Passed Down Through Generations
When I was asked if I could review and test the Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine, I felt like I was asked to critique a family member! You see, I have been using Marcato Atlas pasta machines since I was five years old!
My parents immigrated to Australia from Calabria, Italy in the 1960s. They brought with them a wealth of knowledge being raised living off the land. They grew their own vegetables, collected drinking water from nearby springs, preserved their homegrown fruits & vegetables. They baked their own bread and pizza in large wooden ovens and made their own olive oil, wine, salami, bottle tomato sugo and PASTA – by hand and machine!
In their suitcases, my parents brought with them the absolute essentials. This included their Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine – of course! Marcato has been making these machines in Italy for a very long time. I used this pasta machine as a child to help my mum make sheets and sheets of pasta for lasagne. I became an expert at cranking the handle to roll out pasta (I was the fastest to do it in my family).
When I left home, my moving away gift was a Marcato Atlas Pasta Machine. I was 18. I still have it and use it regularly. It has a name, Pippinella (after my zia (aunt) in Italian).
Hence you see, reviewing this latest version of Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine is special to me!
Let me begin by stating that over the 35 years (argh - showing my age now!) of experience using Marcato Atlas pasta machines, I can confirm that their design has not changed much at all (apart from the varying cool colours to choose from). And why should it - when you’re onto something great, right?
When you purchase the Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Machine you receive: -- 1 Atlas pasta machine. A cast stainless steel body;
- 3 pairs of rollers/cutters for making lasagne, fettuccini and tagliolini. The rollers are fully adjustable to 9 different thickness settings to aid in obtaining silky smooth pasta. Additionally, they feature a state-of-the-art design that prevents sticking and eliminates oxidation during rolling;
- Table clamp to hold it securely;
- Crank handle
- Instruction booklet and basic recipes
- Plus, a 3-year guarantee
It’s a bargain really, for the wonderful result you obtain of making your own fresh pasta. I was sold on it a very long time ago! It's masterful really. To think that the laborious task of hand rolling pasta with a pin to create silky smooth pasta is all but absent with the rollers attached to the Marcato Atlas 150. We may need to sample the motorised attachment next, to simplify (and speed up) the process even further.
Freshly Made Lemon Herb Fettuccini with Roasted Garden Vegetables
Ingredients
For the Pasta (serves 3-4):- 140g “00” Flour
- 2 Eggs, whole free-range
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- Zest of half a Lemon, finely grated
- A handful of finely chopped herbs: I used Basil & continental Parsley for this recipe. NOTE: please finely chop the herbs – any large pieces could tear through the pasta sheets in the rolling process.
For the Roasted Garden Vegetable Sauce
- 2 each Zucchini, medium size, chopped into 3cm chunks
- 1 each Eggplant, large size, chopped into 3cm chunks
- 2 each Brown Onions, medium size, chopped into 3cm chunks
- 4 each Garlic cloves, left whole in skins
- 4 to 5 each tomato, medium to large size, chopped into 3cm chunks
Instructions:
How to make the Pasta
Place the flour in the centre of a clean smooth work surface. Make a well in the middle and break the eggs into the well. Add to the middle; sea salt, finely grated lemon rind, and finely chopped herbs.
Using a fork, start beating the mixture in the middle into the flour; drawing from the inside walls of the well. As the paste thickens, continue the mixing with your hands. Add in all the flour (use a scraper to help bring it all together) and begin to form into a ball of dough. If it still sticks to your hands, add a little more flour.
Lightly flour the work surface. Knead the dough by pressing it away from you with the heel of your hands, and then folding it over towards you. Repeat this action over and over, turning the dough as you knead. Work for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap in cling wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
How to make the roasted garden vegetable sauce
Preheat oven to 175 degrees fan-forced oven. Place chopped eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with fine sea salt to allow bitterness to be drawn out. Allow this for 30 minutes.
Pat dry the eggplant with absorbent paper and place in a roasting tray. Add to the tray - zucchini, onions, tomatoes, and garlic. Roast in the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes (or until the vegetables are cooked through) – ensure to toss the vegetables every 10 minutes or so to evenly brown. Ensure to take the skins off the garlic cloves and mash the garlic through the roasted vegetables. Set aside until pasta is made and cooked.
How to roll the pasta using Atlas 150 Marcato Pasta Machine
Set your Atlas 150 Pasta Maker as per its instructions to your workbench.
Cut your rested dough in half and use one piece at a time. Wrap the unused piece with cling wrap to avoid drying out.
Set the rollers at their widest (kneading) setting – zero. Feed the dough through the rollers. Fold it in half, end to end, turn it and feed it through the rollers again, repeating the same process 6 more times. If the pasta sheet is sticky, brush with flour.
Turn the rollers to the next line setting – two. Feed the pasta through the rollers. Continue this process until you reach the fifth line setting. You should now have a pasta dough that is smooth, fairly even and rectangular. You will also see the green chopped pieces of herbs scattered through the yellowish pasta sheet. Cut your long rectangular sheet of pasta in half. Lay the two sheets of pasta on a lightly floured work surface or on a clean tea towel.
Repeat steps 3 to 5 with the remaining piece of pasta dough.
Using the larger cutter attachment, roll each sheet of pasta to obtain fettuccini. Lay the strips of fettuccini on the lightly floured surface or tea towel. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes while the pot of water comes to a boil.
Once the water comes to the boil, pour in a good drizzle of olive oil. Using a wooden spoon, swirl the water around to create a whirlpool, then drop in the fettuccini (if you have a large enough pot, all the fettuccini can be cooked at once. You’ll need to cook in two batches for a smaller pot). The pasta is ready to drain when it thickens and rises to the top of the water. This usually will take about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain, reserving some of the hot pasta water.
How to Assemble the Pasta
Place a large fry pan on high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Toss in the roasted vegetables and stir for 2 minutes. Add in the fettuccini pasta and toss to evenly distribute the vegetables. Pour in a few large spoonfuls of pasta water and toss for a further 2 minutes.
Serve into pasta bowls, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and scatter with finely grated pecorino cheese.
Buon Appetito!
If you plan to make this pasta, leave a comment below, share it or tag a picture @evertenlovetocook on Instagram and hashtag it #evertenlovetocook. We would love to see how it turned out!
