"These tastes and smells are us"

Błażej Król, a musician and a great songwriter, has a song in his portfolio (link), whose first words are "these tastes and smells are us". Let's stop here, because this is the moment when, when I first heard this song, I drifted away into an endless range of associations. Our memories are images, words and smells. One of the first memories recalled on the occasion of ascertaining this state is a picture of Sunday dinners at my Grandma ... Grandma Ela. The smell of her apartment and the dishes prepared there, the memory of those bright rooms, the sight of spilled flour on the countertop is one of the puzzle that builds the image of myself. Grandma Ela's idyllic life and pasta

Grandma Ela's pasta

My Grandma prepared this aforementioned dinner many times for up to 10 people. Grandma's hands, on which you can see the traces of age, kneaded the pasta dough with incredible efficiency and even with mechanical precision. This was followed by the rolling and cutting process… and this is just the opera overture, after all, the basis of the broth is not pasta but stock. As if that were not enough, this soup is only the first course ...

Reflection and haste

It is amazing that now that we have so many facilities (which in this case is undoubtedly ready pasta, which is enough to throw into boiled water), we operate in a constant hurry and lack of time. Once upon a time, activities like making pasta were a mantra, a process ubiquitous in every home. Women, despite the lack of all these facilities, found time to face the difficult times when you need to raise good people under your wings with self-control worthy of a Tibetan monk.

How to find the golden mean?

Being aware of the value of preparing dishes with a certain reverence, I often make concessions myself. I only make homemade pasta from time to time. Once I start kneading, I prepare more. I cook the whole thing, but I cut some of them and put them in small containers, and then in the freezer. It's a good idea to have a macaroon for your child's lunch. Then just put it in boiling water for a while and it tastes just as delicious

Eggs

Eggs also matter, the best ones are the rural ones. If you don't have access to any, buy free range ones. I myself use a total of three egg suppliers, because we have a lot of processing in my house (okay - I have a large throughput, because I just love eggs). However, if you do not have contacts with village hens, look for eggs from "Kotlina natury” which also runs an alternative breeding farm and the hens are happy there.

Note - important!

Remember, a happy hen is a tasty egg, a tasty egg is your health, and your health is the greatest happiness!

Grandma Ela's Pasta - Recipe

And I almost forgot about pasta, grandma Ela is sending you a recipe. Pour half a kilo of krupczatka flour on the table, make a hole in the mound and throw the whole egg into it, add a pinch of salt and start kneading. When the dough is plastic, let it stand for 20 minutes. If it becomes too sticky, sprinkle it with flour. Then roll it out to a thickness of about 2 mm and cut the thin dough into 5-6 cm ribbon, then put one on top of the other and cut into small macaroons. Then throw it into boiling salted water. When the pasta comes out, cook it for 2-3 minutes (depending on how thick you cut it), then put it on a sieve and quench it with cold water. Finished! Have fun 🙂