Homemade Pasta

This past Christmas I got something I have been wanting for a good while now...the pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer! We have only used it once - we made some sausage and cheese ravioli. The pasta part was a success...the filling-not so much. So this time I decided to just make plain fettucini style pasta to go with some homemade alfredo sauce (recipe to follow later). I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with the pasta attachments to do most of the work for me but the entire recipe can be mixed and cut by hand if you choose.

After making fresh pasta I really do believe it is worth the extra effort - the taste is just something you can't get with the dried pasta you find at the store.

Fresh Pasta:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups semolina flour (I found this at my local Whole Foods)
1/2 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. water

Mix the flours and salt together in a mixer using the dough hook attachment. Form a well in the middle of the flour mixture and crack the eggs into it. Mix until a shaggy dough forms. Add the olive oil - mix well. Add the water - mix well. Once dough has formed (and no more dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl), take the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until completely smooth. Break dough up into 4 balls and let rest under a moist towel for 20 minutes. NOTE: When not using dough make sure it is under a moist towel or the dough will dry out.

After dough has rested attach pasta roller to the Kitchen Aid mixer (or use a rolling pin if doing by hand). Take one dough ball and flatten to fit through roller. Start at the largest setting and run the dough ball through the roller. Slowly start making the roller setting thinner and thinner until the dough is the thickness desired for your pasta.

Next cut the dough piece into the desired length for your finished pasta (my sheets were cut into thirds). Attach the pasta cutter attachment (or if doing by  hand, fold the sheet into thirds and use a pizza cutter to cut the pasta) to the mixer and run each sheet through the cutter. When the pasta is cut place onto a floured surface and sprinkle flour over the top of the pasta so it won't stick together. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

If making pasta right away - put the cut pasta under a moist towel until ready to cook. If saving for later - let pasta dry for about 10 minutes and then arrange into nests. Put nests on a baking sheet and into the freezer for about 20 minutes. Then put each nest into a freezer bag and save for later use.

Source: Annie's Eats


CHEERS!