MANGIA!

Pasta recipes full of love, kindness and pleasure

recipes: Tony Hanslits | photography: Elizabeth Hannah

Basic Pasta

4 servings

2 cups 00 flour (plus more for dusting)

5 egg yolks

Semolina flour, for dusting

To mix the dough: Mound the flour in the center of a large, wide mixing bowl or on a table. Make a well in the center of the flour mound and add the 5 egg yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the mass of dough. Sprinkle the mixture with a little water if needed to absorb all the flour. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 7 to 10 more minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and uniform in color. Place the dough in a lidded container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To form the pasta: Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust with semolina flour. Set aside.

Cut off a quarter of the dough and roll it into a ball. (Keep the remaining dough covered and let it rest until you are ready to use it.) Use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough ball into an oval approximately the same width as your pasta machine, about 6 inches. Set the rollers to their widest setting and pass the dough through.

Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly fold in thirds, so it is again about the width of the pasta machine. Feed the pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and evenly textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine between each rolling.

Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once through each of the next two or three settings, dusting with flour as needed.

Once the pasta is about ¼ inch thick, begin rolling it twice through each progressively smaller setting. As you roll, lightly sprinkle all-purpose or 00 flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from sticking.

Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a sheet, about 1⁄16 inch thick for fettuccini noodles. Dust the sheets lightly with semolina flour, stack on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough. Fettuccine can be made easily by cutting the rolled-out pasta sheets into ¼-inch-wide strips with a knife. (To make bucatini you will need a special die or extruder.)

Pea Pasta

Similar to the Basic Pasta recipe but without eggs, this green, plant-based recipe substitutes pea purée for the egg yolks.

For The Pea Pur E

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

½ cup diced onion

1½ cups fresh or frozen peas

1½ cups water

2 sprigs thyme

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

For The Pasta

2½ cups 00 flour (plus more for dusting

1 recipe pea purée (above)

Semolina flour, for dusting

To make the pea purée: Heat the olive oil over low heat, add the diced onion and sweat until soft. Add the peas to the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, thyme, salt and baking soda to the pea and onion mixture. Increase the heat and bring to a simmer for 3–5 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove thyme sprig, cool and purée.

To make the pasta: Mound the flour in the center of a large, wide mixing bowl or on table. Make a well in the center and add pea purée. Using a fork, incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated. Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the mass of dough. Sprinkle with a small amount of water if needed to absorb all the flour. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 7 to 10 more minutes, until the dough is smooth, elastic and uniform in color. Place the dough in a lidded container and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Continue to form the pasta according to the Basic Pasta instructions on page 11.

Spring Pea Bucatini with Prosciutto and Burrata Cheese

Make this delighful spring pasta recipe any way you like—use mint instead of basil; replace the butter with your favorite extra virgin olive oil; or even use store-bought pasta. While fresh peas make this recipe sing, frozen peas (cooked first according to the package directions) work fine.

4 servings

1 recipe Pea Pasta (see page 12) formed into bucatini or fettuccini

½ cup chopped parsley + extra for serving

½ cup chopped basil

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

7 tablespoons salted butter, melted

2 cups freshly shelled spring peas

4 ounces sliced prosciutto, torn in small pieces

8 ounces burrata cheese, torn

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until al dente, 2–3 minutes. Drain pasta and place in large mixing bowl. Add the chopped parsley, basil and chives. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour melted butter and the peas in with the pasta noodles and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Toss to combine. Transfer noodles to a large serving bowl (or plate individually) and distribute prosciutto and burrata on top. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with additional chopped parsley.