Pasta Fresca - A Traditional Italian Recipe

Pasta Fresca Both fresh and dried pasta should be cooked 'al dente', tender but chewy. Many people overcook their pasta and don't put enough (if any!) salt in the water. Use a LARGE pot that is big enough to let the pasta float freely during cooking. Bring the water to a full rolling boil, salt it GENEROUSLY, and then add the pasta. As soon as the water returns to a boil start timing the pasta and stirring during the boil to prevent it sticking together. The time will vary depending on the pasta though fresh pasta usually takes from 2-4 minutes depending on the thickness and for dried pasta it usually takes about 8-12 minutes. For any stuffed pasta such as ravioli you may wish to remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon instead of tipping into a colander as they are more delicate.

Ingredients (serves 4) • 400 g of flour • 4 eggs • 4 tbs of white wine (optional) • pinch of salt

Difficulty

Pasta Fresca On a work surface, preferably wooden, build the flour in a mound and make a well in its center. Break the eggs into the well and then add in the wine and then the salt after you have mixed. With a fork, lightly beat the eggs. Then in a circular motion, gradually incorporate flour from the sides of the well until combined. With the heel of your hand, knead the dough by pushing it down and away and turning it repeatedly using a dough scraper if it sticks and continue for at least 15-20 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. If it sticks to the surface or seems a little soft, sprinkle it with flour. Gather the dough into a ball. The next step is to decide on the preferred type of pasta. For lasagna, tagliatelle, ravioli, etc, roll it out flat. For noodle pasta, rolling and forming pasta: On a clean surface dusted with flour, flatten the kneaded dough with your hand.

With a flourdusted rolling pin, roll it out to desired thickness according to how you wish to use the pasta. Loosely roll up the pasta around the rolling pin and unroll onto a flourdusted kitchen towel, leaving it until dry to the touch but still flexible about 10 minutes, less if the air is dry. On the work surface, roll the pasta into a cylinder. With a small sharp knife, cut crosswise into ribbons of desired width.

Difficulty