(Serves
4)
Work Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 25 Minutes
Make a Well with:
1 c. Semolina flour
2 c. all-purpose flour
Combine and Pour into
Well:
4 eggs
1 1/2 t. extra virgin olive oil
Nutritional Information per 2 cup Serving:
Calories 468; Total fat 8(g); Calories from fat
15%; Sodium 65(mg)
There is something almost magical to making
pasta. It’s sort of like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. A few ingredients,
stir, and out comes pasta!
Well, it’s not quite that simple, but
close. The work you put into it is well worth the effort. The best part is that
making pasta is fun. It’s soothing to do by yourself, and it’s
built-in entertainment for friends or family.
MIXING STEPS
1
Place the flour in the middle of your mixing board and
make a well in the center. Use either a wooden cutting board
or a Formica countertop. Cold surfaces like granite or marble keep the dough
cold and difficult to roll.
2 I always
beat my eggs in a bowl first. This way if I have any stray shells, I can see
them easily. Add the oil and pour into the well.
3 With a fork,
slowly incorporate small portions of the flour walls with the beaten eggs and
oil.
4 Once the thick paste is
formed, mix in all but a half cup of flour using your dough scraper and hands.
Form a rough ball of dough.
5 Knead the dough about a
minute. Note: use a dough scraper (or knife) to clean all the loose bits of
dough from the board.
6 Divide the dough into three
or four pieces and wrap each in plastic wrap. This relaxes the gluten so the
dough is easier to roll.
KNEADING
AND ROLLING STEPS
7 Set your pasta machine on
the widest opening (number 1 on the Atlas). Keep it open for all kneading.
Lightly flour all your work surfaces.
8 Unwrap a piece of dough and
flatten with your hand. This makes it easier to fit into the pasta machine. It
also helps to warm it up.
9 Lightly dust the rollers and
dough with flour so that it doesn’t stick to the pasta machine. Then pass
the dough through the rollers.
10 The first pass through the
rollers will produce a stretched-out piece of dough that is very rough looking
with ragged edges.
11 Take the stretched dough
and fold one end toward the middle. The other end goes on top so that three
layers are formed.
12 Turn the dough so the open
edges enter the rollers first. By turning it each time, you are creating a
consistent square shape.
13 Lightly flour one of your
doughs and run it through the largest setting. Set the rollers to the next
thinner size and roll again.
14 Support the pasta with one
hand as you feed it through the machine. Once the dough is half way through, it
can lie over the back.
15 Stop every few cranks and
gently pull the sheet of pasta out from under the machine. Too much gathering
could cause sticking.
16 With one hand cranking and
one gently pulling the dough, extrude the pasta. The machine should be set on
number 6. Friends come in handy right about now. They can hold the pasta or
crank the machine. Draping the pasta over your free hand. This prevents the
pasta from tearing.
17 Cut the pasta sheets in
about one-foot lengths. The shorter lengths are easier to handle, but you might
like the look of longer pasta.
CUTTING STEPS
18 Flour the sheet of pasta
and your work surface to prevent the pasta from sticking. Do it sparingly.
19 Roll the pasta through the
cutting blades. Support the cut pasta loosely with your hands to prevent any
tearing.
20 For drying pasta nests,
sprinkle cornmeal heavily onto a towel. Slowly twirl the strands down into a
nest.
21 To make sure they
don’t stick, dust them a little more with flour or cornmeal. It’ll
all come off in the water.
SPECIAL TIP Making the Well
Use your fingers to
make the well in the center of the flour. Make the walls uniformly thick so the
egg doesn’t break through the flour.
Be careful not to break the
walls when incorporating the flour into the eggs and oil.
