I don’t know what on earth has taken me so long to get on the fresh pasta wagon. I mean, I’m kicking myself, because this is SO good that I truly wish I’d made it sooner. Is it a bit of a project? A little, but you’ll soon get the hang of it and it’s so satisfying to make. Will you be covered in flour? Absolutely. But what’s a new kitchen adventure without smears of flour all over your face? I firmly believe that once you’ve dipped your toe into the realm of fresh noodles, Pasta Night will never be the same again. We used this linguini to make Ina Garten’s Aglio E Olio, which is heaven on earth, but you do what your tastebuds are feeling. You won’t be disappointed!
I picked this @chefanneburrell recipe for my first attempt as it uses all purpose flour, and because it uses whole eggs and only one egg yolk. Some recipes use ’00’ flour, or semolina, which we’ll definitely try when we can get our hands on them. Most recipes also use tons of yolks leaving you with a bunch of egg whites. I always freeze excess egg whites for omelettes and meringues, but my freezer is already packed with them. If you don’t have a pasta maker, just use a rolling pin! We definitely recommend skipping the food processor, and going old school with your hands and a fork to mix this silky soft dough (see the Chef Anne’s video on Food Network for a great how-to).
This is a great cooking project to do with kids. There‘s the Math lesson (measuring ingredients), the science (watching the dough develop) and gym (cranking the handle 😆). My son actually wouldn’t let me crank the handle, he was having so much fun! I had to beg him for a go, and I was demoted to clean up duty!
Fresh Pasta - Recipe by Chef Anne Burrell @FoodNetwork
Ingredients for 6 servings:
1 pound (453g) all-purpose flour
4 whole eggs, plus 1 yolk
1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water, or more if needed
Put the flour on a clean, dry work surface. Make a well in the center of the flour that is about 8”/20cm wide (the bigger the better). Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the well and add the olive oil, salt and water.
Using a fork, beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour into the egg mixture with the fork, grabbing a little flour from the edge every now and then. Be careful not to break the sides of the well, or the egg mixture will run all over your board. If this does happen, don’t worry, you’ll just have to work a little faster to avoid an overflow. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture that it will not run all over the place when the sides of the well are broken, begin to use your hands to get everything to come together. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands slightly and begin kneading. When it has come together to a homogeneous mixture, THEN you can start really kneading.
When kneading, it is very important to put your body weight into it, get on top of the dough to stretch it, and not to tear the dough. Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a very smooth and supple dough. When done, the dough should look very smooth and feel soft. Kneading will usually take from 8-10 minutes for an experienced kneader and 10-15 for an inexperienced kneader. This is where the perfect texture of your pasta is formed, so get in there and have fun!
When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. If using immediately do not refrigerate.
How to Roll Fresh Pasta with a Pasta Maker
Once the dough has rested, remove it from the plastic wrap and transfer it to a cutting board. Cut the dough into equal wedges. Set one wedge aside, and cover the remaining wedges so that they don’t dry out.
Sprinkle the cutting board, or large baking sheet, generously with flour, and set aside.
Use your hands to shape the dough into an oval-shaped, flat disc. Feed the dough through the pasta maker on the widest setting. Fold that sheet into thirds, and feed it through the rollers 2 more times on the widest setting. Then, feed the dough through the rollers, reducing the settings each time, until the pasta reaches your desired thickness. If the dough gets a little sticky, flour your hands and pass them over it.
Once your dough sheet is as thin as you want it to be, sprinkle it with flour again. Connect the cutter attachment to your pasta maker (or transfer the handle to the cutter attachment, depending on the model). Feed the sheet through the attachment to create your desired pasta shape. Transfer the cut pasta to a drying rack, or gently twist into pasta nests with well-floured hands, and lay them on a floured surface to dry for 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough.
How to Roll Fresh Pasta with a Rolling Pin
Once the dough has rested, remove it from the plastic wrap and transfer it to a cutting board. Use a knife to cut the dough into equal wedges. Set one wedge aside, and cover the remaining wedges so that they don’t dry out.
Sprinkle the cutting board, or large baking sheet, generously with flour, and set aside.
Shape one wedge into an oval-shaped flat disc. Transfer the disc to a cutting board, and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it reaches your desired level of thickness (generally between 1-2 mm thick), adding extra flour to the cutting board as needed to prevent sticking. In general, a good test for thickness, is that you should be able to see your hand through the dough.
Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the dough into 5-inch sections. Sprinkle each section with a bit of extra flour. Then, starting on the short side of the sections, roll them up into very loose, flat rolls. Cut the rolls from top to bottom to create your desired width of noodles. Transfer the cut pasta to a drying rack, or swirl it into little pasta “nests” (again with well-floured hands!) and lay them on a floured surface to dry for 30 minutes. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough.
Storing Fresh Pasta
Be sure to let the pasta air dry on a drying rack, or on a baking sheet, for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) before you transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.
Cooking Fresh Pasta
Fresh pasta has a much shorter cooking time than dry pasta, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes is usually enough. Always boil in plenty of salted water, and save a cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
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