Basic Egg Pasta Food

QUICK AND EASY FRESH EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt together in a large bowl; push into a mound and make a well in the center. Place egg, water, and olive oil into the well; mix together, slowly incorporating the flour mixture until dough is combined.
• Turn out dough onto a floured work surface; knead until ball forms, 5 to 10 minutes. Divide in half; form into balls. Wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap; rest dough until malleable, about 30 minutes.
• Remove plastic wrap. Roll out dough balls; cut into desired shapes with a knife or pasta roller.

A BASIC RECIPE FOR FRESH EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Place the flour on a board or in a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack the eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork until smooth.
• Using the tips of your fingers, mix the eggs with the flour, incorporating a little at a time, until everything is combined.
• Knead the pieces of dough together - with a bit of work and some love and attention they'll all bind together to give you one big, smooth lump of dough!
• Once you've made your dough you need to knead and work it with your hands to develop the gluten in the flour, otherwise your pasta will be flabby and soft when you cook it, instead of springy and al dente. There's no secret to kneading. You just have to bash the dough about a bit with your hands, squashing it into the table, reshaping it, pulling it, stretching it, squashing it again. It's quite hard work, and after a few minutes it's easy to see why the average Italian grandmother has arms like Frank Bruno! You'll know when to stop - it's when your pasta starts to feel smooth and silky instead of rough and floury.
• Wrap the dough in clingfilm and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes - make sure the clingfilm covers it well or it will dry out and go crusty round the edges (this will give you crusty lumps through your pasta when you roll it out, and nobody likes crusty lumps!).
• How to roll your pasta: first of all, if you haven't got a pasta machine it's not the end of the world! All the mammas I met while travelling round Italy rolled pasta with their trusty rolling pins and they wouldn't even consider having a pasta machine in the house! When it comes to rolling, the main problem you'll have is getting the pasta thin enough to work with. It's quite difficult to get a big lump of dough rolled out in one piece, and you need a very long rolling pin to do the job properly. The way around this is to roll lots of small pieces of pasta rather than a few big ones. You'll be rolling your pasta into a more circular shape than the long rectangular shapes you'll get from a machine, but use your head and you'll be all right!
• If using a machine to roll your pasta, make sure it's clamped firmly to a clean work surface before you start (use the longest available work surface you have). If your surface is cluttered with bits of paper, the kettle, the bread bin, the kids' homework and stuff like that, shift all this out of the way for the time being. It won't take a minute, and starting with a clear space to work in will make things much easier, I promise.
• Dust your work surface with some Tipo 00 flour, take a lump of pasta dough the size of a large orange and press it out flat with your fingertips. Set the pasta machine at its widest setting - and roll the lump of pasta dough through it. Lightly dust the pasta with flour if it sticks at all.
• Click the machine down a setting and roll the pasta dough through again. Fold the pasta in half, click the pasta machine back up to the widest setting and roll the dough through again. Repeat this process five or six times. It might seem like you're getting nowhere, but in fact you're working the dough, and once you've folded it and fed it through the rollers a few times, you'll feel the difference. It'll be smooth as silk and this means you're making wicked pasta!
• Now it's time to roll the dough out properly, working it through all the settings on the machine, from the widest down to around the narrowest. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta with a little flour every time you run it through.
• When you've got down to the narrowest setting, to give yourself a tidy sheet of pasta, fold the pasta in half lengthways, then in half again, then in half again once more until you've got a square-ish piece of dough. Turn it 90 degrees and feed it through the machine at the widest setting. As you roll it down through the settings for the last time, you should end up with a lovely rectangular silky sheet of dough with straight sides - just like a real pro! If your dough is a little cracked at the edges, fold it in half just once, click the machine back two settings and feed it through again. That should sort things out.
• Whether you're rolling by hand or by machine you'll need to know when to stop. If you're making pasta like tagliatelle, lasagne or stracchi you'll need to roll the pasta down to between the thickness of a beer mat and a playing card; if you're making a stuffed pasta like ravioli or tortellini, you'll need to roll it down slightly thinner or to the point where you can clearly see your hand or lines of newsprint through it.
• Once you've rolled your pasta the way you want it, you need to shape or cut it straight away. Pasta dries much quicker than you think, so whatever recipe you're doing, don't leave it more than a minute or two before cutting or shaping it. You can lay over a damp clean tea towel which will stop it from drying.

FRESH EGG PASTA

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together flour and salt. Add eggs, yolks and oil and run the machine until the dough holds together. If dough looks dry, add another teaspoon olive oil. If dough looks wet, add a little flour until dough is tacky and elastic.
• Dump dough onto a work surface and knead briefly until very smooth. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 1 hour or in the fridge overnight. (If pressed for time, the dough can be used after a 30-minute rest; just note that it would be slightly harder to roll out.)
• Cut the dough into 4 pieces, keeping them covered with plastic wrap or a dish towel when not in use. (If you're rolling the dough out by hand, rather than using a pasta machine, cut it into 2 pieces instead.) Using a pasta roller set to the thickest (widest) setting, roll one piece of dough out into a sheet. Fold the sheet in thirds like a letter and pass it through the machine 2 more times on the same setting.
• Reduce the setting, and repeat rolling and folding the dough, passing it through the machine 2 or 3 times before going to the next setting. For pappardelle and fettuccine, stop rolling when the dough is about 1 or 2 settings wider than the thinnest one on your roller. For lasagna noodles, and for ravioli and other stuffed or filled pasta, go to the thinnest setting. (To roll dough by hand, see note below.)
• Shape the pasta. For pappardelle, cut rolled pasta into 1-inch-wide strips. For fettuccine, run the rolled sheets through the fettuccine setting on your roller. Place cut pasta on a flour-dusted sheet tray and cover with a dish towel while rolling and cutting the remaining dough. Make sure to sprinkle flour over the cut pasta before you place another layer on top. If not using immediately, cover the sheet pan with a dish towel to keep the dough supple.
• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil, add fresh pasta and boil for 1 to 3 minutes, depending on thickness of the pasta. Drain well.

EASY PASTA WITH EGGS

Steps:

• Cook pasta to al dente, according to package directions.
• Drain well.
• Add butter to pan, and allow to melt.
• Return drained pasta and mix well with butter.
• In a separate bowl, beat eggs well.
• Add the eggs to pan, and mix well.
• Return to med heat, and stir CONTINUOUSLY, scraping egg from bottom, until eggs are scrambled well and cling to pasta. This step goes very quickly, so watch pot closely.
• Serve immediately.
• To easily clean pan, rinse with COLD water. Empty pan of water, and add a generous portion of SALT, and a dot of dish detergent to pan. Scrub with a scrubbie under cold water until clean. Finish by running under hot water or place pan in dishwasher to disinfect.

BASIC EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Pile flour onto a work surface and make a small well in the center; place eggs, egg yolks, olive oil, and salt into the well. Gently stir the egg mixture with a fork, gradually drawing in flour until dough comes together.
• Knead dough with hands until smooth and leathery, about 10 minutes.
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap; let rest until malleable, 1 to 2 hours. Remove plastic wrap.
• Cut dough into four pieces; roll out with a rolling pin. Run flattened pieces through a pasta roller to create desired noodle shape.

FRESH EGG PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a food processor combine the flour, salt, eggs, oil and 4 tablespoons water and process until the mixture begins to form a ball, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough is too dry. Process 30 seconds more to knead it. Remove the dough from the processor and let it rest, covered with an inverted bowl, at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Set the smooth rollers of a pasta machine at the highest number. (The rollers will be wide apart.) Divide the dough into 4 pieces, flatten 1 piece into a rectangle, and cover the remaining pieces with an inverted bowl. Dust the rectangle with flour and feed it through the rollers. Fold the rectangle in half and feed it through the rollers 6-8 more times, folding in half each time and dusting with flour if necessary to keep it from sticking. Turn the dial down one notch and feed the dough through the rollers without folding. Continue to feed the dough through the rollers without folding, turning the dial lower one notch each time, until the lowest notch is reached. Roll the remaining pieces of pasta dough in the same manner.
• Use the blades of a pasta machine that will cut 1/4-inch wide strips. Feed one end of a sheet of pasta dough through the blades, holding the other end straight up from the machine. Catch the strips from underneath the machine before the sheet goes completely through the rollers and put the cut strips lightly across floured jelly-roll pans or let them hang over the top of straight-backed chairs or on hangars. Let the pasta dry for 5 minutes, before cooking.

BASIC PASTA DOUGH (NO EGG)

Steps:

• Put flour in large mixing bowl, making a well in the center.
• Add wet ingredients to well and very slowly mix together with a fork, incorporating only a little flour at a time so it mixes smoothly and evenly. Trust me, the more patient you are with this the better it will turn out.
• Continue kneading by hand for about 10 minutes, let rest for a half hour covered with a towel. Repeat a couple times until dough is smooth and silky, and just slightly sticky.
• Shape by hand or with a machine.
• Note: Boiling fresh pasta takes significantly less time than dry pasta. Depending on the shape, cook for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

FRESH EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Making dough:
• Place flour in processor. Add eggs. Using on/off turns, blend until clumps of moist dough form (do not process into ball). Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; shape into ball. Knead until smooth, sprinkling lightly with flour if sticking, about 3 minutes. Wrap in plastic. Let rest at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
• Rolling dough into sheets:
• Cut dough into 8 equal pieces. Cover with plastic wrap. Set pasta machine to widest setting. Flatten 1 dough piece into rectangle; run through machine. Fold in half crosswise (end to end) and run through again. Continue, adjusting machine to narrower settings after every 2 passes and dusting with flour as needed to keep from sticking, until pasta sheet is 22 inches long (scant 1/16 inch thick). Place sheet on lightly floured work surface; cover with plastic. Repeat with remaining pasta pieces.
• Cutting dough into strands:
• Uncover sheets and let stand until slightly dry but still pliable, about 20 minutes. Fit machine with appropriate cutter and run sheets through, cutting into tagliolini (1/8 inch wide), tagliatelle (1/4 inch wide), fettuccine (1/2 inch wide), or pappardelle (3/4 inch wide) and dusting with flour to keep from sticking. Cut strands crosswise into desired lengths. Using floured hands, toss strands to separate; spread out on towels. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover with towel and let stand at room temperature.)
• Cook pasta in pot of boiling salted water until just tender, stirring occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.

BASIC DOUGH FOR FRESH EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add eggs and yolks, and mix with hands or wooden spoon for a minute or so, until dough comes together. (Alternatively, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.) If dough seems dry or crumbly, add 1 or 2 tablespoons cold water, but only enough to keep the dough together.
• Turn dough out onto a board and knead to form a ball. Flatten dough ball to a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour (several hours is fine).
• Divide dough into 4 pieces. Knead each piece until smooth. Roll with a rolling pin or pasta machine as thinly as possible (but not quite paper-thin). Cut each sheet in half, making 8 smaller sheets. Dust dough sheets lightly with semolina to keep them from sticking. Stack 2 or 3 sheets, roll loosely, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide noodles or other desired shape. Continue until all dough is used. Gently fluff noodles and spread on a semolina-dusted baking sheet. Refrigerate, uncovered, until ready to cook.

EGG PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• On a clean work surface or in a large bowl, combine both flours. Make a well in center; add eggs and yolks, 1 tablespoon warm water, and oil. Using a fork and whisking outward from the center of well, gradually incorporate flour mixture into egg mixture until a ragged dough forms.
• Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until dough is smooth and springs back when pressed with a finger, 8 to 10 minutes. While kneading, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough feels too dry; or add more "00" flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough feels too sticky.
• Divide dough in half. Pat each half into an approximately 1-inch-thick square; tightly wrap in plastic and let stand at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours before using.