‘00’ flour? AP flour? Egg yolks only? Whole eggs? Olive oil? There are more pasta recipes out there than I can count, but this is the only one you’ll ever need. I’ve tinkered and tested this one countless times–it’s perfect for beginners and pros alike. The dough yields pasta that is toothsome, tender, and cooks perfectly every time.
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
2 cups AP flour
2 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Measure the flour directly onto a clean countertop and shape it into a large circle with a hole in the center, kind of like a well or a donut.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks and olive oil together until they’ve been adequately combined, but make sure not to beat too much air into it.
- Pour the egg mixture into the flour well. Using a fork, slowly incorporate flour from the side walls of the well into the eggs, mixing well with the fork as you go. Continue to do this until all the flour is gone and a shaggy dough has formed.
- Add some flour to your surface if necessary. Knead the dough forwards and side to side for about 15 minutes. You should end up with a smooth ball of dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 sections. Take one section out to roll and rewrap the other 3 so they don’t dry out.
- Shape the section of dough into a rough rectangle.
- Set your pasta roller (I use a Marcato one) to the largest setting (usually 0) and run the rough rectangle of dough through one time.
- Next is a process called laminating, which helps the dough from tearing while it’s being rolled or shaped. Take the slightly rolled dough and place it horizontally so that the one of the two longest edges faces you. Fold the right (short) side to the middle. Use your fingers to slightly seal the two pieces together. Repeat this with the left side of the dough, too. You should be left with a small rectangle of dough that is 3 layers thick.
- Feed this thick rectangle into your machine (still on the largest setting), short side down. Repeat this two more times.
- Change your machine to the second to largest setting (usually 1) and run the dough through 2-3 times. Repeat this for each subsequent setting until the dough is no thicker than 3-Post-It notes-thick. To check this, I actually get 3 Post-It notes and line them up side-by-side with my dough.
- If you’re going to cut or shape your pasta now, do so (and skip to step 14). If you’re waiting until the rest of the pasta is rolled, place parchment paper on your work surface to keep the dough on so it doesn’t stick to the counter. Cover it with either another sheet of parchment or a clean dish towel so it doesn’t dry out.
- Repeat steps 7-13 with the remaining 3 sections of dough.
- After your pasta is cut or shaped, boil a big pot of water and salt it generously.
- Gently drop your pasta into the pot of boiling water, making sure not to add too much and crowd it. Boil for 3 minutes (al dente) or until your desired texture is achieved.
- Reserve ~ 1 cup of pasta water to make the sauce later.
- Remove the pasta from the water and drain in a colander.
Congratulations, you just made homemade pasta! It’s perfect to whip out for a dinner party or to impress a date, but store-bought tomato sauce just won’t cut it for this labor of love. Below, I’ll share a quick, foolproof, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sauce recipe that will perfectly compliment your homemade pasta.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
~ 1 cup of reserved pasta water
~ 4 tablespoons of butter
1 cup of freshly grated (good quality) parmesan cheese
Assortment of fresh herbs, washed and minced (I typically use whatever I have on hand, but my favorites to use are sage, rosemary and thyme)
1 lemon (juice and zest)
Freshly grated black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Directions
- Heat a large, heavy bottomed saucepan to medium heat and add the butter.
- Once melted, add the parmesan, herbs, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, pepper and salt. Mix until combined.
- Add your pasta to the sauce and toss together. Slowly, tablespoon by tablespoon, add the pasta water to the saucepan and mix until the sauce is emulsified and is coating the noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more pasta water. If it’s too thin, add more butter or parmesan. The 1 cup measurement is just a guideline, each batch will be different, so make sure not to add it all at once.
- Taste the pasta and adjust seasonings to your liking.
- Transfer to a plate, top with more grated parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and, if you want to be extra, maldon salt. Enjoy!