Food for My Family

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Homemade Basil Pasta + Blendtec Giveaway

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How to make homemade pasta dough with basil from scratch using a Blendtec Twister Jar (plus, I’m giving one away). The basil here is used similar to how you would make spinach pasta dough rather than just mixing in minced herbs, which results in a green-colored pasta and a strong but not overwhelming basil flavor.



This past Sunday we headed off to the farmers market to find the vendors are slowly starting to clear. It happens every year around this time when their particular items are done for the season, and with the weather dropping to below freezing this weekend, you can be sure the trend will continue in higher numbers the next two weekends.

This always sends me into a sort of frenzy where I suddenly feel as though I need to buy every single apple available, stack case upon case of tomatoes in the trunk, consider the finer points of freezing and blanching and canning and preserving and literally bite off more than I can chew in each department. The chill in the air seems to penetrate down into my soul, which I assume sits slightly to the right of where my heart lies.

I imagine that winter comes like the dementors, spreading cold across all that is living, and looking to suck my soul from my body. My personal Patronus is the act of stockpiling all that I can in an effort to keep my soul intact. (Yes, I am rereading Harry Potter with my 8-year-old.)

(Incidentally, pictured above is my 6-year-old. She still prefers Dr. Seuss for her nightly reading and her HP via video. I imagine her Patronus to be a Seuss-like mix of Hedwig and Fawkes. I apologize to everyone who is not a Harry Potter fan or forced to become one via your children.)

This is how I came to be cooking down 6 quarts of tomatoes, turning the last of my basil into pesto and pasta, baking bread, canning salsa, and simmering applesauce all at once Sunday afternoon. Luckily, I had helping hands and a gorgeous day to spend together in the kitchen prepping food for the week ahead.

As we were sitting down to dinner that night, pasta on plates eaten on the patio for perhaps the final time this year, I realized that my most treasured family moments are born out of the kitchen and the congregation that happens there. Two kids fed pasta dough through the machine at the counter, another worked on stirring sauce, and the fourth sat working on homework on the same floured table where the pasta dough was kneaded. It was chaos, but in each separate moment within the chaos was this intense calm where I could have stopped time and remained forever.

A Giveaway:

I’m giving away a Blendtec Total Blender Classic Wildside and Twister Jar to one lucky reader!

  • The Wildside has a 4″ blade a a 3-quart BPA-free jar.
  • Smart-Touch Tec-nology incorporates variable speeds that ensure your smoothies, soups, and sauves are extra smooth and your ice expertly crushed.
  • The Twister Jar is specifically engineered for creating smooth pesto, pasta dough, nut butters and more.
  • A 7-Year Warranty to protect your investment and be enjoy the blender for years to come.

TO ENTER:

Leave me a comment! Any little comment. Tell me about your blender woes (I killed my last one by leaving a spoon in it!) or your favorite things to make with a blender.


For Bonus Entries:
Tweet or share the following on Facebook and leave a comment letting me know you did:

Enter to win a @Blendtec Wildside Blender via @FoodforMyFamily http://wp.me/puu57-39b #giveaway


Share this recipe on Pinterest and leave a commenting letting me know you did.

THE RULES:

This giveaway is provided by Blendtec and will run until Friday, October 12, 2012 at 11:59 pm CDT and is open to all U.S. residents 18 years of age and older. A winner will be chosen at random using Random.org from all eligible entries. Chosen winners must respond within 48 hours of notification to claim their prize. Good luck!


Note: You can use the Twister Jar to mix the flour into the pasta dough as well. Add the flour slowly, and pulse while turning the Twister lid counterclockwise until all the flour is incorporated. Remove the dough and knead as directed in the recipe.

1 cup fresh basil leaves
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch sea salt
1 3/4 cups “00” flour or all-purpose flour

In a blender, mix together basil leaves, eggs, and oil. Pulse until smooth, though some flecks of basil are expected. Place the flour on the table and create a well in the center. Pour the basil and egg mixture into the well. Mixing with a fork, incorporate the flour until a dough forms. The dough should be slightly tough. Knead the dough 5-7 times and then allow it to rest for at least 10 minutes.

After the dough rests, continue to knead until all the lumps are gone. At this point you can feed the dough through a pasta machine, starting on the highest setting and then moving to lower settings, or you can roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface using a rolling pin to 1/8″ thick or thinner. Cut into strips. Hang the pasta to dry slightly as you prepare the water.

Note: Pasta can be dried completely for at least 3 hours and then stored in an airtight container for up to three days or frozen and stored for up to a month.

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 3 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Add the pasta, stirring as it goes in so that it does not stick together, return to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Check the pasta at this point. Fresh pasta generally cooks in 2-6 minutes depending on thickness.

When the pasta is al dente, drain, and toss with desired pasta sauce or olive oil/butter. Serve immediately.


Makes 3-4 servings.
Copyright © Food for My Family.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  13. I’m hard on blenders. Usually they end up burning out because I ask too much of them. I miss the glass Waring lab blender that I grew up with that also made my dad’s baby food. The new Waring units aren’t even remotely that good.

  14. LOL, I feel much the way you do when the produce starts to disappear. Frantically preserving it as much as I can, even though in reality, most of it is available throughout the year. I hate buying at the grocery store, though.

  20. my current blender requires the numerous stop and stir method to get any ingredients to smoothy consistency… it does the job- but the Blendtec sounds glorious!

  23. I don’t have a blender because they all stop working on me and after the last one I refused to buy a new one. Haha! I have seen demonstrations of the Blendtec and it’s so awesome!

  25. Our current blender, which was supposed to be a good one according to multiple respected sources, began leaking at the base several months ago. Minimal leaking so we still use it frequently, but washing the base every time is getting annoying.

  27. My blender went out @ 3 mos. ago and due to my family’s financial situation that is just not at the top of our priority list. Would love to have a blender again especially for fruit smoothies and sauces.

    I will post on facebook (not a tweeter).

  30. I’ve exploded a thing or two out of my blender…the most memorable one would be the black beans I was pureeing….pretty sure there is still some stuck on the popcorn ceiling!

  37. We’ve gone through 5 blenders – burned them out just crushing ice in smoothies! Now we use the Magic Bullet, but don’t think it will work for pasta blending 🙂

  38. I lost my blender a little over a month ago when I was making a sauce for a light cajun pasta. My husband has been wanting smoothies, so I hope we can get a new one soon. Plus, I just pureed a lot of pumpkin and it would come in handy for some new recipes I want to try.

  59. My mother in law made me an unforgettable smoothie in her blendtec of cottage cheese, unsweetened coconut, frozen pineapple and mango. Our trusty old cheap blender will only tolerate so much more of my husband’s daily blueberry granola smoothies… Xxoo

  61. My blender is dead. The replacement part costs about $25 to fix but when it broke around the holidays last year, it wasn’t a budget priority. I would love a Blendtec replacement!

  64. Wow… that pasta looks truly amazing. Would love to give it a go. We have a not-very-good blender and generally just use it for smoothies, but I’d love to have a higher powered one that could make flour, nut butters, hummus, etc. Thanks for the great review! winterwrens at gmail dot com

  68. Oh my, my olf favorite blender, an Osterizer 16 speed, finaly died this summer and I mean to tell you, blenders these days leave a lot to be desired! 5 or 6 speeds seems to be the norm, and plastic!!!!!!! I could so use this blender!

  76. We dote on smoothies around here and my son is starting to make protein drinks after his gym workouts. My blender is circa 1970 as a wedding present. Does that tell you I should be thinking about buying a new one?

  79. My first blender broke when I put the glass pitcher in the freezer with its contents. When I took it out it was frozen solid. I didn’t realize this until I tried to blend it and it overheated the motor… oopsie. My current blender sounds like a lawn mower in the kitchen, it is so loud. Would love to own a blendtec! My husband and I juice and blend fruits and vegetables every day!

  96. I am so so desperate for a Blendtec Blender. I have been in LOVE since I first saw one in action during an in-store demo. I like to think of myself as quite the chef, but I’m operating right now sans: Blender (ours is a joke – It only has 2 buttons that still work…lol), Microwave (ours pooped out and then I bought what turned out to be a broken one from Craigslist…), or a Stand Mixer (how does one make light & airy macrons without one?). I feel like I’m missing out on a whole world of culinary goodness. I’d love to make your basil pasta, but alas, with my equipment malfunctions, it’s just a dream. 🙂

  105. I am currently without a blender. My old one was a part of an Oster Kitchen Center that I bought 25 years ago! It finally died a couple of years ago and I’ve yet to replace it. (Thanks for a chance at such an awesome give-away!)

  106. I have not had good success with blenders over the years and I’m ready to upgrade to a machine that means business! We are big into smoothies and make them daily, but my favorite thing to make if I had a serious blender would be nut butters and grinding wheat. What a treat!

  108. I have been using the same blender for the last 10 years. It is about on it’s last leg!! I wonder every time I use it if it will be the last time.

  113. My Oster blender died tragically after serving smoothie duty faithfully for several years. I’ve been using the Ninja that hubby HAD TO HAVE after watching the infomercials for it in a Bluefield, WV hotel room(hubby is a railroad employee.) I’d love to have a blender that makes pasta dough(how cool is that!)

  118. A friend gave me a blender with a spigot thing for smoothies. It didn’t work well at all and it felt the need to leak all over the place whilst blending. Needless to say, it now resides in the city dump.

  119. Oh my! My poor blender smells like burning rubber everytime I make a protein shake (which is not exactly that strenuous!) with gluten issues, dairy and corn insenitivities we make a whole lot from scratch. this would be amazing! Thanks for the chance!

  121. I am currently blender-less. My husband killed my very nice (but not as nice as a blentec) Breville by trying to puree apricots for an adventurous home brew. I was very sad and still have not made the plunge for a new one. I used it almost daily so you can imagine how much I am missing it. It is difficult for me to make a decision- I keep researching and can’t decide. This would be an answer to prayer!

  127. I would love to make all-natural nut butters to experiment with! Peanut, Almond, Cashew, Walnut and mix them all up too! Yum! No additives inside either – just pure nuts!

  133. Hello! I love to make green smoothies, but every blender I get isn’t that great at chopping up my greens! Oh and I made date and nut bars, and yes I’m pretty sure I ruined one of my blenders by putting dates in it. It just wasn’t powerful enough to handle the dates, but the blendtec sounds great at chopping EVERYTHING! Thank you for doing this giveway! So glad I found your site! -Abby S

  134. I make smoothies in my blender every morning, but it is definitely not as powerful as it once was. So, this would be a wonderful giveaway to win!

  135. Our first blender burnt out within a couple years of marriage. Our second has been much more durable but it’s starting to give off that burning smell. It isn’t nearly as versatile as the blendtec! I would love to be able to make doughs and nut butters and salsa with it!

  144. I inherited my blender from my bf…I’ve told myself there’s no reason to spend money on a blender if we’ve already got one, but…the one he has sucks! It’d be nice to have a blender that didn’t leave giant chunks of ice in my margaritas 😛

  148. I previously had a blender I used all the time until one fateful evening when it decided to make its last smoothie. Blended like a champ that night but when I went to detach it from the base. The pitcher lifted and left behind half of the bottom piece … And my smoothie. I would love to win a new blender. It would help a lot with quick breakfast before class. Also for making snacks for study groups.

  152. Thanks for this recipe and the chance to win the blender combo! It will be so helpful. I miss having a blender. I used to make all kinds of drinks and quick snack for my friends and family until mine decided to spill its guts everywhere. Also, posted on facebook.

  155. Funny enough, I had never heard of this brand till I was visiting my neighbor. He has a new one proudly positioned on his counter. It came recommended by another neighbor. They both love it. Now I stumble across Blendtec again and I’m thinking it’s destiny… I’m either going to win one or have to buy one myself.
    I’ve still got fresh basil too… So let’s make it happen!

  162. I use my blender twice a day. Every day. It its so horrible. It is the most cheap one on the market because that’s all i could afford when i went to go buy it

  165. First off, is there anything better than a plate of fresh pasta? I don’t think so.

    Now, onto the giveaway… yeah, I’m in dire need of a blender. Ours started smelling and leaking oil, so we had to get rid of ours. Unfortunately, that makes preparing blended beverages very very difficult. So, yeah, I need one.

  170. A blender woe for me is that I destroyed the blades by washing it and it fell down the sink unbeknownst to me. My wife was cleaning up from dinner and ran the garbage disposal. Needless to say our blender ended up in the garbage that night! It had had its day of work though! We love blending in our home and would definitely put this Blendtec to good use! Would love to make soups, nut butters, almond milk and green smoothies!

  174. My blender is not too bad, but it does not do a good job with trying to do spinach or seeds like berries and chia seeds. I’ve had a Blendtec on my wish list for a while now!

  175. My blender doesnt like to blend ice. That is a problem since we have smoothies and protein shakes often. Once the seal leaked when I was blending hot soup. It burned my arms and blistered them 🙁

  182. Well, my daughter and I picked 16 cups of basil the other night – just in case it froze. We didn’t want to waste a single leaf! I’ve been making pesto all summer, and now have a freezer full for the winter. Now if I’d just be brave enough to make the pasta myself…..

    My favorite blender woe – I turned on the blender full of yogurt and berries for smoothies and turned my back on it. Never do this. It started shaking furiously and the jar “jumped” off the base and shattered on the floor. Berry colored yogurt & soy milk everywhere. Fun.

    I bought a new blender because mine was old and it was expensive to get a new jar. MISTAKE! The new blender is terrible for smoothies, and WAY too loud. I’d love a nice blender again.

  190. We haven’t had a blender in several years because the jar of ours was glass and we somehow broke it. I was using an immersion blender to make smoothies for a while, but it’s just not the same. I would love a Blendtec!

  198. My blender is a very old Magic Bullet that is on it’s last leg. I have been dreaming of one of these for so long! Thanks so much for the chance 🙂

  201. Please enter me in the drawing for the Blendtec and Twister jar…can’t wait to use that jar for raw ice cream, raw fudge, raw cookie dough…I love healthy sweets also having my daily 5 c spinach green smoothie.

  203. I eat a smoothie for lunch pretty much every day; I never know how long my blender will last! This would be amazing, I know that Blendtecs are solid!

  209. My blender is on its last legs. I use it nearly everyday to make smoothies. Sure could use a good one like the Blendtec! Thanks for the chance to win!

  212. My blender is SOOOO wimpy! I try to make almond meal with it, which takes forever. Forget any nut butters! I would love to win a Blendtec! 🙂

  223. Please enter me in the giveaway!

    I don’t really have any mishap with my blenders. I have hit the blade several times when trying to push the ingredients down. Scary.

    I love grinding rice in my blender before making them into congee/porridge. It yields a thicker and creamier texture without adding oil or thickener. I would love to love making my toddler’s three smoothies everyday…I kind of dread it because I have to strain his 6oz of smoothie everytime because the fruit skin/seeds always get stuck in his Zoli cup straw. While straining he will throw a tantrum right next to me because of the wait; he’s 1.5 by the way.

  232. I just recently replaced a decades old blender with a newer model and was really only making smoothies in it because that’s about all it could manage. The new model is pretty strong, but a BlendTec was on my mind from the start. If only in my finances. Maybe the Fates will lean in my favor.

  235. I would love a really great blender. I am always having problem but then dont think I should get a better one since I dont use it enough. Its a conundrum. 🙂

  245. My cheap $20 blender needs to be retired as the blades just don’t cut it or smoothie it at all! Would love a commercial upgrade to make homemade nut butters, veggie dips and smoothies too!
    Thanks so much!

  247. My blender is dying. It gets louder every time I use it, which is every day. I have been saving for a blender for months, but “life” seems to keep happening, which keeps emptying my blender fund. I would LOVE to have this blender. It would be used every day I my very busy kitchen!

  254. I have a blender that we use primarily for smoothies every morning. I feel like there should be more to do with your blender, tho. This one sounds like it’s powerful enough to actually make THINGS and STUFF! Thanks for the giveaway!

  255. I don’t have a Blendtec but would love to get one.. I juice and the waste of fiber kills me.. I wish I could get a Blendtec so I can consume the entire fruit or vegetable without throwing away anything.. Thank you for the giveaway.

  256. Typical blender use is for a quick and healthy smoothie for my son.. all kinds of berries, banana, some greek yogurt and voila – cold and healthy snack for my son when he returns from his play time..

  258. My daughter and I used to make green smoothies every morning from our own garden offerings. That is, until we killed one Cuisinart and one older model Hamilton Beach (like an Oster from yesteryear) in the process. I love to bake and cook, and this Blendtec (and your amazing recipes) would mean a lot to me!

  268. My last blender was good in design…but it leaked at the bottom, didn’t like that, so had tossed it…am having troubles finding the perfect blender!
    I like to make home made salsa with a blender am not a fan of the chunky kind! This is nice, thank you!

    [email protected]

  270. I have been talking about making my own pasta but have been afraid to. I think I might just give it a whirl.
    I do not have a blender as I broke my last one.

    I have pinned your site on my board.

  288. My blender is fine for most things, but not for the thing I most need it for – making short work of turning ice into a smooth slush. The Blendtec sounds like it would do the job 🙂 Thanks for sponsoring these giveaways!

  289. Would love to have a blender that works. Mine whirs away at whatever is at the bottom of the jar, but never seems to ‘grab and pull down’ the rest of the mixture, so I get one tablespoon of fine puree and everything else in large chunks. Sigh.

  290. We make stuff in the blender all the time! We’ve worn out 2 blenders in the last 5 years-we should think about getting a high quality one very soon :- )

  291. I fell in love with making homemade pasta last year. Once you do it a couple of times it becomes so simple you wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. This basil pasta looks delicious.

    My blender got used so much it literally broke from the inside. Not the motor…the piece that secures the pitcher to the base. Oh, and it did it right in the middle of making dinner. LOL

  292. Wow, this blender looks awesome. I’ve gone through two blenders in the last couple of years, making smoothies. Luckily they were still under warranty! I love making mixing protein powder with spinach for a healthy snack, if I won this blender I’d try making the pasta!

  293. Your pasta is beautiful! My first blender was a wedding gift. It came in a paper bag – no box – should have known right then there would be an issue. It died an early death… The next blender was a very inexpensive one – it lasted longer. A Blendtec looks like just what we need next!

  296. Hi!
    I’m a young woman which is trying to do the best with my little cooking skills. I don’t always succeed, but i must admit i’m willing to try new stuff when i can. I don’t have any blender at home, and i think it would be really helpfull.

  297. I use my blender mostly for “smoodies”, a.k.a. smoothies for my preschoolers. They love it, and so do I! The only thing is that my blender doesn’t pour very well, so there’s always a mess. I’d sure love a neeeeewwwww one! 🙂

  298. We use our blender mostly for smoothie type drinks. It always seems to make a mess and is a pain to work so we don’t make drinks as often as we would like.

  305. I actually killed my last blender making baby food, if you can believe it! What a wimpy piece of junk! ha! Glad to see this one can handle such things. 🙂 I have another baby now who starts solids in just a few months, so I’d love to give it a try! 😉 Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂

  321. Have sooo been wanting a new blender for smoothies! Each time I’m at the store Ill text my hubby and he says, “Is it in the budget?”…nope, not yet!

  325. I have a cheap blender that is so loud, one of our dogs run for cover when she sees it. I would love to win a good blender that could handle more than just milkshakes and margaritas.

  336. I haven’t found a blender that handles the ice or hard veggies well for more than a couple months, so I just stopped buying them and I simply can’t afford Blendtec. I would be thrilled with this one!

  342. I love to put frozen fruit, a little cream and make an ice cream/sorbet…so easy and so delicious. You do need a really good blender like this, or you have to use a food processor…

  349. My blender woe is that I don’t have one. I’ll be moving in with my bf soon, and HE has one, but I don’t. And it makes it really hard to make half the awesome recipes I find out there without one!

  357. This looks like an awesome piece of equipment that I’d probably not be able to afford anytime soon. I would love to try making my own peanut butter and hummus. I also love to make smoothies.

    Thank you for this giveaway and the opportunity to participate.

  366. Hi, Shaina! Just found your basil pasta recipe………sounds easy and I’m definitely trying it!

    I’ve not done anything really infamous with my blender–just the usual like leaving the top off or having the center pop off while blending hot soup….the worst I’ve had happen is to blend bay leaves because I forgot to remove them before processing and then, of course, worry that they were blended enough not to do harm!

    I make coleslaw in my blender: add cabbage wedges (this should be done in several stages), fill blender with water. Blend until all the cabbage pieces are carried to the bottom and then stop immediately! Drain in colander. Add a slice onion, slice green pepper, small carrot cut into chunks to one of the cabbage stages. (I usually squeeze my cabbage out in my hands,also). Use your preferred dressing and chill.

  368. Green smoothies would be a really simple and convenient way to eat my veggies but my blender can’t handle them. I would love a good, strong blender for smoothies and also nut/seed recipes!

  370. So, funny story. I have a 2 year old who is in that lovely rambunctious age where he likes to grab a bit of this and a bit of that. Last week, as you would have it, he decided to reach out for our old blender on the counter. That thing had been through the ringer and while it really shouldn’t have shattered… it did. After my initial shock of the carnage I scooted him out and cleaned it up. I have decided that it was really an assisted suicide considering that the blender was older than my 12 year old.

    So sad I missed the contest, but happy for a good review of a sturdy blender 🙂 Thanks!

  371. I really like adding vegetables to homemade pasta, especially spinach or beetroot, however I have never made basil pasta. Thanks a lot for the recipe, Shaina!

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