If you’ve never made pasta from scratch then you must try it! I guarantee you that you will agree when I say it tastes nothing like pasta from a package. I apologize in advance if this recipe increases your pasta intake, as it likely will do so!
Home made pasta instantly takes me back to my childhood when my Grandmother would roll out each bucatini in her little basement kitchen or roll out gnocchi’s like nobody’s business using a simple kitchen fork. I remember helping her and my mother whenever a special occasion was upon us and it always made me really excited because I knew I would be having an amazing bowl of pasta in the near future.
Some may be discouraged by the time they think it may take to make fresh pasta. From start to finish you could literally have the pasta sheets ready to go in under an hour, especially if you have a motorized machine. I use my KitchenAid attachment which helps the process go very quickly.
There are a lot of fresh pasta recipes out there but here I will give you a basic recipe that I use. This recipe yields about 3-4 servings so feel free to double or triple the recipe if you’re planning to have a lot of guests. If you are making large batches, you may want to start the preliminary kneading in a stand mixer using your dough hook. Once it has formed a rough mass you can continue the kneading on a floured surface.
Fresh pasta is delicious with a simple tomato sauce, however, we will be posting more recipes where you can use your fresh pasta so stay tuned!
Fresh Pasta
Ingredients:
2 cups “00” flour (if you can’t find “00” then use unbleached all-purpose flour)
2 whole eggs
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Method:
Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre of the flour. Put your eggs, oil and salt into the well you have made. carefully beat the eggs with a fork and at the same time gradually begin to bring the flour into the centre. Mix until the flour has absorbed the egg. The texture at this point will be dry and crumbly. Use your hands to begin to knead the dough by pushing and squeezing. If you feel that the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon of water (avoid water if you can, however if need be you can add up to three teaspoons of water, one at a time). A more dry than wet dough is a better direction to take. Continue kneading until the dough forms a rough mass. Scoop the dough on to a lightly floured surface. Continue to knead the dough by folding it onto itself and pushing and stretching the dough. The purpose of kneading the dough is to make it evenly moist throughout. After 10-15 minutes of kneading, the dough should appear smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to relax for about 45 minutes. The dough can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly, for up to 8 hours (if held this long, re-knead the dough for 3-5 minutes before rolling).
Cut the first chunk of your dough and flatten it out with a rolling pin into a rectangular shape. Roll the dough through your pasta maker and work your way from 1-7 (for lasagna sheets) 1-6 (for ravioli), 1-5 (spaghetti or fettuccine). Make your pasta sheets and cut your sheets into about 12 inch manageable lengths. If possible hang them to dry. You can make lasagna or ravioli using your pasta sheets. If you prefer to make spaghetti or fettuccine, run your sheets through your spaghetti or fettuccine pasta roller attachment. It is best to store your pasta on parchment paper that has been dusted with semolina flour as this helps to dry out your pasta and the semolina will not absorb into your dough like flour will. Semolina flour is also ideal for dusting the noodles so that they separate readily. If not used right away, noodles should be transferred to a floured plate, covered with a towel or plastic wrap and refrigerated (they will keep for several days).
The general rule for cooking your pasta sheets is pretty easy – when they rise to the top they are ready. They cook very quickly so do not leave them in the simmering water for more than 2 minutes. Also, make sure you boil your pasta in a large pot with salted water.
With love,
Daily Tiramisu
