Basic fresh pasta
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
This basic pasta recipe uses ingredients easily found on-hand so it’s easily made on the fly. Dress it up with some olive oil, salt, and grated cheese for a simple dinner, or consider going the extra mile with a Bolognese sauce.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Mound flour into a small hill on a clean counter surface. Create a well in the middle and add in the eggs and salt.
- With a fork (or your fingers!) carefully scramble the eggs a bit. While supporting the walls of the mound with a hand, begin pulling flour into the egg scramble whirlpool. The mixture will gradually thicken and become a dough. Depending on your eggs, the flour, and the moisture in the air, you may need more flour than stated or less. You’ll know you’re done with the dough won’t absorb anymore flour. It should feel like dry Play-Doh. If it’s a bit tacky, add more flour.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour, up to a few days.
- After resting, divide the dough into four pieces. Roll it out with a pasta roller. Run each piece through the thickest setting a few times, folding in half after each time. Keep running the dough through the roller, decreasing the thickness. You want to get the dough to become elastic and chewing gum-like. Depending on how much water is in your dough, it can take a while, up to 20 turns. Once it gets to that point, roll it out to its final thickness. I like a thicker pasta for this sauce (a 5 on my KitchenAid mixer pasta roller).
- Fill a stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Salt water until it’s sea-water-like. Cut dough, either with a pasta cutter or by hand (with a knife or pizza roller). Leave the width thick, at least fettuccine width.
- Boil pasta in water. It will go very fast, about one to two minutes. Drain pasta. Do not rinse with water. In a large bowl (or in the pan holding the sauce if it’s large enough), toss pasta and sauce together.
- Toss in a sauce, pesto, or accoutrements of your choosing.
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