Italian Date Night - Homemade Rigatoni

After getting a Kitchen Aid pasta maker and eating homemade pasta, I found it is really hard to go back to the store bought brands . The “doughiness” of the pasta causes the noodles to absorb the different flavors of the sauce. Once my husband and I decided to make homemade pasta for dinner, it was time to decide what recipe to use. After a long time of searching, we decided on a summer pasta recipe, but we switched the tortellini for homemade pasta.

Having the pasta attachment for the stand mixer is helpful and makes the process a lot easier. I am still working on the texture of the pasta dough because the stickiness affects how the pasta comes out of the pasta maker. We ended up making two batches to have plenty of noodles for the main dish. Here is the recipe we adapted from food.com:

1 Batch of Pasta Dough

2 Cups All Purpose Flour

2 Eggs

1 T Olive Oil

3-4 T Water

Pinch of Salt

Add all of the ingredients into a food processor, but start with about 3 T of water and then add more if the dough is not coming together when pulsed. Once the dough is somewhat formed into a ball, remove it from the food processor and put on a cutting board. Knead for 10 minutes until elastic and smooth. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit for about a half hour at room temperature (You can use this time to prepare the rest of the meal.)

Once the dough has set, separate it into small balls of dough and put them into the pasta maker. We decided on the rigatoni shape. If you notice that the rigatoni is coming out and sticking to one other, then roll the pasta back into a ball and add some more flour before adding again to the pasta machine. If the pasta is not coming out how you want it to, you have the flexibility to try make it again. I lined a rimmed sheet with parchment paper to lay out all of the pasta, so the rigatoni would maintain its shape and not clump together. It takes a few tries to figure out how to cut the rigatoni at the right length without flattening the shape. 

Boiling the homemade rigatoni did not take as long as store bought. It was about 5 minutes due to the thickness of the pasta. Strain the pasta and then later add to your other ingredients.

For the rest of the pasta dish, chop the garlic and tomatoes, and slice the prosciutto into thin strips. Then remove the husks from the corn. Pull down the different leaves of the husk and then when you get closer to the corn, make sure you grab a handful of the strings and remove as much as you can. I then like to wash my corn under water to remove the rest of the strings. Then using a cutting board or a wide bowl, carefully use a knife to cut off the corn from the cob. Keep in mind the corn will go everywhere. 

Now for the butter! Melt the butter in the saucepan, and yes, the 1/2 stick of butter looks like a lot, but it is totally worth it. Add the garlic, corn, salt and pepper to the butter. Cook the corn until softened about 5 minutes. Once softened, pour the corn mixture in a large bowl and add the tomatoes. Combine the ingredients before adding the pasta. I do not worry about adding pasta water to the mixture because the butter provides enough of a sauce. Add some fresh basil to the pasta before serving. 

The summer vegetables and homemade pasta made for a delicious meal! This recipe tastes just as good with the tortellini, but the homemade pasta takes it to a whole new level. Bon Appétit!