Tuscan Pasta Dough Food

TUSCAN PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Make a volcano with the flour. Mix eggs and olive oil in the center of the volcano. Using a fork, gradually incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. Mix until most of the flour is moistened. Form a ball with the dough and knead for approx. 5 - 7 minutes. Dough should be firm. Cover with a moist towel while rolling out dough with your pasta maker. If the dough is too dry, add a small amount of olive oil and knead again. Use plenty of flour when rolling pasta. Add olive oil to boiling, salted water or pasta will stick together. Cook pasta until it floats (3-5 minutes). Dough can be made one day ahead, but not rolled. This pasta holds sauces much better than dried! It cooks quickly and is much less filling than dry pasta.

DRUNKEN TUSCAN PASTA

Steps:

• Pour the entire bottle of wine into a large pan; add water and fill the pot up as you would to cook pasta.
• Bring the wine and water to a boil over high heat.
• When the liquids boil, add salt and the pasta; cook to al dente. (you will use some of the cooking liquid later).
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; add 2 tablespoons of olive oil; then chop and add the pancetta.
• Brown the pieces until they are golden at the edges and transfer them to a paper-towel lined plate.
• Add the mushrooms to the olive oil in the same skillet; season with rosemary; cook 6-8 minutes until deeply golden.
• Push the mushrooms to the sides of the skillet; add in the garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for a minute or so, then toss the mushrooms together with the garlic.
• Add the greens to the pan; season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• When the greens have wilted down, add a couple ladles of the starchy pasta cooking liquid to the pan; cook for a minute to reduce it a little.
• Drain pasta well and add it to the skillet.
• Add in the pancetta and a handful of cheese to the pan; toss the pasta for a minute or so to allow it to absorb the remaining liquid.
• Adjust the seasonings and serve; pass the extra cheese at the table.

PERFECT PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place the first 5 ingredients in a mixer using the paddle attachment (not dough hook).
• Gradually add the water (you may not need it all) until the dough begins to form a ball and is sticky.
• Remove and place on floured service; kneed for 4-5 minutes incorporating enough additional flour into the dough until the tackiness is gone.
• Allow to sit for 15-20 minutes.
• Cut into 6 pieces, and flatten (with roller or by hand) into a rectangular shape. Keep a dish towel over the other pieces to keep them from drying out.
• Run through the pasta machine at the widest setting 6-10 times until the dough is smooth. If one end is narrower than the other, fold the narrow end until the width evens a bit. To make linguine, I then begin narrowing the roller width step by step, sending the noodle though once on each setting, through the second thinnest setting. (Thinnest setting for spaghetti) Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with another towel.
• Repeat with the remaining pieces, slightly flouring in between noodles as you stack them. If the noodles are longer than your baking sheet, cut them in half with a pastry cutter.
• Allow the noodles to sit for 10 minutes before cutting them. It usually takes me longer than 10 minutes to roll the noodles, so I flip the noodles over and start cutting the first one rolled.
• Your sheets of noodles should no longer be tacky, and should process through the cutter without sticking. If the noodles are still sticky, you may want to flour them a bit before putting them through your cutter.
• Place noodles through desired cutter and lay on baking sheet to dry for 10-20 minutes before cooking. Dust each batch with a tiny bit of flour and separate them with your fingers to ensure they don't clump.
• Place in boiling, salted water and cook until they float to the top; 5 minutes or until your desired tenderness.

AUTHENTIC HOMEMADE ITALIAN EGG PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place flour on a marble or wooden work surface. Make a well in the center and crack in eggs; add salt. Gently beat eggs using a fork, incorporating the surrounding flour, until mixture is runny. Pull remaining flour into the center using a bench scraper, incorporating it until dough forms a ball.
• 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 soft and smooth, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough with a pasta machine or with a rolling pin and cut into your favorite pasta.