Calling Patient Zero...

03/30/20

By Kyle Hodges

"Calling Patient Zero, Patient Zero... PATIENT ZERO!" This phrase seems to be a heckling voice inside my head these days. It's constantly on repeat, a driving force pushing me to get back to zero in almost any way that I can. I’m Winston Smith in 1984, except I'm trying to change the future instead of the past. With COVID-19 affecting every personal and business aspect of my life, a heavy, negative fog lingers over my daily existence. Typically, “zero” doesn't even resemble a positive perspective, but in today's world, it could mean that I've pulled myself and those around me out from the negative and back to "zero balance,” which is a great thing in my book. But just how am I doing that? 

Ironically, during society's push towards distancing and isolation, I've found myself busier than ever before. My time is spent reaching out to friends and extended family, smiling at any stranger within six feet, and generally just using my energy to constantly connect with people. Typically, I love to cook instead of eating out, so now I spend time making food for my wife and to deliver to friends, as both a necessity and a way to continue showing love when it's most needed. Cooking calms me down and allows me to pull the focus back to positive, which I'm trying to pass along to others. If I find myself balanced, then hopefully I can also help someone else do the same. Strangers, friends, family: everyone needs the help. 

I've also refocused my daily routine to make sure that I'm enjoying the mundane things that I used to do just to get them done. Walking and playing with my dog, making coffee—hell, even walking to and from work are all now moments for making sure I have my mental battery charged. While I don't dread these things, I definitely haven't pulled joy from them for an extended period of time before. Finding a sense of balance with daily tasks is helping me appreciate everyday life even more. 

All of these steps I'm taking don't really push out any art, and that's ok. Right now, my creativity is focused on making sure that my life is as normal as I can make it, and that my job is secure. As Oscar Wilde contended, because of art, we are able to see the real beauty in the fog. Now is the time to hit the reset button, to take a step back, and realize that we can still find things to enjoy while we all deal with the pandemic. Once we reach the other side, I feel that our perspectives will change for the better, allowing for a greater appreciation for everything and everyone. 

In the spirit of sharing what I cook, I am sharing my recipe for homemade pasta below.

Homemade Pasta

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour 
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt 
2 large eggs 
1 tbsp. olive oil

PREPARATION
DOUGH: Use a food processor. Add flour and salt, and pulse a few times to aerate. Place eggs and olive oil in a liquid measuring cup. With the food processor running, slowly add the oil and eggs, one egg at a time, through the feed tube. Process for 45 seconds to 1 minute, or until the dough starts to form a large crumbly mass that does not stick to the sides of the bowl. (If dough seems dry, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it just starts to pull together.) Place dough onto a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Knead by hand, 2 to 3 minutes or until dough is smooth. Wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. 

SHEETS: I use a KitchenAid Pasta Roller attachment to make the pasta sheets to my desired thickness; then I use either the angel hair or fettuccine attachment to cut the sheets.

Basic directions: attach the pasta roller to a KitchenAid stand mixer, adjusting to thickness setting 1. Turn the mixer to speed 2. Flatten one section of dough to about golf-ball size, and feed it into rollers to knead. Fold dough in half, and roll again. Repeat the folding and kneading process several times, or until dough is smooth and pliable. (I do it about 5 times per sheet.) If needed, lightly dust pasta with flour while rolling, to avoid sticking. Knead and fold each section of dough in the same manner. 

NOODLES: To make the pasta into noodles, you must take the dough once through all the settings, stopping at the one that aligns with your desired thickness, and then doing that last step twice. For example: fettuccine is settings 2-4, so the dough must go through settings 2 and 3 once, and setting 4 twice. Angel hair would go up to setting 5 or 6, again depending on your desired thickness.

Lay the pasta sheets on a rack or a baking sheet pan, making sure to dust them with additional flour to prevent sticking. Attach your desired cutter to the mixer, in my case, fettuccine or angel hair, and turn on the mixer. Feed rolled pasta sheets through the cutter, following the procedure above (run through all intervening settings, and twice through the last). Then, carefully arrange the cut pasta on the drying rack, or if you have skills, twist and lay them out in a nice circle on a baking sheet that's been dusted with flour.

After the pasta dries, it is ready to be cooked in water with a drizzle of olive oil for your next quarantine dinner!


Kyle Hodges originally hails from Martinsville, Indiana, the home of John Wooden, the "Wizard of Westwood." Having soiled four different US cities with his existence, he currently resides in Chicago with his wife Sundown and their dog Wes Montgomery. A recovering record store owner, Kyle now holds the title of Minister of Propaganda for Dark Matter Coffee.