Minutes to Prepare
Pasta has a history spaning centuries. This simple staple holds a place in so many dishes knowing where to start on your own will transform your prowess in the kitchen.
Admittadly this recipe is an adaptation from a collection of recipes from the family of Sid Wallingford. Sid, and Dox Carr were core inspirations early in my culinary journy. I hold a copy of the Wallingfords family book proudly and reffer to its near biblical passages for inspiration and guidance often.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Mix/Knead time: 10-20 min
- Rest time 30 min – 2 days
- Cook Time 5 min
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup semolina flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 water
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tbs olive oil
Stand Mixer Instructions:
Add all of the ingredients into your bowl. Using a dough hook turn your stand mixer on to stir and walk away for the first 3-5 min. Check on it from time to time, however if you follow the above in about 15 min you will have a nice ball rolling around.
Hand Mixed Instructions:
Following the combining steps above, mix in a medium glass bowl (or on a pastry mat if you are up for the culinary classic approach). Knead your dough until all the flour is incorporated and the dough has some elastic properties. (10-15 minutes)
Once your dough has reached a nice feel (not dry and crumbling, and not wet and sticky) wrap it in plastic wrap to rest in the refrigderator for 30 minutes to 2 days.
***TOSS AFTER 2 DAYS***
While the dough is resting (if you are proccessing into pasta soon) prep your pastry mat with 1 cup flower and pasta tools. I will be using my sheet roller and spagetting cutter for the next steps.
At this stage I highly recommend you have some sort of pasta roller/cutter. They come in all sorts of brands and varities. I cut my baby pasta teeth on an Atlas. Farily inexpensive and a great investment for begginers and seasoned pasta makers alike.
After the dough (and you) have rested, remove from the wrap (retain the wrap you will need it later) and shape into a loaf. Cut into 3 equal(ish) pieces. These will process into long sheets.
I start boiling water “as salty as the sea” at this stage. Salted water drives great flavor out of fresh pasta.
Set aside two of the three peices and lightly cover with the plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. Shape and flatten your first piece and lightly dust with the flour on your mat. With your pasta roller of choice, start with the largest setting and begin pressing into sheets.
During the first few passes on the largest setting you will place the dough on the mat, lightly dust, and fold the dough in half. run this through your roller again. There are two goals here:
- Elongate the protien in the dough to make stronger pasta.
- Form the sheet to the width of the roller. (Very important)
Work through your settings on your roller until you have reached the 4th or 5th setting (I use the 5th for spagehti). When you have made your final pass, generously dust your sheet with flour and fold as illustrated.
*** Don’t skimp on the flour. This will keep you pasta from sticking to itself!***
Repeat these steps for the other two pieces of dough, folding them and stacking them carefully.
Once you have made all of your dough pieces into sheets, take a dough knife or pizza cutter and cut the sheets into 10-12 inch lengths. Dust with more flour where the dough seems damp again and stack the sheets next to your pasta cutter.
Next, attach the spaghetti cutter (or for the Atlas users get ready to feed through the built in cutter.
I fold and stack the pasta on a plate as they come off the cutter. I place them in the boiling water in these groupings out of habit. These cook fast enough you could cook them as single servings.
From here boil for 3-5 minutes and add your sauce of choice!
