At the beginning of March, when I knew I was in for the long haul, I treated myself to a kitchen gadget I have been wanting for quite a while: the KitchenAid Pasta Extruder. It was a gift: to me, from me, love me.
Normally, I prefer my Atlas hand-cranked pasta maker, or a good rolling pin for flat forms. But have you tried making fusilli that way? Or bucatini? Or maccheroni? I am sure it can be done somehow, but I figured this machine was the answer.
Was it the answer? Yes, and no. I know that, with some practice on my part, it will be really good. But — as with many gadgets — there is a pretty steep learning curve. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t difficult at all… more tricky, you might say. Getting the dough consistency right. Making sure the machine is at the ideal speed. Cutting the pasta from the extruder fast enough, yet not too fast. Tricky. … … And then there is the clean up…
Today, I have created a new pasta shape. It’s called Radrizzati, which translates to “straightened.” The pasta form you see here was supposed to be fusilli. But for any number of reasons, it just didn’t fusle. There is a theory that, if you run the machine faster than the instructions advise, it will fusle much better. In the end, I really don’t care that it didn’t twist because the shape I ended up with holds the sauce perfectly.
Today’s recipe is less about the gadget, or the pasta shape, and more about the luxurious sauce I made. This is one of my absolute favorite sauces, and it works on a variety of pasta shapes, and also on gnocchi. It is my tomato saffron cream sauce. It’s not a traditional recipe; it is one I devised decades ago, and I return to it often.
I use fresh, ripe tomatoes, the finest saffron from Spain (thank you, Susan!), and thick, rich cream. What is not to like? My technique for the fresh tomatoes is to halve them on the equator, then carefully grate them on the large holes of a box grater. The skin stays in my hand, and all the pulp goes through. (See video after the post.) I love this method, and I think you will, too.
~ David
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John / Kitchen Riffs
July 18, 2020 at 8:05 amWhat a terrific sauce! I almost never use saffron in a pasta sauce for some reason. Don’t know why, because I really like it with tomatoes, and it’s wonderful with cream. Neat dish. When it comes to making pasta, much as I love my Atlas machine, I almost always just roll it out on the kitchen counter these days — it’s just about as fast, and no clean up for the machine (although that doesn’t take long). Years — decades!! — ago we had a pasta extruder. Don’t remember the brand, but it did a fairly good job. But it was impossible to clean! Well, not literally, but it took a long time. We went back to dried, boxed pasta whenever we wanted pasta that any kind of shape to it. Easier, although I know that sometimes I’m missing out. Anyway, neat dish — thanks.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 1:59 pmJohn – I am all over the place when it comes to making pasta – rolling it out on the counter, using the Atlas, mixing by hand, mixing with the KitchenAid… or food processor – I am willing to (and do) use every method because I enjoy the experimentation. And I need the culinary therapy these days! Definitely try the sauce with saffron – really quite good!
Christina Conte
July 18, 2020 at 10:02 amOoh, I think your pasta looks lovely and adore the added saffron to the sauce! Will look forward to seeing your fusilli in future, too! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 1:59 pmThanks, Christina – I hope you try and enjoy it! And, if my fusilli ever fusle, you will be among the first to know!
Gloria Roa Baker
July 18, 2020 at 12:37 pmI love this recipe, looks delicious and love the sauce David!
Take care
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:00 pmThanks so much, Gloria – I hope all is well in Santiago.
Jean | Delightful Repast
July 18, 2020 at 3:56 pmDavid, what a beautiful post! Love the look of your straightened pasta, and that sauce is something I need to make really soon. Really liked your video. Visually beautiful, your wonderful voice, and it was short and to the point; in other words, perfect!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:01 pmI so appreciate your kind words about the video, Jean – given another tomato (I was out after that one), I would have done one more take. But I was generally happy with it. This sauce is proof that just a little cream can go a long way.
Eha
July 18, 2020 at 5:59 pmLove your video . . .and the shape of the pasta you created -the ‘right’ size and appetizing to look at ! Glad you are having fun experimenting with your new ‘machinery’ ! And shall remember to reach more often for my saffron ! Most of my homemade pasta comes about by the rolling-pin method . . . at the moment here we have three wonderful Italian cooking series on TV and, lately, all have been teaching various tricks of the trade to make interesting pasta shapes without any outside help . Fun trying !! Sauce: I am certain it is delectable, but for the second time this morning, I have to state the obvious that if one has not has a bottle of cream in the fridge for decades that prep may be impossible 🙂 ! Yoghurt, ricotta et al often do come into play in this kitchen . . .
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:02 pmThanks so much, Eha – and I think you can make this sauce easily using a little ricotta. It will add just the right creaminess!
Ron
July 19, 2020 at 5:51 amWhen I saw your IG post yesterday I was excited to read your post. What a great Sunday read. I also have played with extruding pasta with a number of challenges in the beginning and still. What I found worked for my Ankarsrum Assistant pasta extruder was using a dough made from 3 parts coarse semolina (durum) flour to one part liquid. But with that said, it’s still an adventure every time I make an extruded pasta. I think your Radrizzati looks brilliant and now I know what to call my fusilli that doesn’t stay twisted.
Great video and a good tip. I had to chuckle at your comment regarding tucking in your fingers as I grated more than a tomato more than once. Your sauce looks amazing. I’ll have to try it when next I make pasta.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:04 pmThanks for the pasta recipe, Ron – I will definitely try that, as I have some wonderful, locally produced semolina just waiting to be fusled (or not). I had fun with the video – notice how careful I was not to show my fingertips? That is because many of them have gone missing between the grater and the mandoline!
sippitysup
July 19, 2020 at 4:48 pmI keep coming back to this post with its beautiful sauce without commenting. Partly because I love the sauce with its touch od saffron, but mostly because I know there’s a joke in “straightened pasta” but I just can’t come up with it! GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:05 pmThis may possible be among my favorite comments ever. Keep trying – I am SURE you can come up with something clever and devastating. lol
sherry
July 19, 2020 at 11:39 pmsadly the only thing not to like (for me) is tomatoes. I am not much of a tomato fan so i find all the Italian recipes a wee bit much 🙂 and guess what?! i don’t like pasta much either. yep i am a sad case of it. but i am sure this is delicious! and saffron with cream is always a goer.
cheers
sherry
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:07 pmHi Sherry – I don’t know many pasta dislikers (except those who cannot have it medically) but tomatoes? That is another story. So many people dislike them. But, as I am always wont to say, “Less for you means more for me!”
sherry
July 19, 2020 at 11:40 pmdid i express myself well there? maybe not. i didn’t mean your italian recipes; i meant italian recipes in general are not my thing if they have tomatoes – and pasta 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:07 pmAbsolutely knew what you meant! 🙂
2pots2cook
July 20, 2020 at 1:06 amLove everything about this one. Saffron especially !I make all pasta using rolling pin and fingers but started to think about getting a machine to make all that quicker way. Before I do that, a little research is to be done …. while awaiting for another great pasta shape, stay safe and healthy 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:09 pmOne thing I like about the machine is that I get a better knead on the pasta than if by hand. My favorite machine will always be my Atlas. Have had it since college and just adore it. Have given it (and a recipe) to many young people for a wedding gift.
Gerlinde
July 20, 2020 at 4:36 amI love this sauce and will make it soon. We had a pasta machine 15 years ago but I seldom used it because I found somebody is n our town that made fresh pasta twice a week . I also loved your video on how to grate tomatoes. Have a wonderful week.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:10 pmI think the only time I ever bought pasta from a shop was when I wanted to make fresh lasagne. Otherwise, I really enjoy the process.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
July 20, 2020 at 9:15 amLove you pasta dish as well as your video…I do hope that are more ahead. We had a pasta extruder years ago with brass dies for making all sorts of shapes. Each year when we were in Italy we would look at cooking stores for more shapes. As you say, it is not easy to get the shapes to come out correctly. With that in mind, it was a piece of kitchen equipment that I sold during one of our many moves.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 20, 2020 at 2:11 pmOh, your pasta machine sounds wonderful – I think the brass dies would make a beautiful work of art! And aI certainly wish I had been at THAT yard sale! Thanks for your kind words about the video – maybe there will be more to come!
Valentina
July 20, 2020 at 5:06 pmBeautiful sauce! Beautiful pasta! Love the video, too. I also like grating tomatoes, but I’ve only done it this way to salt and dip bread into. Not sure why I don’t always do it. I will now. And how fun to get a new kitchen toys you love. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
July 23, 2020 at 12:01 pmI find there is something very satisfying about grating the tomatoes, and I like the way it cooks up into a sauce. But I have never dipped bread it in… but will now! Thanks for that little nugget of wisdom!
Priya
July 21, 2020 at 8:11 amDavid, I saw amazing reviews for kitchen aid pasta extruder just 2 days back and I already started making my list 😉 This pasta sounds really yumm. Saffron is our must-have kitchen ingredient as we use it in various desserts and curries but I never thought of adding it into a pasta sauce. This is seriously amazing.
David Scott Allen
July 23, 2020 at 12:03 pmPriya – we love to use saffron for so many dishes – it is such a great flavor. I even have a couple of great German recipes that use it! I hope you get the extruder – it is quite fun!
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
July 21, 2020 at 2:58 pmI agree with everyone else- that combination of tomatoes, cream and saffron sounds great! I liked your video clip (your voice sounds deep and soothing). I have made several videos but they take so long to make, with adding the text on the screen and also the music. By doing it your way, I wouldn’t need to show my face (arrgh) and only need to show what my hands are doing- sounds easier!
David Scott Allen
July 23, 2020 at 12:04 pmI think you discovered my phobia, Fran – I can’t stand to see my face on video! So all my videos show me as a hand model. I hope to do more when I think of things people might want to know.
Inger @ Art of Natural Living
July 21, 2020 at 3:10 pmYour video is so professional David and what a great tip! Love your pasta and sauce. Can’t wait until I’m done with this round of low carb.
David Scott Allen
July 23, 2020 at 12:05 pmYou are very kind, Gerlinde – it is wonderful what you can do with an iPad, a milk grate, some rubber bands, and string! (AKA – film studio!)
All That I'm Eating
July 23, 2020 at 3:37 amWhat a great gift for yourself, why not! Love the shape of this pasta and the saffron in the sauce gives it an amazing colour and wonderful fragrance.
David Scott Allen
July 23, 2020 at 12:05 pmThanks, Caroline – we do need to treat ourselves now and then. 🙂
Raymund
July 23, 2020 at 6:46 pmWow, very impressed on this one, the only pasta I made was spaghetti and lasagne, I am intimidated in making the others specially shapes like this. And that sauce, cream and saffron, I am sold
Cocoa & Lavender
July 30, 2020 at 2:17 pmThe sauce is the best, Raymund – and it works on any shape!
Jeff the Chef
July 24, 2020 at 6:57 amI have the same extruder! And I have had the same experience with it. You have to nail the pasta consistency. I never put in enough practice to get it right, and eventually abandoned the idea of making homemade pasta – which is really a shame, because it’s so much more delicious than store-bought. It’s like a science experiement, though, and I’m sure that with enough explerience, you’ll nail it. And in the meantime, you get to eat all the trials! I think your Radrizzati looks spectacular!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 30, 2020 at 2:18 pmI am determined not to give up on this. And, yes, I do believe the consistency of the pasta dough is the key. It will definitely keep my busy in lockdown.
John
July 26, 2020 at 3:46 amI think this may be a sign. I need to get myself an extruder for the KitchenAid I only last night found out we were getting. Would you believe I’ve never owned a stand mixer? I now have homemade pasta shapes I want to make! I really want to taste this sauce of yours, too!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 30, 2020 at 2:20 pmCongratulations on the addition to your batterie de cuisine, John. I am enjoying the extruder but need to fine tune a few things – like consistency of the dough, and cleaning the dies afterwards. But I will get there… And the sauce is definitely something you should make.
Marcelle
August 1, 2020 at 12:48 amDavid, your video was awesome! We need MORE of them and open up those comments. I was so thrilled to see you and hear your voice (as you had said in response to my vids a while back, same!) I love this recipe, and I love your gift to you! Sometimes we just have to go get that thing we want 🙂 The sauce looks delicious!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 4, 2020 at 6:57 amThanks, Marcelle. I’m so glad you like the video… I’m thinking of doing more of them, but wasn’t aware that my comments were closed. I have to check on that… I’m new to all of this! (You are quite the pro at this by now!)
Susan Manfull
August 18, 2020 at 7:08 pmClearly, no one cares how straight your beautiful pasta is! I love your video — I had read about your grating technique in this post but had not watched your super video. Another DSA recipe to add to my list!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 21, 2020 at 7:23 amI venture to say that you will like this one is much as you did the Provençal salmon we made together virtually. There is something incredibly addictive about the sauce…
Chefmimi
September 22, 2020 at 5:46 amThis post is hysterical. I know I wouldn’t be patient enough for this gadget, although I love bucatini… Your pasta shape is perfect in my book. My favorite Italian chef puts saffron in my favorite sauce of his, but I forget to routinely add it. Thanks for the reminder. I was hoping your new gadget in the blog post would be the stove-top smoker…
Cocoa & Lavender
September 24, 2020 at 5:13 pmSaffron in tomato sauce is divine, Mimi – glad you have a local chef who agrees! I just (finally) got wood chips to smoke something. Stay tuned!
Catherine L Hackert
September 22, 2020 at 6:19 amCan I just use my Foley Food Mill? I hate graters as I always get my fingers!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 24, 2020 at 5:14 pmOf course you can, Cathy – but there is something nice about the texture of grated. Can’t put my finger on it!
Marian
September 22, 2020 at 12:32 pmYou almost lost me when I saw “good rolling pin”. Then I saw “saffron”.
I’m totally in–with store bought pasta, for sure.
Cocoa & Lavender
September 24, 2020 at 5:15 pmYou crack me up, Marian! Definitely make this and use store-bought pasta!
Nicole (RieglPalate.com)
September 22, 2020 at 5:19 pmDavid – It is nice to see that Ed and I are in very good company! We broke out our KitchenAid pasta maker earlier this year. I’ve recently been testing out eating non-GMO flour (instead of gluten-free flour) and it’s been working well for me. So Ed suggested we make ‘real’ pasta. We got this attachment a few years before I gave up wheat in 2014 but never used it much. Needless to say, we hadn’t used it since 2014. Ed loves fusilli but we had the same problem – it just didn’t fusle! It still tasted great. Oh, but that fusilli die was not fun to clean!
Cocoa & Lavender
September 24, 2020 at 5:16 pmThe dies are a pain to clean, aren’t they? I don’t have any miracle solutions yet… stay tuned. I am so glad (for you) that the non-GMO flour is working. Just shows you how much crap is in the food we eat.
Nicole (RieglPalate.com)
October 25, 2020 at 7:30 amDavid – We made rigatoni last night with Ed’s Sunday Red Sauce (we had it in Saturday!) – yummy – and I set the die aside to dry out. This morning when I went to clean it, it came apart into three pieces! So much easier to clean. I read online that you can take a knife to pry the die apart. I wanted to share in case you hadn’t yet discovered this. Who knew?
David Scott Allen
October 31, 2020 at 11:28 amSorry for the delayed response — I had no idea they came apart! I will have to look. That would make it a whole lots easier! By the way, next time you get to Arizona, pick up some of our local non-GMO flour. You will love it. Hope you and Ed are well.
Summer Salads, Part III – Cocoa & Lavender
July 31, 2021 at 3:00 am[…] Tomato Soup — there is nothing like it with a simple grilled cheese sandwich. Then there is my Tomato Saffron Cream Sauce for pasta — it is “lick your plate” good. And if you are in a Côte d’Azur mood, there is […]