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sallysmiley
Co-op Coordinator
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Posted: Sun Jun 28th, 2009 03:22 am |
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I have never tried making pasta. I know nothing about it, but love to eat fresh pasta.
Does anyone have suggestions on a basic pasta recipe and an easy way to try my
hands at it, literally, since I have no pasta roller or machinery. I'd love some tips.
Thanks to anyone who has advice on the subject.
Sally
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Gigmaster
Member
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Posted: Mon Sep 7th, 2009 03:37 am |
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Basic Pasta
12 oz. fresh ground Durum, Hard red, or Hard white wheat.
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp Olive oil
A very small bit of water, sprinkled in with your hands, if needed.
1. Sift flour and salt together. Pour the flour/salt mix onto your work surface. Make a well in the center of the pile of flour and pour in the eggs and olive oil. with the tip of a fork, bring the flour gently into the egg/oil mixture until you have a stiff, but not too sticky dough. Sprinkle water sparingly on the dough if it appears too dry, but go easy with it. The dough should just barely make a ball.
2. Flour your hands and knead the dough for about 5 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and elastic. Wrap it in cling flim, a sealed baggie or a sealed air-tight container and let it rest for at least 1 hour.
3. When ready to make pasta, cut the dough into 4 pieces. Squeeze the dough into a rectangle roughly the same width as the pasta machine, and dust with flour. Set rollers on your machine to the thickest setting and pass the dough through. Fold it into thirds and pass it through again. Repeat this 3 or four times, then start sending the dough through progressivly thinner settings until you reach #5 (about 2mm)
4. Now, either use the dough as is for lasagne or raviolli, or pass it through spaghetti or fettucini rollers. Place cut pasta on a pasta rack or hang on a wooden spoon to dry for 10 minutes or so before cooking.
Variations: For Wacky Fettuccini (or Spaghetti), make in 2 batches. Add powdered spinach to one batch, and powdered tomato to the other. You get cool red and green pasta that tastes like spinach and tomato.
Even if you are using a machine, the ingredients should work. I've used several machines over the years and was never happy with the result. I've gone back to the old-fashoined hand kneading and hand rolling/cutting it. My hand-cranked pasta machine is a MARCATO, made in Italy. I've had it for about 20 years. It works everytime.
I hope this helps you somewhat. I've been a chef for most of my adult life, and pasta, like so many other things, is more of a technique, than just a collection of ingredients. It's more of an art than a science, which is why I do most of my bread and pasta stuff by hand. I've never seen a machine that could match the consistancy of a skilled culinary artist.
Good Luck and Bon Apetit!
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sallysmiley
Co-op Coordinator
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Posted: Thu Oct 1st, 2009 02:44 am |
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Thank you so much! I look forward to trying it. 
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