe is much easier than yours: just all-purpose flour, salt and boiling water. The filling was a lot more work and then making sure I did not overstuff the dumplings, but the effort was worth it!
ReplyDeletegrace dot koshida at gmail dot com
Grace, those sound *amazing*! Dumplings are something I aspire to cook! And you've given me hope that it's doable so going to look up some recipes... ;-)
DeleteThis looks absolutely fabulous! I love homemade pasta. After making the dough, I use a hand-cranked pasta machine that rolls out super-thin sheets of dough (great for ravioli and lasagna!). I bought it for something like 30 bucks twenty years ago. Best buy I ever made ;)
ReplyDeleteOoh, Amy, that pasta machine sounds like it would definitely come in handy! Going to have to look into one of those :-)
DeleteYour pasta looks delectable and enticing. I have never attempted homemade pasta. I do think I will this winter for a change. What a captivating book which I would enjoy. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried to make homemade pasta since it seems very involved and time consuming. I have to take care of my grandsons and they want food fast but on the weekend it can happen. The ravioli is mouthwatering and yummy. Thanks. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteI've never made my own pasta but I'd like to try. My grandma used to make homemade noodles a lot.
ReplyDeletekozo8989(at)hotmail(dot)com
I tried making spaghetti years ago. They blew up into fat worms. A bit off-putting.
ReplyDeletelibbydodd at comcast dot net
You crack me up, Libby!
DeleteLibby, lol, I can see how that would be off-putting! :-)
DeleteThanks, Leslie. I aim to amuse...most of the time. ;o)
DeleteI’ve never tried making my own pasta.
ReplyDeletesgiden at verizon(.)net
I've prepared home-made pasta several times now, and it gets easier each time. (The hardest part is the kneading, but I figure it's good for my arm muscles! And I do use a machine roller, which helps a lot.) It is SO delicious--truly better than the store-bought dried variety!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the new book, Kate--it looks terrific! And thanks so much for joining the MLKers today!
Thanks so much, Leslie!! I'm honored to be a guest on MLK :-) And agreed, kneading the dough is definitely an arm workout, but so worth it in the end!
DeleteI've never made my own pasta. I should try tho.
ReplyDeleteturtle6422 at gmail dot com
I’ve never tried making my own pasta. JL_Minter@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteNo. I have never made pasta by myself at home.
ReplyDeleteNancy
allibrary (at) aol (dot) com
I have made pasta at home but not recently.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
I have never made pasta at home, but your recipe looks amazing. The sage butter sauce sounds like a recipe I'll try.
ReplyDeletediannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com
Thanks, Dianne!! I bet the sage butter sauce would pair well with any sort of pasta! Hope you enjoy ;-)
DeleteI haven't ever made homemade pasta. I bet it tastes much better than store bought. Your recipe sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteI've never made pasta at home (too lazy), but those ravioli look like the perfect cozy carbs for a snowy day like today :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, totally get it, Mia!! They definitely would be :-)
DeleteI've never tried making my own pasta. Also don't have a food processor. I'll just stick to eating the store-bought kind. Stay safe and well.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried, sounds delicious.
ReplyDeletekaye.killgore(at)comcast(dot)net
Welcome to Mystery Lovers Kitchen! That was a spectacular post. We do make our own pasta, especially for holidays, but I've not done sage and butter variations. Thanks for the great recipe!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Mary Jane!! Happy to be here :-) Hope you enjoy the recipe if you give it a shot!
DeleteKaren B
ReplyDeleteI have never made my own pasta.. Your book sounds terrific!
kpbarnett1941(at)aol(dot)com
Nope! I am great at eating but not so much cooking!
ReplyDeletelindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com
I hear ya, Linda, lol! The eating is definitely the most enjoyable part ;-)
DeleteNever, not ever! But recently one of the MLKers posted a recipe for gnocchi that looked doable. I copied it for future use.
ReplyDeletepatdupuy@yahoo.com
The family tried making pasta as a group activity last Christmas. We needed many hands to catch and hold the pasta coming out of the pasta machine. It turned out ok.
ReplyDeletewskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com
Your recipe looks amazing! Pumpkin ravioli is my favorite. I have not tried making my own pasta. I'm definitely wanting to learn tho!
ReplyDeleteThat is for the chance! You are a new author to me!
jarjm1980@hotmail.com