Fresh Pasta!

Pasta is a project – but a delicious one! It’s disarmingly simple. It just takes time.  Without a pasta machine, it also takes a fair amount of elbow grease. I’ve done it both ways with success, so don’t let that stop you.  This recipe makes enough for 1 serving, so just multiply it based on how many mouths you’re feeding. I’ve made Fettuccine and several versions of Ravioli stuffed with a three-cheese filling, a spinach filling, and a sausage filling. Sauce it up with pesto or marinara or browned butter and pine nuts. It’s hard to go wrong. Give it a go!

Yield: 1 Serving

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• Salt (pinch)
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and salt in a medium bowl.
2. Make a well in the flour, add the egg mixture.
3. Use a fork to combine the mixture into a stiff dough. If needed, stir in 1 tablespoon of oil to form a dough that feels soft and barely tacky to the touch.
4. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for about 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Wrap the dough in plastic and set it aside at room temperature for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.
6. Portion dough into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece of dough at a time – keep remaining pieces covered in plastic or under a damp cloth.
7. On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the pasta dough flat, fold into thirds, and roll flat again, until the dough is shiny and elastic. When you hold your sheet of dough to a light, you should be able to see your hands through it. It’s thin. It takes some time. Stick with it!
8. TO MAKE FETTUCCINE: Roll a pasta sheet up from one end, burrito style, and slice it into uniform slices, the width of the noodle you want. Toss fresh noodles with a little flour to prevent them from sticking.
9. TO MAKE RAVIOLI: Lay pasta sheet flat on the counter. Place filling on one half of sheet. Use fingertip to rim edge of ravioli with water (to seal). Place top half over filling and press edges to seal – cut ravioli – pressing out as much air as possible before sealing completely. OR, cut pasta shapes using a cutter like I did below. Place the filling in the center of one half and rim the edge with water to seal the other half on top.

TO COOK THE FRESH PASTA: Drop pasta in batches in boiling salted water – allow the pasta to float – remove pasta from the pan after it has been floating for about 1 minute. Toss with sauce and serve immediately. Ravioli will take 2-3 minutes to cook.

PS – I made this batch of ravioli green by steaming kale and pulsing it in the food processor with the eggs (before adding them to the flour/salt mixture). It worked!