Overview

I can’t think of anything more impressive and rewarding than making your own pasta. Think about it. Who do you know makes their own pasta? I’m sure a few names come to mind, but how often do they do it? You’ve heard about it twice? Yea they’ve probably only made it twice. I do find it interesting that most people, at one point in life, do attempt to make their own pasta. Its that much of a universal interest, but doesn’t seem to stick. Lets change that.

Making pasta is fun and delicious, but it can be a labourous and delicate process. Like most things, you’ll get better at it over time. I know I have, but still have lots of improvement to go. The reason is that the flour you use, the eggs you use, and the oil you use can / are different from what’s in that recipe you’re reading online. Through experience, you’ll find the right combination of ingredients. More importantly, you’ll be able to know if a dough is too dry, too wet, not fully mixed, too thick, too thin, uneven. Just like most things in life, there is no shortcut. You have to put in the work.

Below, I’ll feature a recipe on how to make Pappardelle. This is a long, wide, and broad pasta that originates from Tuscany. Its my favourite type of pasta. I roasted a portion of the flour in the oven to add a nutty flavour to the pasta - this went perfectly with a Wild Mushroom and White Wine sauce. Adding a little mascarpone cheese, along with good country churned butter, adds a creaminess while plenty of thyme and parsley introduces a pleasant herbiness.

Sadly, this recipe does not include the sauce. However, I will write a recipe later for those interested.

Wine Pairing

Pasta is a dish that can be served a lot of different ways. This wine pairing is specific to the serving style listed in this recipe, but we also have plenty of great wine suggestions in our other reviews that will work well with many other styles.The earthiness of the mushrooms and decadence of the butter really calls for a white wine that will add some brightness and balancing butteriness. A perfect pairing is a buttery, low or no oak Chardonnay. A good example can be found here. A good mid-tier California Chardonnay that brings great balance to this dish.

Ingredients (Makes 3-4 Servings)

3.5 cups of all purpose flour.
- You can mix flours as you please or use a higher quality flour (such as 1 cup of Red Fife flour).
4 large eggs (quality eggs - I used free run & free range eggs)
1 Tbsp of olive oil

Steps

Optional - Roast Some Flour. As I outlined in the description, I roasted a portion of the flour to give it a nuttier flavour. I used 1 cup out of the 3.5 cups all-purpose flour we will be using.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Spread out 1 cup of flour over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Roast for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to get an even cook.
- Pull out the 1 cup of roasted flour and rest it until its at room tempurature.
- Whisk in 1 cup of roasted flour with 2.5 cups of unroasted flour.

Make A Sand Castle - Make your sandbox. Completed clear your counter, you’re going to need it.

Dump your 3.5cups of all-purpose flour on your counter.
Create a little dimple or hole in the center of the flour mountain.

Beat Your Eggs - crack 4 eggs and pour in 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Using a fork, slowly beat the eggs in the center of the flour and, eventually, start to incorporate the egg mix into the flour. The dough will start to form.

Do An Arm Workout - now comes the fun stuff…

As you start to roll into the flour, you’ll probably ask yourself “Is this what this is supposed to look like?”, “Am I doing this right?”, “This is too dry, I’m going to add water”, “What kind of sociopath put this recipe together?”. If so, you’re doing it right. I go through the same emotional rollercoaster.
You’ll need to kneed the dough (or dough-like mess) for 10 minutes, or until your dough looks like the picture below.
Here is where experience comes in handy, unfortunately. If your dough is too dry, add more 1 more egg and not water. If your dough is too wet, add some more flour. You’re going to need to adjust your dough to the situation you’re in.
At some point, your arms will feel like they’re about to fall off. Good. Keep going.
Here is what you’ll be looking for: your dough should be smooth, your dough should be soft (although not sticking to your hands or the counter), and your dough should be a little bit tacky to the touch.

Go Get A Massage - now, wrap your dough in plastic and go stick it in the fridge for at least 2 hours. This is an opportunity to go beg your partner, your significant other, your pet Rocko, or a random stranger for a massage. You’re not off the hook yet, its only the end of the 1st period.

Time for Round 2: Roll Out the Dough - strap on that headband and lets get to work. Roll out your dough into a long and thin sheet. It’ll take some work. You’ll need to roll it thin…THIN…thinner than that! The thinner the better. Why? Because the last thing you want is thick, tough noodles that don’t cook properly. Imagine if you did all this work for nothing. Make it count!

Hint: dust the sheet with a very fine amount of flower. Spread it around. Dust the counter with a very fine amount of flower, so it doesnt stick.

Fold and Fold and Fold - by now, you should have a long-thin (THIN) sheet of fresh pasta. Now, time to cut it.

First, fold the sheet in half. It shouldn’t be sticky enough to stick together (although it doesn’t help if you press down).
Second, fold the sheet again. By this time, you should have something that looks like below.
Third, cut the pasta in 1-2cm width using a sharp knife. Make sure not to press down on the dough. See picture below.

I Did it! - now, pull the pasta apart and dust it with some flour (to make sure it doesnt stick).

A note on cooking fresh pasta - it takes WAY shorter than store bought pasta. Why? You can figure that out for yourself.
For example, a thin fresh pasta will cook in 2-4 minutes. A package pasta can be 15 minutes.
BUT lets use common sense, cook it until its done. How do you know? Pull one out and taste it. Does it taste done? No? Leave it in there (or finish it in the sauce if 90% complete).

Creamy Wild Mushroom and White Wine Pappardelle

Homemade Pappardelle

Overview

Wine Pairing

Ingredients (Makes 3-4 Servings)

Kitchen Fundamentals: Basil Pesto

Kitchen Fundamentals: Sauce Vin Rouge