Hi people from all around the world! Let's talk today about home made fresh pasta!
Pasta means Italy, an ancient culinary tradition that over the centuries has been enriched in formats and spread all over the world.
Making fresh pasta at home is something that comes from the heart, from the passion for "well & good" eating; mixing eggs with flour is pure emotion, which is sublimated when you finally taste it, accompanied with a suitable dressing.
There are many factors which can fix the success of a good fresh hand made pasta, starting from the choice of ingredients, to the way the dough is worked, the climatic situation that can influence the humidity. But even all this is not enough: also cooking methods and timing are important to reach the right consistency "to the bite".
Let's see how to make classic egg pasta to create Tagliolini, Tagliatelle, Pappardelle and Maltagliati.
First of all it is very important to have a pastry board for kneading, preferably made of wood; marble or steel are ok too; avoid using bowls, salad bowls and similar: we know that wood is not more allowed in many professional kitchen, but working flour and eggs on a wood board really makes the difference, even in terms of taste. Anyway, we can allow you starting with a bamboo or wood bowl and then, you will make experience on a pastry board!
We will use 00 soft wheat flour, whole eggs of about 80 g each. Salt is optional
Remember: as a general rule, 1 egg is needed for every 100 g of flour.
Size for 4 :
300 g of 00 flour
3 eggs
Salt optional
1 Place the flour on the well-cleaned pastry board and create a hole in the center with your hands, the so-called "fountain". Break the eggs inside making sure they don't fall into the shells. With a fork start beating the eggs until they look homogeneous: at this point, slowly incorporate the flour and mix, little by little without breaking the circle, possibly using your hands
Go on mixing flour and eggs with your hands, after a minute or two remember to remove all the residues of dough attached to the hands and incorporate them, as well as those on the pastry board. If you are using a bamboo or wood bowl, start working eggs and flour inside and, as soon as it becomes homogeneous enough, transfer it on the pastry bowl.
2 When the dough has become solid you have to start working it, the more you work it, the more elastic it will become. Keep on this action for at least 10 minutes, taking care and paying attention to keep the pastry board always clean and possibly adding only flour to prevent the dough from sticking.
3 How do we process the mixture? Which is the technique? Remember to work it always on the same side, never turn the dough over, use only the lower part of the palm by placing your fingers under the dough. Once it is sufficiently homogeneous and elastic, cover with a cloth or container and leave it to rest for at least 30 minutes.
4 The time has come to roll out the dough!. Take the dough, flatten it a little and roll it out with a rolling pin. Consider that the thickness of the sheet should be very thin: in Emilia Romagna, the "mother" region of fresh egg pasta, it is said that "it must be transparent to the point that you must be seen through".! It is of course a matter of experience: you must try and try but, at the end satisfaction is guaranteed!
5 When you finish rolling the dough, remember it must dry for about ten minutes: touch it and feel if it is still wet, sprinkle it with flour if necessary, it will help to dry the dough. This step is very important: the pasta must be dry, but not that much: the environment, the temperature, the humidity are all condition that can interfere with all this. If it's winter or summer, windy or humid: this is why you must check very carefully while working the mixture and the dough.
6 Roll the dough on itself and start cutting the desired pasta shape. We finally arrived to the moment where you decide which kind of format you need. Remember that nowadays the pasta making machine already include all this formats: you just need to select, put the fresh pasta slice you have been working before and you will get the following:
Tagliolini for broth: 1-2 mm
Fettuccine for fish: 3-5 mm or meaty sauces
Tagliatelle: 8 mm (between 5-10 mm) with all kind of sauces
Pappardelle: 2-3 cm with all kind of sauces
When you will get to a good dexterity, you will be able to do it hardly, cutting the formats with a knife, it is always a question of practicing.
Once you'll have tagliatelle or tagliolini, pappardelle or fettuccine, remember to put them on a serving dish with flour and move the pasta with your hands once in a while just not to allow it to be sticky.
Cooking instruction:
Cooking is another crucial node for eating a "good fresh pasta dish". The water must be abundant, about 1 liter per 100 g. of pasta.
When it comes to boil, add the coarse salt, about 12-13 g per liter.
Do not immediately throw the pasta inside as you have to wait for the salt to dissolve.
The cooking time varies greatly from the consistency and thickness of the pasta, approximately 3-4 minutes for the tagliatelle.
But remember: the important thing is to taste it as also cooking time depends on the thickness you have reached while working the dough. In any case, if cooking time was estimated around 4 minutes, remember to drain it a minute before at least, put it in a pan with the prepared sauce and mix it very gently as fresh pasta is very delicate.
There is nothing worse than eating overcooked fresh pasta! It will ruin all your efforts and work , so pay attention to this procedure! Enjoy!
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