Rustic Whole Wheat Pasta

Happy Monday! I am not usually a lover of Mondays, but I love today for two reasons, because I only have one more Monday at my current full time job before I start on a whole new, unknown adventure in food, wine, and travel, and also because today is the launch party for Red White Boston. I have loved working with Red White Boston, and I am excited for tonight to meet everyone who is coming to the party and to spread the word about this really excellent iPhone app.

Yesterday was highly productive. After a disappointing Boston Lobster Party and delicious Myers + Chang lunch and dinner on Saturday, we had the best night’s sleep ever. I woke up Sunday feeling more rested than I have in MONTHS. I got to the MSPCA to walk some dogs and to celebrate Adopt a Pit Bull Month (they are seriously amazing dogs with a bad media rap, trust me!!), met a kitten with a hot pink cast 🙁 and finally got myself home for a day of fall cleaning. We swapped out our summer clothes for warmer ones, keeping the summer ones close by in case we decide on an impromptu Caribbean vacation.

After a walk around Castle Island in the glorious fall sunshine, I got to work on dinner, a recipe that I made in honor of Oldways and the upcoming World Pasta Day, October 25. I am hell bent on making excellent, completely whole wheat pasta and baked goods, so I went ahead and used 100% whole wheat flour.

First, I got out the pasta machine and wiped it down with a clean cloth.

I used a simple whole wheat pasta recipe that combined 2 cups whole wheat flour from King Arthur Flour, 2 large eggs, a sprinkle of salt, and enough water to make it into a ball of dough.

While the pasta dough was chilling in the freezer, I started on the sauce which was a simple mix of 1 can roasted tomatoes, a few dashes chili oil, some chopped garlic, and 2 cod filets.

I cooked these ingredients on low for about an hour, until the cod flaked and completely blended in with the tomatoes and spices. Rather than having cod with a side of pasta, I turned it into a spicy seafood tomato sauce.

My best intentions were to make fettucine using the pasta maker, but I just could not get it to cut the pasta. It sort of scored it but never cut it into the neat little ribbons I hoped for. Maybe it was too thick? Maybe I am a dough dunce?

At any rate, the word rustic, one of my favorites for when my delicious food turns kinda un-pretty, came into play, and I hand cut the pasta dough, boiled it, and then tossed it into the sauce.

I most definitely noticed a difference using a rolling pin to roll out the dough over a bottle of wine. The thinner dough, even hand cut, made for a lighter, fluffier pasta that actually tasted like pasta and not a dumpling. The sauce coated it perfectly and created a nutritious and filling meal. We both went back for seconds!

I was thinking of all of you while walking dogs yesterday. I know a lot about the foodie tendencies of my blog readers and bloggers I read, but I would love to know your other passions. Besides cooking/eating/drinking, what are your favorite things to do?

Please check out the Bauer Wines Howl-o-ween giveaway if you are in the Boston area! Great wine store, beautiful location, and fun Halloween event, you can’t go wrong!