Homemade Farfalle Pasta Food

HOMEMADE FARFALLE PASTA

Steps:

• Mix flour and salt in a large bowl or on a marble work surface. Make a well in the center.
• Pour water into the well a little at a time, mixing it with the flour. Add as much water as needed to make a sticky but compact dough.
• Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it, and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is elastic and smooth, but not too soft, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using.
• Cut off 1/3 of the dough. Wrap the remaining dough in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Flatten dough with your hands and pass through the largest setting of your pasta machine. Fold in half, rub with more flour, and pass through the pasta machine again.
• Keep passing though the machine until you reach an even rectangular sheet of smooth, not sticky, consistency.
• Pass the dough through the middle setting of your machine and then through the second-to-last to make a long and thin sheet. Trim the sheet into an even rectangle and rub with more flour.
• Trim off the short edge of the rectangle with a decorative ravioli wheel cutter. Trim the rectangle into strips, about 3/4 inch wide, with a flat ravioli wheel cutter. Section the strips into 1 1/3-inch large pieces with the decorative cutter.
• Push the sides of each piece towards the centre to form a bow tie and secure with a little dab of water.
• Proceed the same way with the rest of the dough. Transfer the farfalle to a floured surface and sprinkle with more semolina flour. Do not overlap or they will stick. Let dry for about 30 minutes before cooking.

FARFALLE WITH PEAS AND BACON

Steps:

• After the dough has rested, divide it in half, reserving one half for another use. Set up a pasta roller attachment on a stand mixer (or secure a hand roller to the side of your work surface). Lightly flour your work surface and roll out the dough until it is thin enough to pass through the pasta roller. Set your roller to the widest setting. Turn on the pasta roller and pass the dough through once. Fold the rolled-out piece of dough over itself, then pass through the roller again. If the edges of the dough begin to fray or the dough is sticky or damp, lightly dust both sides with flour. Repeat five to six more times, until the dough is smooth.
• Adjust the roller to the second widest setting, dust both sides of the dough with flour, and pass it through twice (without folding). Repeat, adjusting to a thinner setting each time and passing through twice, until the dough is thin but not so much that it is translucent.
• Coat the rolled dough with a light dusting of semolina flour. Cut the dough into rectangles roughly 1 1/2 by 3 inches. Pinch the center of a rectangle together to make a small fold, then pinch again, this time from the edges, pressing to secure the folds and creating a butterfly shape. Toss the finished farfalle on a semolina-dusted baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Combine the bacon and 2 tablespoons water in a large skillet over medium heat and cook until the water evaporates and the bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook 1 to 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 1 minute. Add the wine and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the liquid is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside until the pasta is ready.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle, stir gently to prevent sticking and cook until al dente, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Use a slotted spoon or spider to transfer the pasta to the skillet with the bacon and onions and toss to combine. Add the peas and 1/2 cup pasta water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and add the butter. Cook, tossing, until the pasta is just tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in half the Parmesan. Divide between plates and top with the remaining Parmesan.
• Mound the flour in the center of a clean countertop or cutting board. Make a well in the center of the flour 3 to 4 inches wide.
• Crack the eggs into the well and add a pinch of salt. Using a fork, break the yolks and begin to beat the eggs as you would if making scrambled eggs.
• Continue stirring the eggs with a fork in large circles, slowly incorporating the flour. When the eggs form a thick mass and become difficult to stir, about 3 minutes, fold the loose flour from the edges into the pile with a bench scraper and knead until a smooth dough forms. Discard any excess flour.
• Shape the dough into a flat disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and set aside to rest for 20 minutes before rolling. If waiting more than 1 hour, refrigerate or freeze the dough. The dough will keep refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

BIAGGI'S FARFALLE ALFREDO

Steps:

• Fry Prosciutto or bacon in a large skillet for 1-2 minutes; add onions to skillet and continue cooking until Prosciutto is browned; drain any excess fat; add chicken and red peppers to skillet; add chicken stock and deglaze the skillet; add alfredo sauce and gently bring to a boil; add peas.
• Meanwhile, refresh the pasta by placing it into boiling water for 30-60 seconds; drain pasta then add it to the skillet; increase heat to high and toss contents of skillet for 20-30 seconds; remove from heat and add cheeses; toss to distribute evenly; serve.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Put the flour in a food processor with ¾ of your egg mixture and a pinch of salt. Blitz to large crumbs - they should come together to form a dough when squeezed (if it feels a little dry gradually add a bit more egg). Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for 1 min or until nice and smooth - don't worry if it's quite firm as it will soften when it rests. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 30 mins.
• Cut away ¼ of the dough (keep the rest covered with cling film) and feed it through the widest setting on your pasta machine. (If you don't have a machine, use a heavy rolling pin to roll the dough as thinly as possible.) Then fold into three, give the dough a quarter turn and feed through the pasta machine again. Repeat this process once more then continue to pass the dough through the machine, progressively narrowing the rollers, one notch at a time, until you have a smooth sheet of pasta. On the narrowest setting, feed the sheet through twice.
• Cut as required to use for filled pastas like tortellini, or cut into lengths to make spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle. Then, dust in semolina flour and set aside, or hang until dry (an hour will be enough time.) Store in a sealed container in the fridge and use within a couple of days, or freeze for 1 month.

FARFALLE WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
• Drain and rinse with cold water; drain again.
• In a food processor or blender, process the pine nuts, garlic and basil leaves until finely chopped.
• With the processor running, pour in the olive oil until combined.
• Add the cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Toss the pesto with the pasta.
• Mix in the peas, cucumber and green onions.
• Serve garnished with basil leaves.