Homemade Pasta

 

I can’t lie, I’m stupid proud of myself for making homemade pasta… even though it turned out to be one of the easiest things I’ve ever made (in the category of “foods that are supposed to be too complicated to make at home, so don’t bother.” I acknowledge that it’s certainly faster to open a box of dried pasta, but this homemade pasta is SO scrumptious and about a billion times better than the dried stuff from the store)!

 

I’d always been under the impression that making pasta is fussy, so never considered it as something I’d want to do. But, that changed last summer, when our friends Alana and Brandon visited. During their visit, we obviously spent a bunch of time chatting about what we were cooking and eating, and they mentioned that they don’t even bother with dried pasta anymore; that they have a pasta recipe that’s so super fast and delicious, that they’ve been ruined on dried pasta.

 

Naturally, I was breathless with wonder with this news, and spent the following few weeks yammering on to my Brandon about how I wanted – no, needed – a pasta machine! (side note: as it turned out, I didn’t need the machine, but didn’t know that at the time).

 

Fast forward a few months, Brandon’s super awesome parents Ruth and Mark send me a pasta roller for my birthday. Hooray! I’m in business!

 

This recipe comes straight from our pals Brandon and Alana, and serves 2-3 people, maybe even a more if you’re light eaters (which we’re not). I also didn’t use any sauce or add anything to the pasta – just parm, salt and pepper, it was so yummy like this – but I imagine that if it was bulked up with some roasted or sautéed veggies, and a protein, it could easily serve 4.

 

I made my pasta using my Kitchen Aid, although I know that Alana does their by hand and swears that it’s just as easy. Like me, she also uses a pasta machine to cut the dough, though, so the rolling and cutting directions that are listed in the recipe are untested (but certainly don’t sound complicated).

 

Okay, so let’s get started!

 

First up, eggs, oil and water go into the mixer and are mixed with the flat blade

 

 

Then, add in the dry ingredients and knead with the dough hook

 

 

Shape into a ball, and let rest on the counter for about 30 minutes

 

 

After it rests, roll thin

 

 

From here, you’ll either cut by hand or run through your pasta machine. From that point, I dried the pasta on the back of a chair

 

 

And here’s the final dish!

 

 

 

Alana & Brandon’s Basic Pasta Dough

(recipe slightly edited by strudel)

printer-friendly version

 

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour (plus extra flour for dusting)

2/3 cup fine semolina

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 eggs

2-3 tbsp. hot water

 

Directions

step 1:

to mix using a stand mixer:

Put the eggs, 1 tbsp. hot water, and the oil in the bowl of a food processor and process for a few seconds. Add the flour, semolina, and salt and process until smooth. Sprinkle on a little more hot water if necessary to make the dough pliable. Transfer to an electric mixer and knead using the dough hook for 2-3 minutes.

 

to mix by hand:

Sift the flour, semolina and salt into a pile on your countertop, and make a well in the center. Pour in the oil and add the eggs. Add 1 tbsp. of hot water and, using your fingertips, work to form a smooth dough. Sprinkle on a little more water if necessary to make the dough pliable.

Lightly dust a board with flour, turn the dough out and knead it until it is elastic and silky. This could take 10-15 min. Dust the dough with more flour if your fingers become too sticky.

 

step 2:

Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow it to rest on the countertop for about 30 minutes.

 

step 3:

to cut by hand (note: I didn’t try it this way)

Cover a counter with a dish cloth and dust it liberally with flour. Place on portion of the dough on the floured cloth and roll it out as thinly and evenly as possible, stretching the dough gently until the pattern of the weave shows through. Cover it with a cloth and roll out the second piece in a similar way.

 

Use a ruler and a sharp knife blade to cut long, thin strips for noodles or small confectionery cutters to cut rounds, stars or an assortment of other decorative shapes.

 

or, use a pasta machine, following the manufacturers directions

 

step 4:

To dry ribbons, place a dishcloth over the back of a chair and hang the ribbons over it. For shapes, cover the dough shapes with a clean cloth and leave them in a cool place (but not the refrigerator). Pasta should be left for 30-45 minutes to become partly dry.

 

step 5:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for about 3 minutes, or until al dente.

Posted on January 17, 2012
This entry was posted in healthy, main dish and tagged eggs, flour, olive oil.