italy at home: fresh pasta

italian word of the day
la farina (italian) = flour (english)

Fresh Pasta

Don’t be intimidated! This recipe can be used for a variety of cuts and shapes, including ravioli. Roll up your sleeves and use your hands, have fun with it.

Yields about 1/2 kilo pasta dough which can reasonably serve 4 people

Best to make and use same day, but can be tightly wrapped and refrigerated for up to 1 day prior

Ingredients

2 cups farina (all purpose works)

3 eggs at room temperature

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Useful Tools

Extra Flour and Olive Oil

Hands (with a little olive oil on them)

Bench Scraper

Clean, smooth work surface or large cutting board

Rolling Pin or Pasta Roller

Andiamo!

Onto your clean work surface, carefully dump 2 cups of flour. Using the back of the measuring cup, make a little well in the center. Into that well crack all 3 eggs, add your olive oil and salt. Now, slow and steady, scramble those eggs while tipping flour from the top of the well into the center. Repeat this until enough of the flour has blended with your egg mixture so it isn’t running all over the place (Oops, is is running everywhere? It’s okay! Grab that bench scraper and start scooping back to the center).

Once everything is loosely combined, take about 10 minutes with strong hands to knead the dough together into form. What you’re doing here is slowly allowing the flour to absorb your liquid, be gentle but firm. You’ll know it’s ready when its soft but dense and a little springy to the touch. Too sticky? Add a little flour. Too dry? Add a little extra olive oil to your hands and gently knead.

Cover with a cloth and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Once ready, cut the dough into thirds to make the next part easier.

Rolling Pin: I’m impressed. You’re brave and you’re basically an Italian Nonna. Roll the dough out to 1/2 cm, fold in thirds, roll flat again. You’ll want to continue to cut and roll this dough into long thin strips to your desired thickness. Use flour liberally to keep from sticking.

Fettuccine: Dust liberally with flour, fold into thirds, and cut 1/2 cm strips

Spaghetti: Dust liberally with flour, fold into thirds, and cut into 1/8 strips (or as thin as desired)

Pasta Roller: Counter mounted or KitchenAid Mixer. Start with the flat adaptor to roll into thin sheets, starting at level 1, tri-folding and increasingly slowly to level 6-8. Again, this is based on your desired end result, but I’ve included my preferences below.

Fettuccine: Level 7

Spaghetti: Level 8

Ravioli or Tortellini: Level 6

Tip: Remember to dust with flour as you’re working so the pasta doesn’t stick to itself. Especially if you live in warmer, humid climates.

To cook, bring a big pot of water to a boil with salt and a splash of olive oiI. Once boiling toss in the pasta and let it boil for no more than 2-3 minutes.

You won’t believe how light, fluffy and bouncy this is. It goes great with any sauce and truly can impress even the least interested pasta eaters.

Bon apetito!