I’ve recently become obsessed with making homemade pasta. I love the feeling of pasta dough between my fingers and how it is different each time. There is no set recipe for pasta. Each pasta dough you make is different, so essentially you gotta feel it! This concept in itself is why I love making pasta. Cooking is about making others feel something through your food, and the way you feel when making your food translates into how it turns out. And pasta is the epitome of that concept.
This recipe is the result of many iterations, failures, and lots of research. I am using what I call the “Italian grandma” method where the dough is made on a flat surface using your hands. I don’t go full out Italian grandma though since I use a pasta machine. Many traditional methods use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it’s super super thin, but it takes forever. You probably need about 300 rolls before it’s optimal width, and it’s difficult to get an even width throughout. Therefore, I use a pasta machine.
Ingredients
Flour, olive oil, eggs, salt
Tools
Rolling Pin, Pasta Maker, Fork
I use a Imperia Pasta Machine for reference.
Cooking Time
1 hour
Instructions
Step 1: Make a well in the middle of your flour. Use about 1/2 cup flour per egg. For this post, I used two eggs. Add the eggs, 2-3 drops of olive oil, and a pinch of salt in the well. Beat the egg with your fork in a circular motion, slowly incorporating little bits of the flour.
Tip #1: Make sure your egg is at room temperature so your dough is easier to knead.
Step 2: Once the egg/flour mixture reaches a semi thick consistency, start using your hands to combine the egg and flour.
Step 3: Knead the dough by folding it in half and pushing it down. Repeat this process for 10 minutes. I know this is a true arm workout! After 10 minutes, the dough should have the consistency of play dough and a yellow coloring.
Tip #2: While kneading your dough, if it is still sticking to your hands that means the dough needs more flour. Don’t be afraid to add more flour!
Step 4: Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Step 5: Use a rolling pin to flatten your dough. Fold it horizontally and use your rolling pin to flatten it again. Flatten until it is 1/8 of an inch.
Step 6: Make sure your pasta machine is at the widest setting otherwise your pasta dough won’t fit through. Flour the pasta machine to make sure the dough does not stick.
Step 7: Run your pasta dough through the pasta machine. Start at the widest setting and continually reduce the setting every time you run the dough through the machine. Mine has 7 settings so I go from 7 to 2. It’s okay if your sheets are not perfect like mine.
Tip #3: Flour your dough and your machine thoroughly, or the dough will stick to the pasta machine, making for a very unpleasant cleaning experience.
Step 8: Once it is thin enough, roll it through the noodle attachment to make it the shape you want. My go to is fettuccine.
Tip #4: Make sure you flour the noodles once you finish cutting them into the right shape. This will prevent them from sticking to each other.
Cooking fresh pasta is easier than dried pasta. Boil salted water and add in the noodles. The noodles should cook in 1-2 minutes. Taste the noodles to make sure they are cooked.
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by Becca Du