I never thought I’d suggest that anyone go out and purchase a fancy-shmancy pasta maker. Each time I saw one — unused, unwanted — sitting on a table at a garage sale, I snickered to myself, “sucker!” These gleaming machines were misguided wedding presents or, perhaps, relics of short-lived culinary inspiration.

Then, for my birthday last year, my dear and wise sister mailed me my very own “Al Dente 5-pasta set” from VillaWare. Reluctantly, I unboxed the silver contraption, considering the date of my next garage sale. I bolted the thing to a table-top and gave it a whirl. Just one batch and I was hooked. How could I have been SO wrong? Homemade pasta is a thing of incredible beauty. Transcending any sauce you could possibly apply, it’s plump and succulent, with crooked edges that lend rustic appeal. If ever you needed an excuse to drink red wine and listen to Puccini, homemade pasta is it.

I now place my pasta maker in the “pry it from my cold, dead hands” category.

The dough is extremely easy to make. You just pour the prescribed amount of flour into a bowl, create a hollow in the center where you put the eggs and slowly stir the two ingredients together. A little water can be added if the dough is too dry. Your pasta will be especially lovely if you add some chopped fresh basil or oregano (though I admit, I’ve been too lazy to try this myself).

If there is a difficulty to making pasta, it lies in the rolling. It’s not complicated, this shaping and slicing, it’s just time consuming. Not nearly as time consuming as making pasta without a pasta maker, however. I once tried to make ravioli with a rolling pin. The dough was so stiff, I almost got carpel tunnel syndrome trying to flatten it out. With a pasta maker, you simply insert a blob of dough and easily crank it out thinner and thinner with each pass through the machine. Lastly, you run the dough — now a nice, uniform sheet — through the slicer to create fettuccini, spaghetti, angel hair, even lasagna noodles. Lasagna from homemade pasta is especially tasty; the noodles bake around the edges and at the bottom almost like a flaky, delicious crust.

Another suggestion is to roll out pasta sheets for ravioli. Lay the pasta on a floured surface and plop on little piles of filling (whatever you like: sausage and ricotta, mushroom and onion, parmesan cheese). Then lay another pasta sheet over the top and press down around the filling with the open end of a small juice glass. Seal the ravioli with your fingers or a fork. You can even freeze them for later.

I realize I’m starting to sound like Ron Popiel here, but I wholeheartedly suggest you get yourself a pasta maker. Keep your eyes open at those garage sales this spring.

Basic pasta dough

4 eggs

3 cups flour

water (optional)

Pour the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well or hollow in the center. Break the 4 eggs into the well and blend slowly with a fork. Combine the eggs and flour until well blended. If the dough mixture is too wet, gradually mix in a small amount of flour. If the dough is too dry gradually work in a little water.

Spread a little flour very lightly on your table top. Place dough mixture on table top and knead firmly until it is of a consistent color and texture. Form dough into a mound shape and cover with a damp towel. Important: Let the dough rest for at least 10-15 minutes. This allows the ingredients to further blend together. Cut the dough into slices that are about 1/4 inch thick. Always keep that portion of dough that you are not using under the damp towel so that it does not dry out.

How you proceed from here will depend on your pasta machine.

Tasty ravioli filling

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. butter

1 cup chopped yellow onion

3 tbsp. chopped shallots

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound mushrooms, chopped (any mixture of morel, porcini, and crimini)

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2-tsp. lemon juice

1/4-cup white wine

3-4 tbsp. chopped sundried tomatoes in oil

2 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley (if using dried, use half as much)

1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme (if using dried, use half as much)

1/2-tsp. black pepper

salt

Add the olive oil and butter to a medium-hot frying pan (do not brown). Sauté the onion, shallots, and garlic until soft. Add the chopped mushrooms and continue to sauté until soft. Stir in the mustard, lemon juice, white wine, and dried tomatoes. Simmer until juices evaporate. Stir in the parsley, thyme, and pepper. Salt to taste and cool.

Recipes and suggestions can be sent to vogel@whidbey.net.