FOOD PROCESSOR AND ROLLING PIN METHOD
I was always terrified of trying to make homemade pasta. I don’t have a pasta roller attachment for my kitchenaid, nor do I have a manual pasta roller in my cupboards. There is no room to squeeze yet another gadget into my overflowing cabinets anyways. Pasta is easier than I could have imagined.
I was ready to jump in and try making my own pasta.
Wait, the recipe calls for “00” flour, whatever THAT is? A quick search on Amazon resulted in 2.2lb (a standard size four bag) at $14 plus. WHAT! No. Just. no. All-purpose flour is under $3.
I have a bunch of different flours in my cupboard. Standard white, bread four, cake flour, and usually almond or whole meal flour. These are easy to find and don’t break the bank. I have found a lot of recipes you can use all-purpose flour. Double check before substituting though, just in case.
SO SIMPLE AND EASY
This recipe is easy to follow, and turns out great. One batch of this will make 4 meals for our family of 3. The dough freezes well too.
I rolled my pasta out by hand. You roll it thin enough so that it is almost transparent. My first time making this pasta, I cut the ribbons too wide. The dough increases substantially when cooked. Cutting thin fettuccini noodles is what you want to go for. Mine were almost half an inch wide. Big noodles. Still, it tasted amazing.
Don’t be scared of making pasta without special equipment. This recipe is quick and easy. There are some great tutorials on YouTube showing how to make all those incredible Italian shaped pastas.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of flour
- 3 large eggs
- Pinch of salt
- Scant 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
DIRECTIONS
- Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine.
- With the machine running, add eggs one at a time and blend after each addition. Add olive oil and process until dough looks like a coarse meal that comes together when pressed into a ball, about 10 seconds. Do not over-process. If the dough seems excessively sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing just until incorporated.
- Lightly dust work surface and hands with flour. Turn dough out of food processor and knead until elastic and smooth, and no longer sticky, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Shape dough into a disk and cover with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl. Let rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature (or up to 1 day in refrigerator) before rolling. If the dough has been refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for about an hour before rolling and shaping.
FINISHING
- Cut disk of dough into 4 pieces. You will work with one at a time. Wrap the unused portion with cling film to prevent it from drying out and set aside.
- Shape piece of dough into a rough rectangle and roll out on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out until the pasta becomes almost translucent.
- I fold my dough in half, and then half again to cut. I find it easier to control how wide the noodles are. It is also easier to control the knife blade.
- Once you have cut your noodles, follow the finishing instructions below.
PASTA MACHINE
- Cut the dough into 6 to 8 pieces. Flatten it into small rectangles to fit through a pasta machine.
- Keeping the dough lightly floured, roll the pieces through a pasta machine set at its widest opening. Keep rolling pasta through machine as progressively narrower settings, forming strips.
AFTER CUTTING
Lay pasta strips on a lightly floured surface and keep covered with towels. One at a time, fold strips into a flat roll and slice crosswise into ribbons. Unfurl ribbons and transfer to a floured baking sheet. Slice lengthwise into long ribbons, about 1 1/2 inches wide, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
COOKING
Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 2 to 4 minutes, until al dente. Drain and serve immediately.
ORIGINAL RECIPE
The recipe I found is by Martha Stewart and uses a food processor for the dough. The Martha Stewart YouTube channel is called Cooking Conundrums with Thomas Joseph (link below). I used a rolling pin to flatten my noodles; I have included a link to the video that shows you how to to roll by hand.
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Learn to make your own mozzarella cheese to go with your homemade pasta.
What did you make with your homemade pasta? Comment below or drop me a line.
RESOURCES:
- Martha Stewart: https://www.marthastewart.com/1112190/homemade-pasta-food-processor
- Kitchen conundrums with Thomas joseph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAsQSymGI5c
- Rolling by hand. Go to 7:39 to watch how thin to roll the dough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOsnlFcO748