Over the weekend I felt a spark of ambition and decided to make pasta from scratch. Made the dough, rolled it out in the hand-cranked pasta-maker (after literally dusting it off) and set the noodles on racks to dry. It's been awhile, too long, since I made fresh pasta. I'm rusty. The noodles came out twice as thick as they should've been. Tasty but way too thick.
The sauce, on the other hand, was delicious - for one based on canned tomatoes. These were canned tomatoes from Italy, though, packed whole, in their own juice with no salt or anything else. I squeezed them in my hands as I put them in the pot, as my Italian friend Christine taught me long ago, and then had a brainstorm. Wonder if any herbs have survived this latest blast of cold weather?
You probably know the answer. The herb garden had parsley, tiny sage leaves and a surprisingly robust oregano, as well as mint everywhere. I gathered up a handful, shivering despite the bright sun, and brought them in. Just the hint of sage and broad-leaf parsley, the twinge of oregano and the wave of mint - brought summer to mind. Yum.
You could really taste the herbs, and I didn't feel too bad about the tubby noodles. I have plenty of time to practice and by the time I'm where I need to be, the herb garden will be overflowing once more.
