Not all of us are Italian... But that doesn't mean we can't make fresh pasta!!

I have been dying to make fresh pasta for awhile now, even though I have attempted it before. When I did it previously, I did not have a pasta roller, which definitely made things more difficult.

I finally got one (yes I am accumulating every kitchen gadget possible) and I absolutely love it!! On this lovely Sunday, I made agnolotti (similar to ravioli) and farfalle (bow-tie) pasta!

Agnolotti

I filled the agnolotti with puréed carrot, broccoli, scallion, and tofu that had been marinated in a peanut sauce. I had made a calzone earlier this week with the same ingredients and I'm having fun making  Asian=inspired dishes fused with Italian techniques :) Agnolotti is similar to ravioli because they are stuffed pastas, but they are made slightly different. I found a wonderfully simple and easy method for these gems from this YouTube video. I have a ravioli press that I will try out soon, but I wanted to try agnolotti first. Look how cute they are!!

I've had the fried bow-tie pasta at Copeland's and decided to alter that for these little stuffed pouches. I don't like frying things because it's not healthy and makes a mess all over my kitchen! So I have been translating every fried recipe to oven baking instead. These agnolotti boiled up in no time at all and I drained and rinsed them in a colander to cool them. I then dunked each one in an egg/soymilk mixture and then into a seasoned breadcrumb powder. Broiled for about 10 minutes or so in the toaster oven and voila, look how they puffed up!! I used extra tofu/peanut sauce topped with scallions and spicy sesame oil as a dipping sauce. This would make awesome party/superbowl food! I am looking forward to trying it again with a spinach and "tofu ricotta" mixture and dipping them in marinara sauce!!

I had leftover pasta after filling my agnolotti so I made little farfalle pasta. Super easy technique found on this YouTube video. 

I'm freezing the farfalle pasta and extra agnolotti for a yummy meal down the road :-D If you've ever wanted to make fresh pasta, I encourage you to go ahead and try it!! It's so rewarding making your own and it tastes delicious!