Fettucine with Red Pepper & Pesto Sauces

From the 1994 KLO dinner — Italy

This one was a mixture of homemade and kluge. The pasta was made from scratch, and we have pictures to prove it! The Red Pepper Sauce was made from roasted red bell peppers, pureéd, and thinned with something no one can remember. The Pesto Sauce was made with commercial pesto, thinned with olive oil. We piped it on the pasta making cute patterns.

Homemade Pasta

• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt (or substitute 1 Tbsp olive oil)
• additional flour for kneading & rolling

Place flour on working surface. Shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add salt & egg to well. Supporting the outside of the well with one hand, use a fork to rapidly mix egg with a circular motion, drawing flour from the inside of the well. When dough forms a solid mass, shape into a ball. Remove all caked flour/egg from hands & working surface. Lightly flour hands and working surface with all purpose flour and knead until dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour at this point if dough is moist or sticky. If dough is too dry, dampen hands and continue kneading. Shape into a ball and cover bowl. Let rest 15 minutes. Shape into noodles by hand or use a pasta machine.

Pasta Verde: Add 1/4 cup of minced, cooked spinach (drained & squeezed dry) when mixing in egg. Additional flour (1/4 to 1/2 cup) may be needed if dough is too sticky.

Pasta Rossa: Add 1/4 cup pureed canned beets (or beet baby food) when mixing in egg. Adjust flour as necessary.