Fresh Pasta

Making pasta by hand is such a pleasure. The feel of the dough, the child-like delight of squeezing and forming it, and the flavor and chewy deliciousness of fresh noodles make it easily worth the effort. You don’t need dedicated equipment. While a pasta machine can help make more uniform shapes, a rolling pin and knife are all that you need to make great pasta noodles by hand at home. The little imperfections, in the end, might be what make it perfect.

Pasta Dough

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

This dough works for almost any type of pasta. It is tough enough to hold its shape but soft enough to roll with a pin. The semolina makes a noodle with a little tooth, and the all-purpose flour keeps it tender and supple.

½ pound all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting as needed ½ pound semolina flour pinch of salt 5 eggs, lightly whipped 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. With a whisk, combine the flours and salt in a large mixing bowl.

2. On a clean work surface, make a wide shallow mound of flour, about 6 inches in diameter, and then create a well in it so the walls of flour around it are about 1-inch high. Pour the eggs and olive oil into the well (photo 1).

3. Use a fork to pull flour from the sides of the well, and gradually incorporate the flour into the eggs using the fork (photo 2). Continue pulling flour into the eggs, working around the well and stirring the flour into the egg mixture with the fork, until dough begins to form and it becomes too thick to handle with a fork. Once that occurs, mix the remaining flour and dough with your hands until the flour is fully incorporated into the dough.

4. On a clean work surface, knead the dough by folding and pushing it with the heels of your hands, rotating and repeating. If the dough is sticky and hard to handle, add a little extra flour. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is silky smooth.

5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will allow the dough to relax and make it easier to roll out without springing back. 6. The dough is now ready to roll and cook. The dough can be wrapped in plastic film and refrigerated for up to 1 day, although it is best used on the same day. Longer time will result in greyish discoloration.

Hand-Rolled Fettuccine Noodles

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

This is a simple and useful noodle. Use it with everything from meat sauce to diced tomatoes and olive oil or the simple pan sauce listed below.

pasta dough from recipe left semolina flour for dusting pinch of salt, for cooking pasta

1. After the dough has rested, cut it into 4 roughly equal pieces with a kitchen knife. Smaller pieces of dough are easier to roll. If using refrigerated dough, allow the wrapped dough to warm at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

2. On a clean work surface, use your hands to roll 1 piece of dough into a sphere and flatten with the heel of your hand into a disc about ½ inch thick. Keep the other 3 pieces of dough wrapped in plastic.

3. Lightly dust the work surface if the dough feels sticky. With a heavy rolling pin roll the dough to stretch it, making a long oval. Then pick up the dough, rotate 90 degrees and repeat, rolling the dough into a rough square.

4. Flour the work surface as needed and repeat the rolling procedure, rolling and rotating, until the dough is as thin as possible, about 1/16 inch and nearly transparent.

5. Dust the dough with a little flour. Cut the rolled dough into 1/4-inch wide about 1 foot long. (For a pappardelle noodle option, cut 3/4-inch wide noodles.) Lay noodles on a tray dusted with flour and cover with clean kitchen towel. Repeat the process until all dough is rolled, cut and floured.

6. Bring a large pot of water (about 1 gallon) seasoned with a pinch of salt to a boil. Add noodles and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from water and serve with your favorite sauce.

Cook’s Note:

The floured noodles can be stored on a tray covered with a clean kitchen towel for up to 5 days. The noodles will dry, and the cooking time will increase from 2 to 3 minutes to 5 to 8 minutes.

TRICKS OF THE TRADE: QUICK PASTA PAN SAUCE

Fresh pasta is more delicate than dry pasta. Many chefs like to serve a similarly light and delicate sauce made from nothing more than the pasta cooking water and a little butter. To make this style of sauce, strain pasta from the boiling water, reserving some of the hot water. Immediately put the hot noodles in a sauté pan with about 1 cup of the hot pasta water. With the heat on medium high, stir the pasta with tongs so it doesn’t stick to the pan and swirl in 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix until the butter and water are fully combined and nearly simmering. The water, butter and starch from the noodles will combine to make a light, creamy sauce that coats and clings to the noodles. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Try this simple sauce with other tasty additions such as cooked peas, broccoli, shrimp, diced ham or even all of these.

BY JASON ROSS