Basic Pasta Recipe

[MobyP]

Basic Pasta Recipe

This recipe is from the Stuffed Pastas course, in the eCGI.

• 400g/14oz ‘00’ flour
  
• 4 size ‘large’ eggs
  
• 1 egg yolk
  
• 1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  
• pinch of salt
  
• semolina flour for dusting
  

(Occasionally I might suggest a half-recipe; in which case use 250g flour, 3 eggs, and just a splash of oil.)

By Hand: In a large bowl or on a clean large surface, make a mound of the flour. With your fingers, stir a ‘crater’ into the top, so you have a circle of flour surrounding a well (see image). Break the eggs into the well, and add the oil and pinch of salt.

Using a fork or your fingers, stir the eggs, incorporating flour slowly from the edges. Use your left hand to maintain the flour, and stop the egg from breaking through and spilling over.

Eventually, when you’ve incorporated about half the flour, creating a paste, start folding it all together

At first it might feel like a sticky mess, then as if it’s too dry to come together – but keep kneading – pushing the dough away from you, then folding it back over itself, and giving it a quarter turn, and repeating. When it coheres, scrape down the rough bits off your work surface and discard.

Give yourself a fresh sprinkle of flour, and continue. (I find with experience the less I have to scrape down, and the more I can work into the dough).

By Machine: In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients, and whiz until it resembles coarse bread crumbs, or comes together in a ball. Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface.

By Mixer: Make a mound of flour in the mixer bowl, add the mixed eggs, oil and salt, and using the paddle attachment, mix until it comes together in a ball. Turn out onto a lightly-floured surface.

Knead the ball of dough for 8-10 minutes, until it feels smooth and elastic (if it feels a bit lumpy, keep kneading). If it feels sticky or damp, sprinkle some flour over it and work it in. [see: ‘Tips and Tricks.’]

Wrap in cling film, and place in the fridge for 30mins, and preferably 1-2 hours.

To Roll Out the Pasta

Set the pasta machine up on a long clean surface, giving yourself room to work. Sprinkle semolina in front of it, so that the sheet doesn’t stick to itself or the surface

Cut off a quarter of the dough (wrapping the remainder), and flatten it slightly in your hands. Give it a light sprinkle of semolina, and run it through the widest setting of your pasta machine.

Fold the resulting piece in 2 or 3, and do again. Repeat this action approx. 10 times, until you have a smooth and elastic piece of dough

If it feels too damp or sticky, sprinkle it with semolina, fold it, and run it once again through the widest setting.

Then decrease the machine setting incrementally each time until you reach the desired thickness (for this course, it will be the last setting on the Imperia and the Kitchen Aid, and No. 8 on the Atlas).

Once the pasta is rolled out, you need to work with it relatively quickly before it dries.

All recipes should feed 3-4 as a main course, or 6 as a starter.

Keywords: Pasta, eGCI

( RG943 )