Homemade Pasta
April 29th, 2008 | Published in Green Living, Pasta Recipes
Seeing is deceiving, it’s eating that’s believing.
Like many people, I eventually became aware that the problems with our environment and our food were not merely going to be inconvenient in some far-flung third world countries. Re-cycling my trash (even with the uberprogram operating in Seattle), using CFL bulbs, and avoiding processed food wasn’t going to be enough of a contribution.
Our food system and our local farmers are in danger of extinction—and so is the earth. Trust me, I was as lazy as the next well-meaning, 80-hour workweek cocktail nuzzler. I recycled, I didn’t litter, I’d buy organic (if it looked good and didn’t cost noticeably more). I sent money to the Sierra Club, NRDC, Ocean Conservancy, etc., etc. and sort of felt as though that was enough.
And then the awful truth started to flood my awareness—thank you very much Al Gore, Michael Pollan, Barbara Kingsolver. I was actually going to have to start making a commitment, changing.
Captain Bill from Taylor Shellfish at the Farmer's Market
Going to the farmer’s market near my house was my first step and it felt virtuous, but fun, really fun. I found out the best way to prepare geoduck (ueech) from Capt. Bill at Taylor Shellfish. I made friends with Samuele Lucchese the elegant pasta maker from Naples. He sells my favorite filled pasta of all time. It’s called Plin (from the Piedmont region of Italy). He made his with earthy, purple pasta (tinted by cabbage) filled with a luscious pork stew. Wow!
“Ciao bella”, he says every time I stop by. It’s possible he greets other women that way, too.
Since you may not have an Italian immigrant at your own farmer’s market, here is my recipe for great homemade pasta. It’s fun to make with your kids or a friend; turn it into an afternoon project. You’ll wind up with enough pasta to eat fresh right then, make into ravioli like Samuele if you’re inclined, and freeze little batches for weeks to come.
Basic Pasta Dough
This simple dough produces tender, silky pasta suitable for a wide noodle like pappardelle or filled pastas like ravioli and tortellini. I recommend the addition of a finely chopped fresh herb like thyme, basil or oregano. You can also be creative by adding vegetable purees like spinach, carrot or red pepper to color and flavor the pasta.
Note: To prepare this recipe you must have a hand cranked or electric pasta-rolling machine.
Makes about 24 ounces of dough (enough pappardelle for 8 entree servings)
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 4 eggs plus 2 yolks
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of cold water
- Option – to add a fresh herb, use about 4 minced teaspoons to this quantity of dough
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of your food processor. Process until the ingredients are well blended and the dough forms a moist, crumbly texture that can be formed into a ball, about 10 seconds. If the dough seems dry, add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, process quickly and re-test.
- When the dough will hold together, transfer it to a work surface and knead for 10 to 15 seconds to form a smooth ball, flouring if necessary to keep it from sticking
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes before rolling. It can be held in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours before rolling but it must be brought back to room temperature before using.
- To roll out pasta sheets, follow the directions that come with your pasta roller or machine (Sheets are the first step to creating any pasta shape from spaghetti to lasagna and ravioli). I use the Atlas hand-cranked roller available in my Amazon store and love it. I’m sure electric models are nice, too.
