This week I have been making fresh pasta for dinner. It has been a while since I made fresh pasta. I forgot how much I enjoyed making it. I use dried pasta a lot, and when I'm in the mood for cooking or making something a bit special that revolves around pasta, I will make fresh pasta.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little encouragement and inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
I also enjoy the process of making it. You can make it really quickly in a food processor, but I find it really therapeutic and relaxing to make it by hand. Fresh pasta is so much more luxurious and special compared to the dried stuff, and there's a good way to make a standard pasta dish special, or for a special occasion.
Why I Use More Egg Yolks Than Most Recipes
I found this recipe online, and it's very similar to most fresh pasta recipes, though I use more egg yolks than some recipes because I want my pasta rich and as flavorful as possible. I have been making this on and off for a few years now, and the original recipe made much more- a larger quantity- but depending on what pasta you're intending to make, what shape pasta, I find my recipe is enough for at least four people.
I also like to try to find the best flour for pasta. I generally go for Italian-branded pasta, especially for making fresh pasta, such as 00 flour, so you end up with silky-smooth dough.
Just Flour Eggs and Good Olive Oil
Making pasta dough is pretty straightforward. Eggs or egg yolks, wheat, a little olive oil, and maybe some water. The most important thing is technique to develop the gluten and end up with a cohesive dough.
The great thing about pasta is you can make it with all sorts of flours, and you can incorporate other things to flavor it too. I like to use 00 flour, but if I don't have that, I will use a strong bread flour.
All you need to do is make sure you have flour, eggs, and a good extra virgin olive oil. This makes the pasta nice and shiny. I usually use 1 cup of flour, 2 eggs, and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
The Finger Press Test That Tells Me Its Ready
I make this fresh pasta dough by hand, and I much prefer it this way; for some reason, it's actually quite enjoyable compared to making it in a food processor. I start by measuring out flour and making it into a well, then I beat the eggs and add them in little bits at a time to the flour, incorporating them into each other, being careful not to add too much and get the overall dough too wet.
Don't lose this article. Enter your email below, and I'll send it to you right now. Plus a little encouragement and inspiration from me, straight to your inbox.
Then it's just a game of kneading and stretching until the dough comes together and is elastic and shiny. That's the part that takes the longest, but once you have a dough ball, you give it a small press with your finger. If it bounces back, then you know it's ready.
Skip the Mess With a Food Processor Instead
If you are looking to make your own fresh pasta and you want to make it easier because it's messy, use a food processor and just pulse the flour with the egg yolks until it forms a crumb-like mixture, at which point you should be able to bring it together into a cohesive dough.
Don't worry if you don't have 00 flour; you can use bread flour and still get a great pasta. Just be aware that making pasta by hand takes plenty of counter space, since it can get messy. Also, you'll need plenty of counter space when you cut it with your pasta machine, which is another fun part I enjoy when making fresh pasta. It's also great for getting your kids involved; they will love it too.
Turning Frozen Ragu Into a Special Family Dinner
I made this fresh pasta to use with some frozen leftover ground beef ragu that I had portioned in the freezer for a quick and easy dinner. I could have served this with standard pasta, but just to make it a little bit more special, I decided to make fresh pasta.
I made this for my entire family, and we all ate it. Everybody usually comments on how much better my pasta is than the fresh pasta you buy at the store.
Resting the Dough Before My Go To Carbonara
My tips for anyone making fresh pasta would be to not forget to rest your dough at room temperature for around 30 minutes to help the flour fully hydrate. Also, make sure you keep the dough covered in plastic wrap so that it doesn't dry out and crack.
I would also tell people to ensure they knead the pasta firmly with the heel of their hand and really work it well until it is shiny and elastic. Use it to make your favorite pasta dishes; a regular dish that I make is carbonara. Fresh pasta works really well for this dish.
