By Doug Sanders
The Sheridan Press

I learned some things this week. First, pasta dough is super easy to make and the end results are worth the effort. Second, I think I enjoy working with doughs the most in the kitchen. Give me some flour and I’m a happy camper.

I was able to score some KitchenAid pasta attachments pretty cheap over Black Friday and I immediately put them to work. I have always wanted to include homemade pasta recipes in my column, but getting the dough to the correct width looked like a ton of work. Granted, to come to that conclusion, I would watch 90-pound Italian grandmothers roll away at dough for a bit like it was just something they were born knowing how to do. Plus they had sophisticated setups with a hundred different kinds of rolling pins and large work areas — something I did not have.

Now I do. The rollers are even made in Italy. You could say things are getting pretty serious now around here on the pasta front.

Like I said before, pasta dough is super easy to make if you have a KitchenAid with a dough hook and the patience to sit there and add tiny bits of water at a time until it is just right. Throw some salt, flour and egg in the bowl and watch the magic happen.

Maybe in the future I will get fancier and throw some spinach in there or something, after some practice of course. I warned you all from the beginning of my columns, you all are on a journey with me of trying things I haven’t done before. Some are just fine, most are pretty good and some are fantastic.

I am planning on doing a year in review piece in a few weeks picking out my favorite dishes from this first year at the helm of the Taste page. If you have some favorites you liked, or ones you hated, email me your feedback at dsanderspress.gmail.com. I might write about pasta until then to get the hang of my new toy. Next, I will likely feature a tortellini soup, perfect for cold December days.

Get the recipe!

About The Sheridan Press
The Sheridan Press has served Sheridan County, Wyoming, since 1887. The award-winning independent newspaper offers print and online news delivery platforms to the thriving community, which boasts a college; a lively arts, culture, and music scene; a bustling downtown; and many other amenities, including unlimited outdoor recreational opportunities. To subscribe to The Sheridan Press, click here.