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- the mirepoix of bolognese
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- mp babysitting his bolognese
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- bolognese simmering and flavors coalescing
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- dough post-30 minute rest; ready to flatten and start noodling
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- pasta roller in action
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- m cutting pappardelle (aka wide noodle)
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- pappardelle ready for boiling
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- pappardelle with bolognese
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- the first dough which i thought i messed up has become successful fettuccine
our first attempt at homemade pasta and it was a terrific success. it’s much easier than i thought it would be. i have to say that i am less afraid of dough, now that i make bread. dough can be intimidating but is much more forgiving than expected.
we formed the first batch in a ninja and i forgot to add the eggs before i added the water and EVO. it was a crumbly dry mess. mp took it out, added some water and i kneaded it according to giada’s instructions. in the fridge it goes anyway because i want to see if it is any good.
we formed the second batch in mp’s tiny 3-cup blender/food processor and after a lot of scraping and mixing, it came together. i forgot to set a timer so i’m not sure it rested a full 30 minutes, but it came close.
as for the pasta roller, i flattened the doughs by hand and then we started on setting 1 and worked our way up to 5 for the pappardelle and 4 for the fettuccine. m wanted the pappardelle thick; as it turns out, 5 was probably even a wee bit too thick still. i would use a floured pizza peel next time, maybe, because the rolled pasta almost exceeded my arm span at setting 5. the pappardelle cooked for about 4 minutes and the fettuccine only needed 2.
using a couple scoops of sauce and a scoop of pasta water, m quickly mixed the 2 together and voila! tasty fresh pasta!
ingredients
1 1/4 pounds pasta dough
2 cups cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
instructions
Place the cake flour, all-purpose flour, egg yolks and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, gradually add the oil then 1/3 to 1/2 cup water until the mixture forms a dough (the dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers). If necessary, add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time if the dough is too dry.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and knead until the dough is smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Cut the dough into quarters and press flat. Run each piece of pasta dough several times through a pasta-rolling machine, adjusting the setting each time, until the pasta is about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Cut the pasta into the desired shape and use as needed.
cook’s notes
The pasta dough can be rolled out by hand. Cut the chilled dough into quarters and using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until 1/8- to 1/16-inch thick.