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Ah, pasta! Is there anything else that beats this classic comfort food? Whether you're a fan of spaghetti, ravioli, penne, linguini, or lasagna, there's no denying the versatility and expansiveness of this medium. I particularly love preparing handmade pasta with friends because it's mesmerizing, playful, hands-on, and engaging in both group and intimate settings. It's also very beginner friendly and a great way to encourage people who lack confidence in the kitchen. If you're interested in trying this out, and you have an afternoon to spare, let me give you the tools to dive headfirst into the fabulous world of pasta!
(This recipe is loosely adapted from Gordon Ramsay's)
You will need:
- 2 cups flour (I recommend "bread" flour but feel free to deviate)
- 4 whole eggs & 2 egg yolks
- A few pinches of salt
- Olive oil, water, and extra flour for kneading
- Rolling pin or pasta machine (the hand crank one, of course!)
This makes a hefty amount of pasta. You'll definitely have leftovers.
Procedure:
1. Clean a counter and establish a workspace. I like to start my pasta on a plastic tray (easier cleanup) then transfer it to my counter for kneading.
2. Neatly dump the four into a mound. With your fingers, create a sizable well or crater to contain the eggs. (I've made the mistake of making my well off center and had to deal with eggs leaking out! Save yourself the mess and anxiety)
3. With a fork, beat the whole eggs, salt, and egg yolks in a separate bowl. Then, pour a third of the mixture into the well. With a fork, slowly begin stirring the well and picking up flour from the walls of the well. Little by little, a rough dough should be forming.
4. As the dough begins to get rougher, add in the second third of your egg mixture and continue incorporating flour into it. Try to keep the growing dough ball homogenous and even in texture. Once you reach the same point of a tougher dough, add in the remaining third of egg mixture and repeat. You should be left with a messy ball of dough. Excess flour is normal.
5. Now for the kneading! Transfer your loose dough to a clean surface and begin kneading. If you're unfamiliar with the motion, it consists of repeatedly folding the dough onto itself and twisting it to homogenize the mixture and smooth out the dough. I recommend watching a tutorial on youtube of how potters knead their clay! Same principle.
6. Knead your dough to the best of your ability. Well-kneaded dough should have a satin finish and a slight sheen on its surface. If your dough becomes too hard to effectively knead, pop it in the fridge for 20 minutes to allow the gluten (what is keeping the dough together) to relax and make for a more pliable dough. Doing this really helps with kneading and achieving a smoother, more homogenous dough. (If you allow your dough to rest, tightly wrap it in plastic wrap beforehand to avoid a crust forming.) This is the part where you need to trust your intuition. If the texture is too dry you can knead in some extra oil or water, and if your dough is sticky, balance it out with extra flour. If this is your first time making pasta, I recommend doing some light research on what kneaded pasta dough should look like, just to establish a baseline and give you a ballpark idea of what you're aiming for.
7. Once your dough is looking cute, the rest is up to you! Roll out sheets of it for a lasagna, or run your finger over little balls to create shells. (Whatever you do, be sure to use plenty of flour to keep your pasta shapes from sticking together or to your rolling pin and surfaces) The possibilities are endless, and so are the youtube tutorials on pasta shapes! I usually opt to roll out my dough and run my knife along it to create fat, rustic, flat noodles. Even though my pasta roller has a linguini attachment, I prefer the intimacy and love in an imperfect, handmade noodle.
8. Cook or let dry out! Serve up with your favorite sauce or toppings and enjoy. You've earned it! (Not sure what to serve your homemade pasta with? Check out my upcoming recipes on homemade tomato sauce and homemade cheesy white sauce!)
Tips:
- Be careful to avoid overcooking fresh pasta! Tossed into boiling water, the noodles can be al dente in as soon as 2 minutes.
- Kneading is easier with wet hands! The water prevents your hands from sticking to the oily pasta dough.
- Salt well! Salt enhances taste and we love a seasoned noodle.
- Before boiling your noodles, drizzle in some olive oil and extra salt into the water. The salt helps to enhance the taste of your dish and the olive oil prevents the pasta from sticking to itself.
- Extra pasta can be hung or placed on a wire rack to dry. Personally I love twisting noodles into neat, single-serving piles to dry. This just takes out the guesswork later as I can toss in as many pasta mounds as there are people.
Conclusion
Congrats! You did it. Feels good, huh?
I remember my first time making pasta, I was kind of shocked at how simple it was. The noodles were rustic, and they had real character, and they were made with time and love. Can't beat that.
Thank you for checking out my page! If you're interested, be sure to take a look at my upcoming recipes (new one coming soon on two sauces to serve with your fresh pasta!)
Much love & pasta!
Warmly,
Katerina.
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