What’s better than a warm, comforting plate of pasta on a cold winter night? A meal with fresh noodles that you made from scratch. If you’ve always wanted to make your own pasta, but have been intimidated by the task, here’s a primer from Scott Fratangelo, executive chef and owner of L’inizio in Ardsley.
So Where Do We Begin?
The basic recipe is simple: You just need two cups of flour, three whole eggs, one teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil, and a half teaspoon of salt. The type of flour you use does make a difference. In Italy, they do not bleach or bromate flour (meaning it’s not treated with potassium bromate, a chemical oxidizer that impacts how dough rises). I would suggest home cooks use all-purpose flour from King Arthur Baking Company, which is unbleached and not bromated.
To make the dough, place flour in a large bowl and make a “well” in it that will house the eggs, EVOO, and salt, and slowly mix until combined. You can prep your dough the day before you plan to cook or the day of, but always let the dough rest for at least one hour before rolling it out into noodles. Once you’re comfortable with the basics, you can practice seasoning your pasta dough. You just need to follow the rule of 30-percent moisture for a recipe. So, if what you add is a wet ingredient (such as beet juice or squid ink), you must compensate by adding more flour.
The type of flour you use does make a difference. I would suggest home cooks use all-purpose flour from King Arthur Baking Company.
Do You Need a Pasta Maker to Be Successful?
It’s always a plus. I would start with the pasta roller and cutter attachments for the KitchenAid stand mixer. There are other more commercial brands out there, but the KitchenAid entry point. We use a brand at L’inizio called Imperia to sheet the dough and an extruder from Pastabiz that cuts it into shapes. If you decide to cut the sheets by hand, the easiest shape to start with is fettuccine or pappardelle, which are both flat, thick styles of noodles.
Once the Pasta Is Cut, How to Cook It?
Fresh pasta is cooked the same way as dry pasta, just for much less time (it can cook in boiling water in as little as three minutes or less). Think of boxed pasta like dried beans—when cooked, it needs time to rehydrate, but fresh pasta is like a fresh bean and cooks quickly.
This recipe yields one pound of pasta. For leftover uncooked pasta, you can dry it out using a fan and perforated pan. Or, if you want to keep it fresh, place the remaining noodles in a zip lock bag in the refrigerator and use within a week.
Related: Flours Pasta & Bakeshop Is a Foodie’s Delight in Haverstraw
