How to make homemade spinach pasta?!
How to make homemade spinach pasta?
I know how to make the pasta dough, just need help on the spinach part. then, what's the best way to dry it? Will it stay fresh long enough for me to send it in the mail?
Answers:
You could juice it with a juicer or blend it in the blender and strain the fibers out to get spinach juice, then use that for the water in this recipe or just use the juice with the fibers in it....you could dry on the counter or in a 100 degree F oven to speed it along? You could use one of those sealer/packagers to get the air out so it could stay fresh when shipping.
Eggless Pasta
"Anyone on an eggless or low-cholesterol diet will appreciate this recipe."
INGREDIENTS
2 cups semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup warm water
DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, mix flour and salt. Add warm water and stir to make a stiff dough. Increase water if dough seems too dry.
Pat the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes. Cover. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
Roll out dough using rolling pin or pasta machine. Work with a 1/4 of the dough at one time. Keep the rest covered, to prevent from drying out. Roll by hand to 1/16 of an inch thick. By machine, stop at the third to last setting.
Cut pasta into desired shapes.
Cook fresh noodles in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.
SPINACH CHICKEN PASTA (VERY EASY)
4 chicken breasts
16 oz. chopped frozen spinach
16 oz. Alfredo Sauce
4 cups of any pasta noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons parsley, for decoration
season as desired
Cut chicken into 2 inch pieces and sauté with olive oil in frying pan. Boil noodles according to package directions. Heat spinach.
Combine noodles, spinach and chicken in skillet and simmer over low heat.
Add Alfredo sauce, simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Bon Appetit!
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PASTA WITH SPINACH PESTO
1/2 c. walnuts
2-3 cloves garlic
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed & drained
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. water
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. oregano (optional)
1 lb. pasta
Combine walnuts and garlic in food processor and process until chopped. Add spinach, Parmesan, oil, water, salt and spices. Process until well blended. For a thinner sauce, stir in additional water. Toss with cooked pasta. Good with tomato sauce or as is. Can serve hot or cold. Spinach pesto freezes well for later use.
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PASTA AND CREAMY SPINACH
3/4 lb. pasta, cooked and drained
1 cello pack of spinach or 2 frozen pkg.
2 tbsp. butter
1 sm. container Park skim ricotta cheese
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. plain yogurt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop spinach fine. Melt butter in saucepan and cook spinach until most of moisture is evaporated, 5 minutes. Turn heat low and stir in cheese, etc. Finally add pasta. Major protein for vegetarians. 6 servings.
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PASTA AND SPINACH SALAD
8 oz. corkscrew pasta
8 oz. Cheddar cheese, cubed (2 c.)
1 lg. green or red pepper, cut into 3/4 inch pieces
1/3 c. sliced olives
3 c. torn fresh spinach
MARINADE:
1/2 c. olive or vegetable oil
1/3 c. vinegar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. dry oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 clove minced garlic
Mix marinade in shake container; set aside.
Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Mix hot pasta with marinade, cool to room temperature. Add cheese, pepper and olives. Mix well. Chill several hours or overnight. Before serving, add spinach. Mix gently to coat salad. Serves 8.
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SMOKED HAM WITH SPINACH PASTA
1 (12 oz.) pkg. spinach pasta
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 c. butter
12 oz. smoked ham or prosciutto, cut into julienne strips
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen spinach, thawed & well drained or 1/2 lb. fresh spinach, washed, drained & chopped
1/2 c. ricotta cheese
1/4 c. finely chopped walnuts or whole pine nuts
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1 1/4 c. light cream
Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
1. In a large pot, cook pasta al dente, according to package directions. Drain, return to pot and add 2 tablespoons oil; toss to coat. Cover to keep warm.
2. In a large skillet, over medium high heat, melt butter. Saute ham or prosciutto and mushrooms until ham is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
3. Add drained spinach to skillet and saute until cooked through. Add reserved ham and mushrooms to spinach. Keep warm over low heat.
4. In a small bowl, combine ricotta, nuts, marjoram, and cream. Pour into ham and spinach mixture and heat through. Add all ingredients to pasta and toss gently to blend. Salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a warm serving platter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately. 4 to 6 servings.
Spinach Pasta Dough
5 ounces fresh spinach, blanched and squeezed dry
1 pound all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and blanched spinach. Process to mix well. With the machine running, add the eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil through the feed tube, and process until it resembles wet cornmeal, about 2 minutes.
Take a handful of dough at a time and form into a firm ball. Repeat with the remaining dough. Roll out each dough ball into desired shape in a pasta machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and serve with desired sauce.
I think everyone missed the whole point of your question!
Do you have a dehydrater? If so, use one bag of spinach, squeeze out the excess water, layer evenly in the dehydrater for about 3 hours. Once it is ready, you may place it in a food processor to break it down finer, then add to your pasta recipe. I would then recomend placing it in the dehydrater to finish drying it and it would stay fresh long enough to ship.
www.bulkfoods.com sells spinach powder (and sun-dried tomato powder). It works right into the dough instead of having chunks. That's how manufacturers do it. And it comes out with the same consistency as store-bought.
Blanch the spinach and wring out all of the water that you possibly can. Chop the spinach with a knife or a food processor and add it to your pasta recipe...you may need to adjust the flour ratio slightly to compensate for the liquid in the spinach. If you have a dehydrator that's the way to go for both the spinach and pasta drying. If not hang the pasta in a low oven till dry. It might make it in the mail but depending on distance/time it's a crapshoot.