How to make PASTA?
My two weakness; bread and PASTA! While you would think of pasta as a culturally Italian food, it is likely the descendent of ancient Asian noodles. A common belief about pasta is that it was brought to Italy from China by Marco Polo during the 13th century. I am personally not to picky on what type of noodle I eat however whenever its tossed in a sauce whether that be cream, tomato or olive oil; I am here for it. I am not sure what the mass perception is about pasta and how to make it, but contrary to what you may think it is very easy to make. Clients love the fresh “al dente” (firm to the bite or the Italian saying “to the tooth”) of the pasta when it is home made and if you go to most authentic Italian restaurants you will experience this as well.
I have put together a step-by-step guide on how to make pasta from scratch along with images so you can visually see the process. I tried to make the recipe as simple as possible using utensils that most people have in their home. Feel free to drop me a comment and let me know how your pasta turned out.
Happy Eating!!!
How to make Pasta from scratch?
Ingredients
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup Semolina flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 Eggs
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter or dough scraper/chopped
Directions
Step 1: Stir Together Salt and Flour
On a flat work surface, stir together the flour and salt in a mound.
Step 2: Make a Well
Make a deep well in the center of the mound, making sure the walls are fairly thick but the well is large enough to hold three eggs.
Step 3: Add the Eggs
One at a time, crack the eggs into the center of the well and olive oil.
Step 4: Stir
Stir the eggs in the center, gradually adding the flour from the walls until all the flour has been moistened.
Step 5: Form Into a Ball
Pull together the flour and eggs, kneading it into a ball.
Step 6 & 7: Start Kneading
Knead the ball of dough firmly with both hands. Knead Some More, continue kneading until the ball is smooth and elastic; this will take about 8-12 minutes. This process creates a nice, chewy pasta instead of what would taste like boiled pie crust.
Step 8: Form Into a Ball
Once the pasta dough is smooth and elastic, form into a ball
Step 9: Rest
Cover the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for at least 45 minutes to hour.
Step 10: Divide
Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Cover the pieces you aren’t working with to prevent them from drying out.
Step 11: Roll
One at a time roll the dough pieces into very thin rectangles.
Step 12: Fold
Fold the dough into a flat roll about two inches wide.
Step 13: Cut
Cut the pasta into even ribbons, from 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch depending on preference. Stay consistent once you pick a size to insure that your pasta cooks evenly.
Step 14: Unfurl
Unfurl the pasta into long noodles.
Step 15: Cook Immediately or Dry
If you plan to cook immediately, move to step 16. If you want to dry for later use, either coil the pasta into loose nests and allow to dry, or hang the pasta over a drying rack or coat hanger. Remember that no matter how you dry the pasta, this will be the shape it will need to stored in, very long pasta will need a very long storage container. You can place pasta nests into freezer bags and freeze for 2-3 months.
Step 16: Cook It
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to boil. Add your fresh or dried pasta, boiling until al dente (this will take longer for dried pasta and only a few minutes for fresh). Serve immediately with desired sauce.
