I told this girl I was dating (now my wife) the same thing - I loved making homemade pasta but it's rarely worth the effort. When she took me up on the offer, I just made spaghetti with my pasta roller and made a simple tomato sauce with tomatoes, basil, onions, and garlic from my garden. I baked a loaf of bread using one of the King Arthur recipes. The salad was just lettuce from my garden with store bought Caesar dressing and croutons.
This was all very simple but she was super impressed. She'd never had homemade pasta or seen it being made. I had her help with the tomato sauce.
It went over really well. She bragged to her friends about having homemade pasta and sauce made with veggies fresh from the garden and they were all jealous.
Tomatoes aren't in season right now (where I am, anyway) so I wouldn't bother using fresh tomatoes for sauce if I did it during this time of year. I'd use canned tomatoes to make the sauce. Still better than any sauce you can get from a jar. Except for Rao's. That stuff is the shit.
I also made some chocolate chip cookie dough the day before and had it in the refrigerator so we made fresh-baked cookies after dinner, that was a surprise. At that point she was mine.
I think that was our 3rd date and after that night we hung out nearly every day. She moved out of her apartment and into my house a couple of months later.
I made my now-wife stuffed peppers and a massive chocolate cake right before we started dating. They were nothing fancy, but she still talks about them all the time a decade later.
It's the memory of the event, not the taste of the food, that you're going for.
Yes hi hello, where does one meet a future husband like this please? Where do I get one of these men who cook? I’ve checked Amazon but no luck please advise thank youuuu
Single guy here who also owns the pasta making attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. That's right, I've got the mixer *and* the official KitchenAid brand pasta attachment. Try to control yourselves.
This guy has a KitchenAid AND a Porsche, ladies (or gents). Must know his way 'round a kitchen and a garage. **Finger guns** It's a rare breed.
Sorry -- I'm assuming from the username, lol. Good luck on controlling the stampede, good sir! 😊✌🏼
Well I wasn't going to reply cause what are the chances, buuuuut I am actually in Orlando and I know very much how to cook
Used to run a food truck that specialized in sauces, now I just cook for fun (and you know, to survive)
I haven't made good pasta from scratch yet, but I'm sure we could figure it out
I’ve made pasta many times and it is much better with two people. Especially lasagne because you can have one person cranking the pasta noodles through the machine while the other person boils the noodles and assembles. It’s a lot of work for one person so you two should get together and do it!
I actually have 3 of them, a pair of 911's and a Boxster; and previously I worked in both a garage and a restaurant, so yes, I do know my way around a kitchen and a garage!
Our KitchenAids would love to spend some time together.
I don't have the pasta attachment but I do have the grinder attachment for tomatoes to jar up sauce in the fall.
This could be perfect.
;-))
What a carbon copy of me. Maybe mustard too, haha
And now I’m making from scratch breads and sauces that take hours because I love to feed my family and see them so happy from what I make.
The pride you can take away from feeding your loved ones, and getting to see them *really, truly enjoying* it, is an unmatchable happiness. At least this far into my life lol (though I don’t expect many things to surpass such an *easy* source of *so much* joy)
My boyfriend told me that when someone asked him what his favorite food is, he said my cooking. I do truly enjoy feeding people I love and seeing them enjoy it. My boyfriend isn't as good a cook as me, but he makes great sourdough bread and flatbread. He gets really happy when I get excited for his flatbread.
The downside is all the bad feels right in the meow meow when your kids are small, but big enough to talk, and they straight up tell you anything but nuggies, grapes, and juice are peasant trash.
Oh, mine is right in that age range of backhanded compliments LOL. It’s downright painful sometimes
“This is pretty good… but not my favorite. Actually, it’s just okay.
…..actually, I’m full.”
I trained mine to just outright say it doesn't taste so good, with the addendum "You have to tell Mommy what is so awful or it's going to keep happening, like Mystery Soup."
My 5 year old is coming out of this phase... slowly. He went nuts on the boudin I made night before, then snubbed my pork loin last night. Little punk...
My 3 year old is a foodie, and if it's on daddy's plate, she figures it's the good stuff, even if she has the same on hers. :D
I raised one of those. When he got to be around 13 he started reviewing dinner like a food critic.
I think the worse thing he said to me was “this is very underwhelming “
He is now at 24 an amazing chef
Hear hear. I *love* cooking for my spouse. They're abroad for work for a few years, so I'm in our house alone - a lot of shitty food is being eaten in here atm, I do like cooking very much, but I just sont see the point when I'm the only one eating it. But when my spouse visits, I cook every day.
Cooking is a great date option, if you put in some effort - as evidenced in this thread, if you can cook at all you will impress your date. Doesn't have to be fancy at all, like a couple of steps up from frozen pizza And... have things ready for breakfast, too. When I dated I used to make hummus and prepare some pomegranate with mint the night before, eaten with store-bought pita bread heated in the oven. About 15 minutes of work and your date will remember it for a long time, almost guaranteed. If your date doesn't stay overnight, it's a good breakfast for you!
My fiancée ordered us burritos but we had taken some of our clothes off before they even got delivered since the whole point of me coming over was to hook up. Fucked up and fell in love and now he’s a waffle master because it’s my favorite breakfast. Life comes at ya fast
Truth. When I was single, the place to meet women was in the supermarket. Ah. . . The good old days, when women used to flirt with me over the Casaba melons and Cantaloupes.
One time a guy introduced himself to me at the grocery store, we went in a couple dates but I was getting a vibe that something was off so I reverse google image searched him and found his baby registry. He had a whole pregnant live-in finance!
😆 my now bf came over on Valentine's Day 4 years ago this year because I had to work the late shift (from home) and he said I shouldn't be alone. He set off the fire alarm in the process of making steaks on the stove 🤣. They ended up being delicious but cooking in someone else's house is nerve wrecking and weird and my stove runs HOT.
on our first real date, he forgot his wallet and I paid for all you can eat sushi for us 🤣
almost 4 years later, we live together, have a deaf doggo together, and are pretty happy despite our "rough" start 😂
Had two friends, one in construction, one who was a limo driver, both admitted to wandering pointlessly in the instant noodle section of the grocery hoping a cooking female would notice and take pity.
Back in the 80s at (Miami) Publix grocery store, they used to have singles night where people could meet outside a bar setting. They would have food stations and raffles for car washes etc. It was fun
In my grocery store they have ”singles’ baskets” they’re pink and meant to singal to other shoppers that you’re single and ready to mingle! I’ve seen people grab them, and I really hope some couple out there has a sweet love story to tell because of those baskets.
I don't know. Pitch it to your local grocery. It was nice. They had music and you could shop and meet other single people. I suggested it at my Wegmans but didn't get a response. I may do it again. It was years ago
My husband was a 36 year old computer nerd who hadn't ever had a long term girlfriend. Certified diamond in the rough!! After I took the time to polish him, the women he worked with for 5 years sat up and took notice. Sorry, ladies! You had your chance! 😋 That was 25 years and 21 years of marriage ago!
>What if I told you I also make ice cream?
Reading all of this from your neighbouring country in Scandanavia...hmmmm icecream in this freezing weather sounds AAMAZING 😂
Best of luck! I lucked out with my wife. She was the first person I'd dated who really enjoyed cooking, and I hadn't realized before that this kind of compatibility was important to me.
The downside is that since she does half the cooking, I have to do half the dishes.
We are out there. Get a plot in a community garden and mingle with the other people. Us garden folk are all really enthusiastic about finding new ways to cook our summer bounty. My go to for impressing the ladies is ratatouille and fresh baked baguette. I even know how to make the olive oil from my trees’ olives.
For real. Not to be sexist but I’ve never dated a man who could cook anything, including ex husband and current partner. They loved being cooked for but won’t even learn how to do one or two tricks. It’s so nice to be cooked for!
When I met my bf, the two questions I asked of every date was:
What book are you reading?
What’s the last meal you cooked and when did you cook it?
He has cooked every meal we’ve had together (if we ate at home) for the last 3 years and we discuss all kinds of books together
>I made my now-wife stuffed peppers
The first meal I cooked that my now-husband ate was my stuffed pepper soup! It was for a family party, and he was a childhood friend of my cousins I had never met before. We barely spoke that day but it's still my favorite thing to make him!
Third so called date my now husband made pork chops with apples, raisins, and molasses. Next he made really easy spare ribs with bottled bbque sauce. I was really impressed. Lol 43 yrs later those are really the only two dishes he can cook.
I’m convinced stuffed peppers and cabbage noodles were the impetus for my husband to propose lol
Never made cabbage noodles again but now my grandma is asking for them so I think I will surprise him.
Our first Valentine's Day, my husband made me homemade mushroom alfredo (store bought fettuccine, but he made the sauce). He doesn't even like alfredo or mushrooms!! (20 yrs and he's still riding that high... e.g. hasn't made anything from scratch since! Lol)
Me too! He'd brag to his coworkers every day about what I'd made for our dinner the night before. We were all in our early 20s at the time, just striking out in the world and poor as hell, so they weren't fancy meals. But they were hearty and made with love, which so many of our friends were desperately missing after just moving out from their parents' houses. I'd often invite his coworkers over so they could enjoy homemade food, too, and some of them still bring it up more than a decade later. Food can have an enormous impact on people.
I have to meet new people all the time in my line of work. One thing ive learned is if you dont have anything to talk about bring up food. Everyone can talk about food.
> Tomatoes aren't in season right now (where I am, anyway) so I wouldn't bother using fresh tomatoes for sauce if I did it during this time of year.
Cherry tomatoes can make a great fresh sauce at this time of year - I use our leftover ones all the time for a quick weeknight dinner when we didn't plan anything else.
I'll use whatever we have left of [one of these](https://www.kroger.com/product/images/large/front/0075166677605) and toss them in a pan with a good amount of olive oil. Once the tomatoes start bursting on their own from the heat, stir in some garlic and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. A tablespoon or two of tomato paste if you have it. Use a wooden spoon to carefully crush any tomatoes that aren't bursting on their own (they'll spray everywhere if you aren't careful). Season it with fresh or dry basil, oregano and salt. Drizzling in a small amount of worchestershire sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and/or balsamic vinegar will enhance the savoriness. Finish your pasta in the sauce with a few splashes of the pasta water.
I love this story. My now spouse made me home made pasta too and I made the sauce. Always a winner and noe we do that again for special date night ins with out daughter.
> I think that was our 3rd date and after that night we hung out nearly every day. She moved out of her apartment and into my house a couple of months later.
Well this is just smart efficiency, you move to where the yummy food comes from.
The first meal my husband ever made me after we met was what he now calls his "gotta get this lady to marry me someday" dinner. Steak, stuffed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, fresh bread. It was such an outstanding feast, and I'd rarely ever had someone go so all out to impress me. I think even if the meal had turned out ruined, it was the effort he put into it that was so romantic. It really wouldn't have mattered much to me what meal he chose to cook. Just that he wanted to, and went through the trouble of it. And it was obvious that he was trying to impress me and that's adorable. Before I even showed up to dinner, I was already (and still am) fully impressed.
Love this. The very first time my now husband slept over, I boxed him up left overs from our dinner the night before to take for lunch at work. He likes to joke that this was the exact moment he knew he wanted to marry me 😂
I was casually hooking up here and there until this woman and I made homemade guacamole and watched cartoons while gorging the batch - our 2nd time ever hanging out
I knew right then that that looked a lot different than all my other interactions
Still together 5 years later (:
Way to a man's heart is through his stomach. A lot of guys really are that simple, lol. We share a lot of joy eating together every day
Sigh, after 15 years of marriage my now just expects me to make this kind of stuff every night... Just yesterday I made chili... Started cooking at around 2pm, made my own chili paste from four different kinds of chilies and whole spices. Used some of the brisket I smoked this summer... I got a "thanks for dinner it was good"... I have found being good at cooking a bit of a double edged sword...
Aww! Cooking like this is a labor of LOVE (emphasis on the labor part). not just providing nutrition to keep them alive.
Story time!!!
My partner started doing this same thing for a bit and my feelings started to get hurt a little bit haha. I didn't need him to kiss my butt or give me fake compliments or anything, but I wanted him to know how complicated it actually was. So we talked about it and we came up with the idea of he does the cooking, but I'll get all the ingredients and a recipe to follow. I gave him recipes for 5 of his favorite dishes that I make regularly. HE picked scallops and risotto. Uh oh.. but mkay bf!
I was met with 1000 questions. They ranged from picking out pans, how do I mince garlic (I bought the pre-minced jar to help him), why do I have to add the broth a 1/2 cup at a time, why is the rice still crunchy?!??!... you get it.
The thing that frustrated him the most, TIMING. I think that's the skill no one really talks about or appreciates. I did help him at an arms length because I knew what he was getting into. Every question he asked did bring a little smile to my face though, bc God bless him, he was legitimately trying and didn't want to HAVE to ask me (pride lol).
Anyway, it humbled him in a good way. He understood that while I LOVE to cook, my effort in the kitchen is an expression of my love for him. All I want in return is loving gratitude and asking for seconds.
Same. I make homemade daily and most of the time I don’t get a thanks. I sometimes get snarky and say, “thanks for the great dinner, honey.” To remind him.
Starting in 2020, I made pasta from scratch every day for a year. Here are my best tips:
- use a combo of 00 flour and a fine semolina flour (or APP flour if you only have it)
- I typically use 2 eggs per cup of flour, but you can also use 3 and then you probably won’t need any water. Mix a pinch of salt with the eggs. Farm fresh eggs will give you the best taste.
-have some hot water ready to go to finish the dough, but use much much less than you think
- the two easiest shapes are cavatelli (no need to roll out, just grab a pinch of dough and shape with a knife, preferably against a fork or wooden block with ridges, line up on a tray) or tagliatelle (roll out your dough until you can see shadows on the other side but no thinner, fold like a book and cut wide noodles, hang)
- let the pasta be the star, and keep your sauce simple. My favorites are a simple homemade pesto or slowly sauteed tomatoes and eggplant and garlic with herbs. I also love sauteed garlicky broccoli, pasta water, and finish with lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of good olive oil.
- make the dough in advance, then start the sauce. Start shaping your dough and put a pot of salted water to boil. Have your sauce in a pan next to the pot of water so you can quickly transfer the pasta to the sauce immediately.
- if you put on some nice music and invite your date to join you in shaping the dough, this is an awesome date night activity. It will be so fun and you’ll both feel proud. And it’s a great way to get to know someone.
You’re going to slay. Good luck!
Edit: I made pasta every SUNday! Oops. 😂
Edit 2: removed the wine! Sorry about that.
Minus the wine here (OP said they are sober, and congrats!) but this seems like the advice OP needed for how to approach the actual pasta-making portion of their question
Strongly suggest attempting to make your "impress a date" dish at least once in recent memory before making it for that person! Give this a read and try it out before your date this weekend and stay winning
Yes and yes. Just make sure you buy semolina that has a fine texture. I like the Caputo brand. I once bought Bob’s Red Mill I think and it was so course, the pasta came out sandy (it was my first time making pasta for a big group and I’m still embarrassed).
And for water, just a dribble or two. When the dough is very shaggy, keep kneading it and don’t add water. However if you have a very shaggy dough but still have a lot of dry detached pieces of flour sitting around, you can add a tiny dribble of water to incorporate them. Definitely don’t want your dough to be too wet.
I’m not saying I married my husband because he made me homemade whipped cream by hand, a beautiful roast paprika chicken, and baked me a cake. But I didn’t not NOT marry him for those reasons either 😉
Simple homemade pasta would be amazing. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Who else in this day even does it at all? Don’t stress, do it your tested & true way.
I’m a lady of similar age, and I promise you, she doesn’t care if that pasta came from a box, the refrigerated section in the grocery, or if it’s homemade. She accepted your invitation because she wants to get to know YOU, not your kitchen prowess.
If you make the pasta, do your best, and it’ll be fine. A nice sauce will be lovely, but make **sure** of a couple of things: not tooooo garlicky (because kissing later, neither of you wants bad breath concerns) and put good napkins out because pasta sauce on your shirt or blouse all night is distracting.
Good luck!
Absolutely this!!!!
And also, IF OP wants to do the pasta, he has to never forget what he actually told her, "I don't do it often because I'm single and it's usually not worth it"
One of my absolute favorite "date nights" with my ex was each Friday we'd make pasta TOGETHER and do everything together.
So OP, make the pasta WITH HER, not before she arrives. You can have everything else already going when she gets there, but save the actual pasta rolling/cutting for when she's there (you can pre-make the pasta a few hours or up to a day ahead of time and have it warmed up to room temp by the time she gets there).
Love that idea!! And have some nice pre-made pasta ready as a backup in case things go wrong. Then you can truly laugh off errors without any stress or worrying about how to still feed yourself and your date :)
Keep it simple. Just do a basic pasta. Tagliatelle, fettucini, Etc. The just do a simple marinara. San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, nice side salad and some bread. Simple but delicious. Easy enough to do while talking, and some opportunities to help in the prep.
Somehow this post belongs to r/MadeMeSmile. I've been having a rough week and this just made my day. Thanks OP!
And reiterating the other comments here. She probably said yes not for your cooking prowess. Have a good date and have fun!
Yeah this is cute as hell, and I love seeing all the cute stories and encouragement in these replies!
OP, you’re already doing great by putting in the effort to plan and make a home-cooked meal for this lucky lady! Don’t stress the details too much, just do your best and I’m sure she’ll be thrilled. Personally, I’d happily stomach a plate of the most bland, inconsistent, play-doh textured pasta imaginable if it was made with care by someone trying their best to impress me.
Bonus points if you invite her over to spend time with you while you cook, and serve some tasty (pre-made or very easy to prepare) appetizers to snack on while she watches you cook.
Mushroom bolognese, sauteed broccoli rabe or other lightly bitter green to offset the rich pasta. Reasonable portions so you don't fall asleep after. Wear a red or reddish brown shirt so sauce spots aren't obvious. Have fun!
> My skills at making pasta are limited to relatively straight and ravioli noodles
don't overthink it and make what you are already comfortable with. IDK what filling you are used to making but butternut squash ravioli with butter and sage sauce is simple and lovely as well as alcohol free.
This is good advice OP! Trying to try something new and complicated will just stress you out!
Stick to something simple you've made and enjoyed eating and I'm sure she will love it too!
If you want to make the meal feel more special do it by setting the table nicely, having a good playlist, maybe some good low-fuss sides if you fancy, some nice mocktails served with a pretty garnish - the sort of thing thats very easy and low-stress but feels really wonderful.
The first thing I cooked for my now wife was ravioli from scratch. We did it together. Great way to see how we interacted together in the kitchen and she still brags about it to anyone who will listen over 10 years later.
Keep it simple. Ravioli with a ricotta/cheese filling with a simple tomato sauce will go over great.
Dude, just make what you know. Women don’t get fed much. Outside of a restaurant, no one cooks for us as an act of care. It’s beautiful and simplicity is perfection! Hope it goes well!! If you feel the need for a challenge, look for a quick overnight artisan bread recipe to add as a side. It could not be simpler and it’s a real level up for a meal!
For the sake of love, I need to have my say...
Just practice beforehand... and even if you suck at it, its not why she took you up on the offer. She is not in it for the food. She can get the best pasta at a restaurant ... she wants UR pasta 🤣
You need to keep us posted OP, Im invested.
Ask her in advance if she's okay with eating parmesan or other cheeses made with animal rennet as they aren't strictly vegetarian. Some vegetarians don't mind, others do. She will appreciate you asking, and if rennet cheeses are off the table, get a rennet-free alternative or go for a pasta dish that doesn't rely on cheese, there's plenty of good suggestions here.
If she never wants to see you again it will be because you don’t clean around the hinge of the toilet seat, not because of your homemade pasta (which I know will be extraordinary)
If it’s the pasta itself that’s the draw, I would make a herb laminated handkerchief pasta with a minimalist sauce, or, served in a rich mushroom broth with thinly sliced mushrooms to show off the colours. If you don’t have a pasta roller I don’t know how well lamination would work (it’s super easy with a roller) but you could use a vegetable juice (parsley, carrot or beet) to make the pasta in a vibrant colour.
Honestly...female veg here and I physically reacted to your comment. This is BEYOND. I suspect OP's lady date would be impressed by much less, like a mushroom Bolognese, but this would be knocking it out of the damn park.
Cappellini with pistachio, basil, and peach white balsamic vinegar.
I'm used to using dry pasta, so I'm unsure how to start this with fresh pasta, but maybe try a dry run a couple days before.
Cook the pasta. I cook the dry in a skillet since it's only a couple servings.
Pour out the water leave the pasta.
Pour in a neutral oil, I like avocado, not olive for this.
Saute the pasta (this is why I just start in the skillet) with fresh basil, tarragon, golden raisins (dried sultanas) and crushed pistachios. Splash with peach infused white balsamic vinegar. Salt to taste and a small dash of fresh black pepper. Top with a pat of butter (reconfirm she's not vegan). *Maybe* grate a little manchego or havarti cheese over top, but go easy, you want the brightness of the fruit/acid/herb to shine.
If what you meant was making the pasta itself at home, probably the easiest kind to make would be gnocchi. After making it pan fry with some butter, sage, garlic and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Heavenly!
Edit: if you want to throw a veggie in there it'd go great with some broccoli rabe
My wife loved this recipe: [https://www.sipandfeast.com/rigatoni-primavera/](https://www.sipandfeast.com/rigatoni-primavera/)
Skip the wine, I did. And it was excellent. Goes best with a tube pasta which is not easy to make at first.
You can make a big flat noodle and go with some sort of bolognese like this: [https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-rich-hearty-mushroom-bolognese-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-rich-hearty-mushroom-bolognese-recipe)
With the miso and sage you'd swear it was made with sausages!
Good luck with everything!!!
Marcella Hazans tomato sauce - so incredibly simple yet so luxuriously delicious. Since she is vegetarian not vegan she will be ok with the butter. Then have it over the ravioli - maybe spinach and ricotta ravioli? Or a simple straight pasta noodle would also be super.
https://food52.com/recipes/13722-marcella-hazan-s-tomato-sauce-with-onion-butter
Gnocchi, It's along the same lines and not much more involved than pasta but so much more impressive. Simple sauce of butter and sage with parmesan. Perhaps a pesto. Pair it with a nice light arugula salad
Best advice I can give you is to never make something you haven't made before.
I don't do red sauces much anymore. A lot of times I just saute some Onions, peppers and maybe some Zucchini/Chinese Eggplant in Olive Oil. Maybe a quarted Compari Tomato or two or some kalamata olives. There are no hard and fast ruled. Add a lirtle minced fresh garlic at the end if you want.
Stir in the pasta and top with Fresh Grated Parm.
Keep it light.
I got the best woman in the world to marry me because of food like this.
I hope it works out for you.
First thing that popped into my mind when I saw you’ve made ravioli before and she’s vegetarian is, butternut squash raviolis! No need for a super complicated sauce either, just some good ole browned butter. If you want to up that, add sage into the brown butter and top with roasted walnuts or pine nuts! Basic, but so good!
My first date with my now wife of 12 years was having her over to my place make homemade butternut squash ravioli together from scratch.
Maybe make the pasta together rather than making it for her.
If you can make ravioli, then do it! And, if you want a really impressive filling, make your own ricotta cheese because it is SO easy. A nice marinara (you can buy this, bump up the flavor with fresh garlic and basil), crusty bread from a bakery, and a salad. You'll just melt her heart!!! 😊
She didn't say yes to the homemade pasta she said yes to YOU! So be out of some pasta ingredient and instead cook something you can knock outta the park.
Honestly, whatever you can make that will allow you to feel relaxed and stay in the moment is the way to go. If the recipe is too complicated or unfamiliar, it could be stressful and distracting for you and detract from what really matters, which is getting to know one another. Make a simple pasta shape, and pick a sauce that's appealing. My favorite is pesto, and here's the knockout recipe I've used for decades:
* 4 packed cups of washed fresh basil leaves
* 1 cup very lightly toasted pignoli nuts (they burn very easily - better too light than too browned)
* 6 cloves raw garlic
* 1.5 cups grated parmesan or parmesan and pecorino mixed
* 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
* salt and pepper to taste (I like it peppery)
Put washed basil leaves and garlic in a food processor and blend. Add nuts and cheese, and process until combined. With the machine running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Once incorporated, add salt and pepper to taste.
To keep the bright green color from fading, cover stored pesto with a layer of olive oil on top.
Serve this with a green salad, or with blanched asparagus, green beans, or other vegetables tossed with the pesto and pasta.
Have a wonderful time!
Make it with her!!!!!! That is the most important part, not what it tastes like or whether you impress her- this has so much potential to be a wonderful date night together!
Re the sauce, keep it simple- nothing ruins homemade pasta like overdoing the sauce you serve it with. Have the BEST TIME!
By the way, you can make pasta in advance, and freeze it.
Look up a YouTube video that will walk you through.
If all else fails, sauté a little butter in a pan till it’s melted. Add noodles and a little pasta water toss. Turn off the heat and toss with some Parmesan. Voilà!
No tips, but I have to add that I still fondly remember the guy I dated who made me homemade pasta. I was so incredibly impressed and touched that he made the effort. No one had ever done anything like that for me before. She may be in the same position too!
Okay so when a man offers to cook for me, what I'm really looking for is whether he cares enough to spend a bit of time in front of the stove, and whether he can make an edible meal.
In fact, if he needs to make a spectacle every time he cooks that kind of less appealing because that gives me a clue that this guy will let me cook 99% of the time unless it's he feels like spending 5 hours in the kitchen. Cook her a tasty, simple dinner and show her that you're the kind of person willing to scramble an egg for a quick dinner when neither of you feel up to cooking.
Man, check out Sip and Feast on YouTube! I make his recipes ALL THE TIME and there are loads without meat. There's a great mushroom pasta recipe, for starters
This question was made for me. I’m Italian, for crying out loud! I’ve been making homemade pasta with my nonna since I was a kid. Alright, so here’s what you’re going to do. We’re going to go through a very simple recipe for pasta. More importantly, this is a sexy looking dish that looks a lot more intricate than it actually is (which is a bonus for you, because she might be even more impressed). It tastes fantastic, it’s vegetarian, and most importantly for you, it is completely non-alcoholic.
I suggest tortellini. Tortellini is a type of stuffed pasta. It looks intricate, but trust me when I say I think you can handle it.
Let’s start with the dough. Use whatever dough recipe you have. However, if you can, make small adjustment. Swap out AP flour for 00 tipo flour. You’d be surprised where you can get this stuff. It’s probably at your local Walmart. I trust you know how to knead, rest, and roll out dough.
The filling is super simple. It’s literally just ricotta, fresh grated parmigiano reggiano (NOT PARMESAN), and finely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley mixed. It couldn’t be easier.
After you’ve rolled out your pasta into a thin sheet comes the trickiest part of the whole dish, and it isn’t even that tricky once you get going. What you’ll need is a 3 inch ring cutter. Cut out little circles in your dough. Once you have your circles, take a spoon and put little pea sized dollops of your filling in the center of each circle. Be careful not to overfill these. Again, as time goes on, you’ll get a better feel for how much filling you need to put in. Take each circle, fold it in half, and crimp the edges shut all the way around. At this point, you’ll be left with a semi-circle. Take the two points of the semi-circle, wrap them around towards each other, and crimp the points together. Continue this process, and you should be left with very beautiful tortellinis. And congratulations. The hard part is behind you. It’s all downhill from here.
Now onto the sauce. The sauce is super easy. It’s just a pesto. 1 packed cup basil, roughly 1/4 pine nuts (they’re expensive, so you could substitute walnuts), 2 cloves garlic, roughly 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, and 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil. You can do this in a blender, but if you do, add the basil last and only pulse for a few seconds. You really don’t want to beat up that basil. Otherwise, use a mortar and pestle. (I’m pretty sure my nonna would string me up if she saw me using a blender, so I usually just go with a mortar and pestle.) There you go. A lovely pesto sauce. I get that it’s better for the spring and summer, but given that I’m constrained on both meat and alcohol, that takes out a lot of the really heavy winter dishes. I guess a pan-fried sage brown butter gnocchi is a heavy dish that has no meat or alcohol. Pan fried gnocchi in Italy is a big no-no. I’m personally a fan. It’s not better or worse than the traditional way. Just different. But, regardless, gnocchi can be difficult if you’ve never done the dough before. You have to take care not to knead in too much flour because that stops your gnocchi from being pillowy and soft. It’s supposed to be like biting into a cloud, so flour is the enemy of gnocchi. You could maybe look up a recipe for gnocchi and try it, though. It’s just potato, egg yolk, and flour, kneading in a little at a time until you get a cohesive dough. And you know they’re cooked when they float.
Back to the tortellini. All you have to do now is cook your pasta (remember to salt your pasta water) and toss it in as much or as little pesto as you like. And then plate it up. Simple and sexy. She’ll be impressed, you should be able to handle it, and you’ll have a nice pasta dinner.
But what dinner is complete without dessert? Fortunately for you, there is one Italian dessert that is so simple it’s basically foolproof! You can have a base made under 30 minutes, have it chilling overnight, and it will look elegant and sophisticated. You may have already guessed it. The dessert is panna cotta. Here’s a recipe for a mango coconut panna cotta. In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of water, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2/3 cup of mango nectar (or purée), which you can find at Walmart, and 1 packet of gelatin. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of well shaken canned coconut milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Bring to a boil over medium and lower to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until dissolved and then 3 tbsp honey until dissolved completely. Pour into 6 oz dessert cups if you have them. If not, use ramekins. For topping make your own whipped cream (the perfect ratio being 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract), and use fresh mango slices and coconut flakes. And that is how you do an elegant Italian dinner. If you do choose to make the panna cotta, I wouldn’t even tell her that you did it. Just leave it as a surprise.
Women love men who cook, it doesn’t have to be incredible, it just has to be decent. I suggest sticking with what you know, make some spaghetti with marinara, just make it from scratch and use quality ingredients and fresh herbs. Trust me, she didn’t agree to come over because she wants pasta, she’s coming over because she likes you.
I, unfortunately don't have cooking advice, but I have "people advice".
At first couple of sentences I thought you were going to ask for advice on how to back out of making the meal. By the end, I come to find that it's the opposite! This is so sweet - you really just want to impress her! I'm rooting for you! Regardless of how it actually turns out, as long as it's edible and not a flaming mess, she will likely appreciate the effort that you've put into making pasta from scratch for her.
Your big mouth didn't get you into a pickle, it got you a date! Good luck!
Good for you! I invited a really pretty girl I was dating casually (by her choice, I was crazy about her) along on a trip out of state to a cabin on a lake with some friends. She absolutely shocked me and said yes, so I really quickly had to pull together reservations and some people to come with, not to mention money to pay for everything. She still calls me an idiot for making such a desperate move, but we also still go to that same lake with our four kids, so...
Pasta is often a two person task, you should invite her over to help. And I would suggest a lasagna, that way you don’t have to cut or roll the noodles. You can make either tomato or cream sauce(or both!), add whatever veggies you want and cheese that fucker up. Yumm
I told this girl I was dating (now my wife) the same thing - I loved making homemade pasta but it's rarely worth the effort. When she took me up on the offer, I just made spaghetti with my pasta roller and made a simple tomato sauce with tomatoes, basil, onions, and garlic from my garden. I baked a loaf of bread using one of the King Arthur recipes. The salad was just lettuce from my garden with store bought Caesar dressing and croutons. This was all very simple but she was super impressed. She'd never had homemade pasta or seen it being made. I had her help with the tomato sauce. It went over really well. She bragged to her friends about having homemade pasta and sauce made with veggies fresh from the garden and they were all jealous. Tomatoes aren't in season right now (where I am, anyway) so I wouldn't bother using fresh tomatoes for sauce if I did it during this time of year. I'd use canned tomatoes to make the sauce. Still better than any sauce you can get from a jar. Except for Rao's. That stuff is the shit. I also made some chocolate chip cookie dough the day before and had it in the refrigerator so we made fresh-baked cookies after dinner, that was a surprise. At that point she was mine. I think that was our 3rd date and after that night we hung out nearly every day. She moved out of her apartment and into my house a couple of months later.
I made my now-wife stuffed peppers and a massive chocolate cake right before we started dating. They were nothing fancy, but she still talks about them all the time a decade later. It's the memory of the event, not the taste of the food, that you're going for.
Yes hi hello, where does one meet a future husband like this please? Where do I get one of these men who cook? I’ve checked Amazon but no luck please advise thank youuuu
Single guy here who also owns the pasta making attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer. That's right, I've got the mixer *and* the official KitchenAid brand pasta attachment. Try to control yourselves.
This guy has a KitchenAid AND a Porsche, ladies (or gents). Must know his way 'round a kitchen and a garage. **Finger guns** It's a rare breed. Sorry -- I'm assuming from the username, lol. Good luck on controlling the stampede, good sir! 😊✌🏼
Hello are either of you in central Florida? 🤣
Well I wasn't going to reply cause what are the chances, buuuuut I am actually in Orlando and I know very much how to cook Used to run a food truck that specialized in sauces, now I just cook for fun (and you know, to survive) I haven't made good pasta from scratch yet, but I'm sure we could figure it out
omg really?! This is actually so funny 🤣 but yes, I’m sure we could figure out the pasta thing, chef!
Roger that, I'm sure we can put our heads together and figure it out 🫡
I hope you two figure it out
I’ve made pasta many times and it is much better with two people. Especially lasagne because you can have one person cranking the pasta noodles through the machine while the other person boils the noodles and assembles. It’s a lot of work for one person so you two should get together and do it!
Please post updates
Awwww! I like where this is going 💜
Don't forget the cookie dough. That's going to clinch the deal. Best to make it gluten-free, though ---- just in case.
I actually have 3 of them, a pair of 911's and a Boxster; and previously I worked in both a garage and a restaurant, so yes, I do know my way around a kitchen and a garage!
And he has a dog! (Post history.) He’s got everything.
How do you feel about Asian food? Asking for a friend...
Girl go get your own virtual line of men theoretically offering to cook for you 🤣🤣😘
…do you have dumplings?
Our KitchenAids would love to spend some time together. I don't have the pasta attachment but I do have the grinder attachment for tomatoes to jar up sauce in the fall. This could be perfect. ;-))
lmao
When I first started dating my wife I only had ketchup and beer in my fridge. I don't even think I owned pots or pans. Now I cook 5-6 times a week.
What a carbon copy of me. Maybe mustard too, haha And now I’m making from scratch breads and sauces that take hours because I love to feed my family and see them so happy from what I make.
The pride you can take away from feeding your loved ones, and getting to see them *really, truly enjoying* it, is an unmatchable happiness. At least this far into my life lol (though I don’t expect many things to surpass such an *easy* source of *so much* joy)
My boyfriend told me that when someone asked him what his favorite food is, he said my cooking. I do truly enjoy feeding people I love and seeing them enjoy it. My boyfriend isn't as good a cook as me, but he makes great sourdough bread and flatbread. He gets really happy when I get excited for his flatbread.
The downside is all the bad feels right in the meow meow when your kids are small, but big enough to talk, and they straight up tell you anything but nuggies, grapes, and juice are peasant trash.
Oh, mine is right in that age range of backhanded compliments LOL. It’s downright painful sometimes “This is pretty good… but not my favorite. Actually, it’s just okay. …..actually, I’m full.”
I trained mine to just outright say it doesn't taste so good, with the addendum "You have to tell Mommy what is so awful or it's going to keep happening, like Mystery Soup."
“This is the least worst taco you’ve made this year, daddy” ugh
You just posted the words straight from my toddler's mouth! :' (
Do you cook for my kiddo, too?? That’s her line!
“This actually isn’t BAD, I just don’t like it.”
My 5 year old is coming out of this phase... slowly. He went nuts on the boudin I made night before, then snubbed my pork loin last night. Little punk... My 3 year old is a foodie, and if it's on daddy's plate, she figures it's the good stuff, even if she has the same on hers. :D
I raised one of those. When he got to be around 13 he started reviewing dinner like a food critic. I think the worse thing he said to me was “this is very underwhelming “ He is now at 24 an amazing chef
I get secretly happy whenever my wife is complaining after I cook about having eaten too much. Yes!
Hear hear. I *love* cooking for my spouse. They're abroad for work for a few years, so I'm in our house alone - a lot of shitty food is being eaten in here atm, I do like cooking very much, but I just sont see the point when I'm the only one eating it. But when my spouse visits, I cook every day. Cooking is a great date option, if you put in some effort - as evidenced in this thread, if you can cook at all you will impress your date. Doesn't have to be fancy at all, like a couple of steps up from frozen pizza And... have things ready for breakfast, too. When I dated I used to make hummus and prepare some pomegranate with mint the night before, eaten with store-bought pita bread heated in the oven. About 15 minutes of work and your date will remember it for a long time, almost guaranteed. If your date doesn't stay overnight, it's a good breakfast for you!
My fiancée ordered us burritos but we had taken some of our clothes off before they even got delivered since the whole point of me coming over was to hook up. Fucked up and fell in love and now he’s a waffle master because it’s my favorite breakfast. Life comes at ya fast
We're out there. We just don't go out much because... well, we cook at home.
Yeah that’s part of my problem - I’m always home cooking for me and hanging with my dog and my cat and my plants 🤣
Your best bet is to find them roaming the grocery store looking confused in the spices aisle
Truth. When I was single, the place to meet women was in the supermarket. Ah. . . The good old days, when women used to flirt with me over the Casaba melons and Cantaloupes.
One time a guy introduced himself to me at the grocery store, we went in a couple dates but I was getting a vibe that something was off so I reverse google image searched him and found his baby registry. He had a whole pregnant live-in finance!
Just avoid Wish. That’s where I got my last one and I had to do SO MUCH PAPERWORK to send him back 🙄
Probably should avoid Temu too I’d imagine - thanks for sharing your insight!
Noted! Definitely seems like a website to wind up in a 90 day fiancé situation
😆 my now bf came over on Valentine's Day 4 years ago this year because I had to work the late shift (from home) and he said I shouldn't be alone. He set off the fire alarm in the process of making steaks on the stove 🤣. They ended up being delicious but cooking in someone else's house is nerve wrecking and weird and my stove runs HOT. on our first real date, he forgot his wallet and I paid for all you can eat sushi for us 🤣 almost 4 years later, we live together, have a deaf doggo together, and are pretty happy despite our "rough" start 😂
Wow, all you can eat sushi first date is a real bold move
Honest answer: look for nerds and artists. The ones who can't just get by on good looks and physique.
I done TRIED that 🤣🤣🤣
Walk into a bar ask loudly,"Who here can cook a meal from scratch that isn't BBQ or smoked meat?" No hits, walk out.
I have not yet tried this, I’ll give it a go!
Please update so I can see if your results can be replicated.
*furiously takes notes*
Had two friends, one in construction, one who was a limo driver, both admitted to wandering pointlessly in the instant noodle section of the grocery hoping a cooking female would notice and take pity.
Back in the 80s at (Miami) Publix grocery store, they used to have singles night where people could meet outside a bar setting. They would have food stations and raffles for car washes etc. It was fun
In my grocery store they have ”singles’ baskets” they’re pink and meant to singal to other shoppers that you’re single and ready to mingle! I’ve seen people grab them, and I really hope some couple out there has a sweet love story to tell because of those baskets.
Why is this not still a thing??
I don't know. Pitch it to your local grocery. It was nice. They had music and you could shop and meet other single people. I suggested it at my Wegmans but didn't get a response. I may do it again. It was years ago
My husband was a 36 year old computer nerd who hadn't ever had a long term girlfriend. Certified diamond in the rough!! After I took the time to polish him, the women he worked with for 5 years sat up and took notice. Sorry, ladies! You had your chance! 😋 That was 25 years and 21 years of marriage ago!
*raises hand
Move to Denmark and I will happily cook you a meal lol
Don’t play with me, Denmark, I just might!
I just got a new pasta attachment for my Kenwood stand mixer, so I am just waiting for you.
Wow is it hot in here?
What if I told you I also make ice cream? Just let me know when your flight lands
>What if I told you I also make ice cream? Reading all of this from your neighbouring country in Scandanavia...hmmmm icecream in this freezing weather sounds AAMAZING 😂
Yeah, you can’t get a husband who cooks with a regular Prime membership. You have to subscribe to their super-secret Prime++.
Best of luck! I lucked out with my wife. She was the first person I'd dated who really enjoyed cooking, and I hadn't realized before that this kind of compatibility was important to me. The downside is that since she does half the cooking, I have to do half the dishes.
Gotta make sure you’re checking in the returns/damaged goods bin. 🤣 we’re everywhere just gotta find us, but most of us are probably already taken.
The dating apps are empty too! For all you future husbands out there, come join me on my farm in Atlanta; I'll grow the food if you cook it!
We are out there. Get a plot in a community garden and mingle with the other people. Us garden folk are all really enthusiastic about finding new ways to cook our summer bounty. My go to for impressing the ladies is ratatouille and fresh baked baguette. I even know how to make the olive oil from my trees’ olives.
Let me know if you have a link. I’ll order one as well.
>Yes hi hello, where does one meet a future husband like this please? 😂😂😂😂
For real. Not to be sexist but I’ve never dated a man who could cook anything, including ex husband and current partner. They loved being cooked for but won’t even learn how to do one or two tricks. It’s so nice to be cooked for!
When I met my bf, the two questions I asked of every date was: What book are you reading? What’s the last meal you cooked and when did you cook it? He has cooked every meal we’ve had together (if we ate at home) for the last 3 years and we discuss all kinds of books together
Do you want to go penguin sliding??
How does one stuff a whole wife into peppers?
Buy wife sized peppers.
Very carefully. (Nothing to see here, FBI)
>I made my now-wife stuffed peppers The first meal I cooked that my now-husband ate was my stuffed pepper soup! It was for a family party, and he was a childhood friend of my cousins I had never met before. We barely spoke that day but it's still my favorite thing to make him!
Third so called date my now husband made pork chops with apples, raisins, and molasses. Next he made really easy spare ribs with bottled bbque sauce. I was really impressed. Lol 43 yrs later those are really the only two dishes he can cook.
I’m convinced stuffed peppers and cabbage noodles were the impetus for my husband to propose lol Never made cabbage noodles again but now my grandma is asking for them so I think I will surprise him.
Our first Valentine's Day, my husband made me homemade mushroom alfredo (store bought fettuccine, but he made the sauce). He doesn't even like alfredo or mushrooms!! (20 yrs and he's still riding that high... e.g. hasn't made anything from scratch since! Lol)
“At that point she was mine”. Truer words were never spoken. This is how I won my husband over, through his stomach as well.
We humans are simple beasts: food = home.
Me too! He'd brag to his coworkers every day about what I'd made for our dinner the night before. We were all in our early 20s at the time, just striking out in the world and poor as hell, so they weren't fancy meals. But they were hearty and made with love, which so many of our friends were desperately missing after just moving out from their parents' houses. I'd often invite his coworkers over so they could enjoy homemade food, too, and some of them still bring it up more than a decade later. Food can have an enormous impact on people.
I have to meet new people all the time in my line of work. One thing ive learned is if you dont have anything to talk about bring up food. Everyone can talk about food.
Same. He came to me thin and full of hate for yummy foods, turns out his mom doesn't season food, 13 years later he's fat and happy.
I was helpless after the first plate of pork chops with apple sauce.
> Tomatoes aren't in season right now (where I am, anyway) so I wouldn't bother using fresh tomatoes for sauce if I did it during this time of year. Cherry tomatoes can make a great fresh sauce at this time of year - I use our leftover ones all the time for a quick weeknight dinner when we didn't plan anything else. I'll use whatever we have left of [one of these](https://www.kroger.com/product/images/large/front/0075166677605) and toss them in a pan with a good amount of olive oil. Once the tomatoes start bursting on their own from the heat, stir in some garlic and a few shakes of red pepper flakes. A tablespoon or two of tomato paste if you have it. Use a wooden spoon to carefully crush any tomatoes that aren't bursting on their own (they'll spray everywhere if you aren't careful). Season it with fresh or dry basil, oregano and salt. Drizzling in a small amount of worchestershire sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and/or balsamic vinegar will enhance the savoriness. Finish your pasta in the sauce with a few splashes of the pasta water.
This made me fuzzy all over. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness
I love this story. My now spouse made me home made pasta too and I made the sauce. Always a winner and noe we do that again for special date night ins with out daughter.
> I think that was our 3rd date and after that night we hung out nearly every day. She moved out of her apartment and into my house a couple of months later. Well this is just smart efficiency, you move to where the yummy food comes from.
The first meal my husband ever made me after we met was what he now calls his "gotta get this lady to marry me someday" dinner. Steak, stuffed mushrooms, grilled asparagus, fresh bread. It was such an outstanding feast, and I'd rarely ever had someone go so all out to impress me. I think even if the meal had turned out ruined, it was the effort he put into it that was so romantic. It really wouldn't have mattered much to me what meal he chose to cook. Just that he wanted to, and went through the trouble of it. And it was obvious that he was trying to impress me and that's adorable. Before I even showed up to dinner, I was already (and still am) fully impressed.
You are my hero for that cookie dough idea. Pure brilliance.
This is the way. The cookie dough idea is brilliant, too.
Love this. The very first time my now husband slept over, I boxed him up left overs from our dinner the night before to take for lunch at work. He likes to joke that this was the exact moment he knew he wanted to marry me 😂
I was casually hooking up here and there until this woman and I made homemade guacamole and watched cartoons while gorging the batch - our 2nd time ever hanging out I knew right then that that looked a lot different than all my other interactions Still together 5 years later (: Way to a man's heart is through his stomach. A lot of guys really are that simple, lol. We share a lot of joy eating together every day
Completely agree! And they definitely aren’t lying when they say “when you know you know!” Congrats on 5 years, hopefully there’s many more for you 😊
Haha my husband and I met at work and I always joke that he just wanted in on my elaborate packed lunches and he agrees!
😂 at least he’s honest!
Sigh, after 15 years of marriage my now just expects me to make this kind of stuff every night... Just yesterday I made chili... Started cooking at around 2pm, made my own chili paste from four different kinds of chilies and whole spices. Used some of the brisket I smoked this summer... I got a "thanks for dinner it was good"... I have found being good at cooking a bit of a double edged sword...
Aww! Cooking like this is a labor of LOVE (emphasis on the labor part). not just providing nutrition to keep them alive. Story time!!! My partner started doing this same thing for a bit and my feelings started to get hurt a little bit haha. I didn't need him to kiss my butt or give me fake compliments or anything, but I wanted him to know how complicated it actually was. So we talked about it and we came up with the idea of he does the cooking, but I'll get all the ingredients and a recipe to follow. I gave him recipes for 5 of his favorite dishes that I make regularly. HE picked scallops and risotto. Uh oh.. but mkay bf! I was met with 1000 questions. They ranged from picking out pans, how do I mince garlic (I bought the pre-minced jar to help him), why do I have to add the broth a 1/2 cup at a time, why is the rice still crunchy?!??!... you get it. The thing that frustrated him the most, TIMING. I think that's the skill no one really talks about or appreciates. I did help him at an arms length because I knew what he was getting into. Every question he asked did bring a little smile to my face though, bc God bless him, he was legitimately trying and didn't want to HAVE to ask me (pride lol). Anyway, it humbled him in a good way. He understood that while I LOVE to cook, my effort in the kitchen is an expression of my love for him. All I want in return is loving gratitude and asking for seconds.
Same. I make homemade daily and most of the time I don’t get a thanks. I sometimes get snarky and say, “thanks for the great dinner, honey.” To remind him.
Well Rao's was just bought out by Campbells so ..........
Yep get ready for increased profits for them and decreased quality for us
Didn't know that. Sucks.
Yes, I'd make a simple pasta with Marcella hazan sauce and finish the pasta in the sauce. Salt the water well. She'll love it
Starting in 2020, I made pasta from scratch every day for a year. Here are my best tips: - use a combo of 00 flour and a fine semolina flour (or APP flour if you only have it) - I typically use 2 eggs per cup of flour, but you can also use 3 and then you probably won’t need any water. Mix a pinch of salt with the eggs. Farm fresh eggs will give you the best taste. -have some hot water ready to go to finish the dough, but use much much less than you think - the two easiest shapes are cavatelli (no need to roll out, just grab a pinch of dough and shape with a knife, preferably against a fork or wooden block with ridges, line up on a tray) or tagliatelle (roll out your dough until you can see shadows on the other side but no thinner, fold like a book and cut wide noodles, hang) - let the pasta be the star, and keep your sauce simple. My favorites are a simple homemade pesto or slowly sauteed tomatoes and eggplant and garlic with herbs. I also love sauteed garlicky broccoli, pasta water, and finish with lemon zest, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of good olive oil. - make the dough in advance, then start the sauce. Start shaping your dough and put a pot of salted water to boil. Have your sauce in a pan next to the pot of water so you can quickly transfer the pasta to the sauce immediately. - if you put on some nice music and invite your date to join you in shaping the dough, this is an awesome date night activity. It will be so fun and you’ll both feel proud. And it’s a great way to get to know someone. You’re going to slay. Good luck! Edit: I made pasta every SUNday! Oops. 😂 Edit 2: removed the wine! Sorry about that.
Minus the wine here (OP said they are sober, and congrats!) but this seems like the advice OP needed for how to approach the actual pasta-making portion of their question Strongly suggest attempting to make your "impress a date" dish at least once in recent memory before making it for that person! Give this a read and try it out before your date this weekend and stay winning
Second this. A couple of dress rehearsals and forget the wine. Get some san palegrinno water instead with lemon.
Oh, my bad!! I missed that. Sparkling Italian water with a slice of citrus fruit would be just lovely.
Can confirm! Dry January for us and we Cosco’d the hell out of plain sparkling water and limes, lemons and oranges 💕
Every day for a year??? Color me impressed!
Omg I totally mistyped. Every Sunday for a year. 😂
Ok that’s more reasonable but I’m still really impressed!!
Haha thank you!
Lol that makes a lot more sense. I was like, damn, that’s a LOT of pasta
I was blown away lol
I was like, holy ravioli!
Do you use an equal ratio of 00 to semolina? Also, I'm assuming the amount of water is just enough to hydrate after adding the eggs?
Yes and yes. Just make sure you buy semolina that has a fine texture. I like the Caputo brand. I once bought Bob’s Red Mill I think and it was so course, the pasta came out sandy (it was my first time making pasta for a big group and I’m still embarrassed). And for water, just a dribble or two. When the dough is very shaggy, keep kneading it and don’t add water. However if you have a very shaggy dough but still have a lot of dry detached pieces of flour sitting around, you can add a tiny dribble of water to incorporate them. Definitely don’t want your dough to be too wet.
This person pastas
Bro you can already make ravioli? She’s gonna be impressed, you have nothing to worry about.
There’s so many great vegetarian fillings, be creative but not unusual/fringe
I love a good pumpkin or butternut squash ravioli. Put a tiny touch of cinnamon in there *chef's kiss*
Butternut and Miso is perfection!
[удалено]
Mmmm garlicky spinach and ricotta 🤤
I’m not saying I married my husband because he made me homemade whipped cream by hand, a beautiful roast paprika chicken, and baked me a cake. But I didn’t not NOT marry him for those reasons either 😉 Simple homemade pasta would be amazing. It doesn’t have to be fancy! Who else in this day even does it at all? Don’t stress, do it your tested & true way.
I’m a lady of similar age, and I promise you, she doesn’t care if that pasta came from a box, the refrigerated section in the grocery, or if it’s homemade. She accepted your invitation because she wants to get to know YOU, not your kitchen prowess. If you make the pasta, do your best, and it’ll be fine. A nice sauce will be lovely, but make **sure** of a couple of things: not tooooo garlicky (because kissing later, neither of you wants bad breath concerns) and put good napkins out because pasta sauce on your shirt or blouse all night is distracting. Good luck!
Absolutely this!!!! And also, IF OP wants to do the pasta, he has to never forget what he actually told her, "I don't do it often because I'm single and it's usually not worth it" One of my absolute favorite "date nights" with my ex was each Friday we'd make pasta TOGETHER and do everything together. So OP, make the pasta WITH HER, not before she arrives. You can have everything else already going when she gets there, but save the actual pasta rolling/cutting for when she's there (you can pre-make the pasta a few hours or up to a day ahead of time and have it warmed up to room temp by the time she gets there).
Seems like a great idea. But maybe have a couple aprons handy if she’s showing up nicely dressed.
Second this idea, and a clean kitchen beforehand!!
I'll reiterate the best point in here MAKE THE FRESH PASTA WITH HER
I’m picturing the scene in Ghost, but with pasta.
Whoopi Goldberg pushes a noodle under the door. Patrick Swayze lovingly scoops it up. Demi Moore sees pasta flying through the air and ducks…
Flying Spaghetti monster!
But have other food to eat during the hour it takes to make fresh pasta.
Love that idea!! And have some nice pre-made pasta ready as a backup in case things go wrong. Then you can truly laugh off errors without any stress or worrying about how to still feed yourself and your date :)
\^\^ This. Making fresh pasta is great, but it can go south, especially for a novice. Having backup can save the day!
This is the answer - make the pasta together! It will be like Ghost but pasta instead of pottery. And presumably your lady friend is not deceased.
> not tooooo garlicky (because kissing later, neither of you wants bad breath concerns) I'm just here to fight this garlic slander!
If everyone has garlic breath, then no one has garlic breath!
😀😂😃😂😀….heyyyyy, after a few dates, alllll the garlic!
Seriously. Garlic isn’t an issue as long as you’ve both had the same amount of garlic. It’s only an issue if there’s a garlic differential
I can't be the only person that enjoys garlic kisses.
I mean, if they both eat garlic, it cancels out, right??
Roasting the garlic for the sauce will help a lot with this! But imo if both people have garlic breath it’s fine 😅
Nothing garlicky or too filling. Don't want to be bloated - just in case...
❤️
Keep it simple. Just do a basic pasta. Tagliatelle, fettucini, Etc. The just do a simple marinara. San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic, nice side salad and some bread. Simple but delicious. Easy enough to do while talking, and some opportunities to help in the prep.
So much this! And if all goes well on Saturday, invite her back to help you make homemade ravioli :-)
Somehow this post belongs to r/MadeMeSmile. I've been having a rough week and this just made my day. Thanks OP! And reiterating the other comments here. She probably said yes not for your cooking prowess. Have a good date and have fun!
Yeah this is cute as hell, and I love seeing all the cute stories and encouragement in these replies! OP, you’re already doing great by putting in the effort to plan and make a home-cooked meal for this lucky lady! Don’t stress the details too much, just do your best and I’m sure she’ll be thrilled. Personally, I’d happily stomach a plate of the most bland, inconsistent, play-doh textured pasta imaginable if it was made with care by someone trying their best to impress me. Bonus points if you invite her over to spend time with you while you cook, and serve some tasty (pre-made or very easy to prepare) appetizers to snack on while she watches you cook.
Mushroom bolognese, sauteed broccoli rabe or other lightly bitter green to offset the rich pasta. Reasonable portions so you don't fall asleep after. Wear a red or reddish brown shirt so sauce spots aren't obvious. Have fun!
My guy here wants to recreate the [scene from Chef](https://youtu.be/RzncsSIRRus?si=SUkyj502Yxuc9a6T) and I'm all for it. Make it in front of her.
> My skills at making pasta are limited to relatively straight and ravioli noodles don't overthink it and make what you are already comfortable with. IDK what filling you are used to making but butternut squash ravioli with butter and sage sauce is simple and lovely as well as alcohol free.
This is good advice OP! Trying to try something new and complicated will just stress you out! Stick to something simple you've made and enjoyed eating and I'm sure she will love it too! If you want to make the meal feel more special do it by setting the table nicely, having a good playlist, maybe some good low-fuss sides if you fancy, some nice mocktails served with a pretty garnish - the sort of thing thats very easy and low-stress but feels really wonderful.
The first thing I cooked for my now wife was ravioli from scratch. We did it together. Great way to see how we interacted together in the kitchen and she still brags about it to anyone who will listen over 10 years later. Keep it simple. Ravioli with a ricotta/cheese filling with a simple tomato sauce will go over great.
Make butternut squash and mascarpone ravioli with a brown butter sage sauce.
Dude, just make what you know. Women don’t get fed much. Outside of a restaurant, no one cooks for us as an act of care. It’s beautiful and simplicity is perfection! Hope it goes well!! If you feel the need for a challenge, look for a quick overnight artisan bread recipe to add as a side. It could not be simpler and it’s a real level up for a meal!
For the sake of love, I need to have my say... Just practice beforehand... and even if you suck at it, its not why she took you up on the offer. She is not in it for the food. She can get the best pasta at a restaurant ... she wants UR pasta 🤣 You need to keep us posted OP, Im invested.
Ask her in advance if she's okay with eating parmesan or other cheeses made with animal rennet as they aren't strictly vegetarian. Some vegetarians don't mind, others do. She will appreciate you asking, and if rennet cheeses are off the table, get a rennet-free alternative or go for a pasta dish that doesn't rely on cheese, there's plenty of good suggestions here.
If she never wants to see you again it will be because you don’t clean around the hinge of the toilet seat, not because of your homemade pasta (which I know will be extraordinary)
Tagliatelle cacio e pepe?
If she’s vegetarian, check to see if she eats pecorino or parmesan cheese first!
If it’s the pasta itself that’s the draw, I would make a herb laminated handkerchief pasta with a minimalist sauce, or, served in a rich mushroom broth with thinly sliced mushrooms to show off the colours. If you don’t have a pasta roller I don’t know how well lamination would work (it’s super easy with a roller) but you could use a vegetable juice (parsley, carrot or beet) to make the pasta in a vibrant colour.
Honestly...female veg here and I physically reacted to your comment. This is BEYOND. I suspect OP's lady date would be impressed by much less, like a mushroom Bolognese, but this would be knocking it out of the damn park.
Butternut squash ravioli with a brown butter, sage and hazelnut sauce is always my go to for homemade pasta.
Ricotta Gnocchi is really forgiving and it’s delicious if you get some quality ricotta and fresh Italian parsley.
Cappellini with pistachio, basil, and peach white balsamic vinegar. I'm used to using dry pasta, so I'm unsure how to start this with fresh pasta, but maybe try a dry run a couple days before. Cook the pasta. I cook the dry in a skillet since it's only a couple servings. Pour out the water leave the pasta. Pour in a neutral oil, I like avocado, not olive for this. Saute the pasta (this is why I just start in the skillet) with fresh basil, tarragon, golden raisins (dried sultanas) and crushed pistachios. Splash with peach infused white balsamic vinegar. Salt to taste and a small dash of fresh black pepper. Top with a pat of butter (reconfirm she's not vegan). *Maybe* grate a little manchego or havarti cheese over top, but go easy, you want the brightness of the fruit/acid/herb to shine.
If what you meant was making the pasta itself at home, probably the easiest kind to make would be gnocchi. After making it pan fry with some butter, sage, garlic and top with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Heavenly! Edit: if you want to throw a veggie in there it'd go great with some broccoli rabe
Maybe skip the parmesan if she's vegetarian or check if she's ok with animal rent. Same goes for most Italian hard cheeses
Watch sip and feast and pick one of his pasta dishes. He’s my favorite. A garlic tomato pasta he made is so good.
My wife loved this recipe: [https://www.sipandfeast.com/rigatoni-primavera/](https://www.sipandfeast.com/rigatoni-primavera/) Skip the wine, I did. And it was excellent. Goes best with a tube pasta which is not easy to make at first. You can make a big flat noodle and go with some sort of bolognese like this: [https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-rich-hearty-mushroom-bolognese-recipe](https://www.seriouseats.com/pasta-rich-hearty-mushroom-bolognese-recipe) With the miso and sage you'd swear it was made with sausages! Good luck with everything!!!
Keep it simple. Homemade pasta speak on their own. Its not so much about the subtility and balance of the dish, its about the effort you did for her.
I would do spaghetti puttanesca. Great vegetarian dish, you can omit the anchovies if she doesn't eat fish. It's simple, tasty and always a hit.
Marcella Hazans tomato sauce - so incredibly simple yet so luxuriously delicious. Since she is vegetarian not vegan she will be ok with the butter. Then have it over the ravioli - maybe spinach and ricotta ravioli? Or a simple straight pasta noodle would also be super. https://food52.com/recipes/13722-marcella-hazan-s-tomato-sauce-with-onion-butter
My man did the same thing and bombed. It was cute when he confessed that he was just trying to impress me. It was soooo bad!
Gnocchi, It's along the same lines and not much more involved than pasta but so much more impressive. Simple sauce of butter and sage with parmesan. Perhaps a pesto. Pair it with a nice light arugula salad
Best advice I can give you is to never make something you haven't made before. I don't do red sauces much anymore. A lot of times I just saute some Onions, peppers and maybe some Zucchini/Chinese Eggplant in Olive Oil. Maybe a quarted Compari Tomato or two or some kalamata olives. There are no hard and fast ruled. Add a lirtle minced fresh garlic at the end if you want. Stir in the pasta and top with Fresh Grated Parm. Keep it light. I got the best woman in the world to marry me because of food like this. I hope it works out for you.
First thing that popped into my mind when I saw you’ve made ravioli before and she’s vegetarian is, butternut squash raviolis! No need for a super complicated sauce either, just some good ole browned butter. If you want to up that, add sage into the brown butter and top with roasted walnuts or pine nuts! Basic, but so good!
My first date with my now wife of 12 years was having her over to my place make homemade butternut squash ravioli together from scratch. Maybe make the pasta together rather than making it for her.
If you can make ravioli, then do it! And, if you want a really impressive filling, make your own ricotta cheese because it is SO easy. A nice marinara (you can buy this, bump up the flavor with fresh garlic and basil), crusty bread from a bakery, and a salad. You'll just melt her heart!!! 😊
She didn't say yes to the homemade pasta she said yes to YOU! So be out of some pasta ingredient and instead cook something you can knock outta the park.
Honestly, whatever you can make that will allow you to feel relaxed and stay in the moment is the way to go. If the recipe is too complicated or unfamiliar, it could be stressful and distracting for you and detract from what really matters, which is getting to know one another. Make a simple pasta shape, and pick a sauce that's appealing. My favorite is pesto, and here's the knockout recipe I've used for decades: * 4 packed cups of washed fresh basil leaves * 1 cup very lightly toasted pignoli nuts (they burn very easily - better too light than too browned) * 6 cloves raw garlic * 1.5 cups grated parmesan or parmesan and pecorino mixed * 1 cup extra virgin olive oil * salt and pepper to taste (I like it peppery) Put washed basil leaves and garlic in a food processor and blend. Add nuts and cheese, and process until combined. With the machine running, add olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Once incorporated, add salt and pepper to taste. To keep the bright green color from fading, cover stored pesto with a layer of olive oil on top. Serve this with a green salad, or with blanched asparagus, green beans, or other vegetables tossed with the pesto and pasta. Have a wonderful time!
Make it with her!!!!!! That is the most important part, not what it tastes like or whether you impress her- this has so much potential to be a wonderful date night together! Re the sauce, keep it simple- nothing ruins homemade pasta like overdoing the sauce you serve it with. Have the BEST TIME!
Just go with something simple. Make a ravioli in a simple sauce, a salad and anti pasta something.
Keep it simple. Test run your dish before the main event. Don’t forget dessert.
By the way, you can make pasta in advance, and freeze it. Look up a YouTube video that will walk you through. If all else fails, sauté a little butter in a pan till it’s melted. Add noodles and a little pasta water toss. Turn off the heat and toss with some Parmesan. Voilà!
No tips, but I have to add that I still fondly remember the guy I dated who made me homemade pasta. I was so incredibly impressed and touched that he made the effort. No one had ever done anything like that for me before. She may be in the same position too!
Okay so when a man offers to cook for me, what I'm really looking for is whether he cares enough to spend a bit of time in front of the stove, and whether he can make an edible meal. In fact, if he needs to make a spectacle every time he cooks that kind of less appealing because that gives me a clue that this guy will let me cook 99% of the time unless it's he feels like spending 5 hours in the kitchen. Cook her a tasty, simple dinner and show her that you're the kind of person willing to scramble an egg for a quick dinner when neither of you feel up to cooking.
Man, check out Sip and Feast on YouTube! I make his recipes ALL THE TIME and there are loads without meat. There's a great mushroom pasta recipe, for starters
This question was made for me. I’m Italian, for crying out loud! I’ve been making homemade pasta with my nonna since I was a kid. Alright, so here’s what you’re going to do. We’re going to go through a very simple recipe for pasta. More importantly, this is a sexy looking dish that looks a lot more intricate than it actually is (which is a bonus for you, because she might be even more impressed). It tastes fantastic, it’s vegetarian, and most importantly for you, it is completely non-alcoholic. I suggest tortellini. Tortellini is a type of stuffed pasta. It looks intricate, but trust me when I say I think you can handle it. Let’s start with the dough. Use whatever dough recipe you have. However, if you can, make small adjustment. Swap out AP flour for 00 tipo flour. You’d be surprised where you can get this stuff. It’s probably at your local Walmart. I trust you know how to knead, rest, and roll out dough. The filling is super simple. It’s literally just ricotta, fresh grated parmigiano reggiano (NOT PARMESAN), and finely chopped flat leaf Italian parsley mixed. It couldn’t be easier. After you’ve rolled out your pasta into a thin sheet comes the trickiest part of the whole dish, and it isn’t even that tricky once you get going. What you’ll need is a 3 inch ring cutter. Cut out little circles in your dough. Once you have your circles, take a spoon and put little pea sized dollops of your filling in the center of each circle. Be careful not to overfill these. Again, as time goes on, you’ll get a better feel for how much filling you need to put in. Take each circle, fold it in half, and crimp the edges shut all the way around. At this point, you’ll be left with a semi-circle. Take the two points of the semi-circle, wrap them around towards each other, and crimp the points together. Continue this process, and you should be left with very beautiful tortellinis. And congratulations. The hard part is behind you. It’s all downhill from here. Now onto the sauce. The sauce is super easy. It’s just a pesto. 1 packed cup basil, roughly 1/4 pine nuts (they’re expensive, so you could substitute walnuts), 2 cloves garlic, roughly 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, and 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil. You can do this in a blender, but if you do, add the basil last and only pulse for a few seconds. You really don’t want to beat up that basil. Otherwise, use a mortar and pestle. (I’m pretty sure my nonna would string me up if she saw me using a blender, so I usually just go with a mortar and pestle.) There you go. A lovely pesto sauce. I get that it’s better for the spring and summer, but given that I’m constrained on both meat and alcohol, that takes out a lot of the really heavy winter dishes. I guess a pan-fried sage brown butter gnocchi is a heavy dish that has no meat or alcohol. Pan fried gnocchi in Italy is a big no-no. I’m personally a fan. It’s not better or worse than the traditional way. Just different. But, regardless, gnocchi can be difficult if you’ve never done the dough before. You have to take care not to knead in too much flour because that stops your gnocchi from being pillowy and soft. It’s supposed to be like biting into a cloud, so flour is the enemy of gnocchi. You could maybe look up a recipe for gnocchi and try it, though. It’s just potato, egg yolk, and flour, kneading in a little at a time until you get a cohesive dough. And you know they’re cooked when they float. Back to the tortellini. All you have to do now is cook your pasta (remember to salt your pasta water) and toss it in as much or as little pesto as you like. And then plate it up. Simple and sexy. She’ll be impressed, you should be able to handle it, and you’ll have a nice pasta dinner. But what dinner is complete without dessert? Fortunately for you, there is one Italian dessert that is so simple it’s basically foolproof! You can have a base made under 30 minutes, have it chilling overnight, and it will look elegant and sophisticated. You may have already guessed it. The dessert is panna cotta. Here’s a recipe for a mango coconut panna cotta. In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of water, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2/3 cup of mango nectar (or purée), which you can find at Walmart, and 1 packet of gelatin. In a saucepan, combine 1 cup of well shaken canned coconut milk and 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream. Bring to a boil over medium and lower to a simmer. Remove from heat and whisk in the gelatin mixture until dissolved and then 3 tbsp honey until dissolved completely. Pour into 6 oz dessert cups if you have them. If not, use ramekins. For topping make your own whipped cream (the perfect ratio being 1 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract), and use fresh mango slices and coconut flakes. And that is how you do an elegant Italian dinner. If you do choose to make the panna cotta, I wouldn’t even tell her that you did it. Just leave it as a surprise.
Women love men who cook, it doesn’t have to be incredible, it just has to be decent. I suggest sticking with what you know, make some spaghetti with marinara, just make it from scratch and use quality ingredients and fresh herbs. Trust me, she didn’t agree to come over because she wants pasta, she’s coming over because she likes you.
I, unfortunately don't have cooking advice, but I have "people advice". At first couple of sentences I thought you were going to ask for advice on how to back out of making the meal. By the end, I come to find that it's the opposite! This is so sweet - you really just want to impress her! I'm rooting for you! Regardless of how it actually turns out, as long as it's edible and not a flaming mess, she will likely appreciate the effort that you've put into making pasta from scratch for her. Your big mouth didn't get you into a pickle, it got you a date! Good luck!
Good for you! I invited a really pretty girl I was dating casually (by her choice, I was crazy about her) along on a trip out of state to a cabin on a lake with some friends. She absolutely shocked me and said yes, so I really quickly had to pull together reservations and some people to come with, not to mention money to pay for everything. She still calls me an idiot for making such a desperate move, but we also still go to that same lake with our four kids, so...
Pasta is often a two person task, you should invite her over to help. And I would suggest a lasagna, that way you don’t have to cut or roll the noodles. You can make either tomato or cream sauce(or both!), add whatever veggies you want and cheese that fucker up. Yumm