Fresh Pasta

Ingredients

1000 gr egg yolks

1200 gr flour (approximately 8-10 cups)

Method

• Weigh the flour, and place it in the bowl of your stand mixer. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add your egg yolks to the well.

• Mount your stand mixer’s paddle attachment, and run it on a slow setting for a few moments, until the eggs and flour come together in a loose, shaggy dough.

• Stop the mixer and switch from the paddle to the dough hook. Mix at moderate speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and slightly glossy.

• Divide the dough into halves, press them flat, and then cover them in plastic wrap. Rest the dough at room temperature on your counter, or in your fridge if you lack the counter space, for at least 1 hour.

• Attach your pasta roller to the edge of a clean counter or table, if you’re using the manual type, or to the stand mixer if you’re using the pasta accessory.

• Set the roller to its widest setting. Unwrap one portion of your dough and dust it lightly with flour, then cut it into 2 or three portions. Flatten the first with the heel of your hand, and cover the rest

• Feed one edge gently into the roller, then position a hand underneath to catch the sheet of dough as it emerges from the bottom. A dough that’s been refrigerated will be slightly stiffer to begin with, but will relax quickly as you work it.

• Fold that sheet into thirds, as if you were folding a letter to go into an envelope. Press it together firmly with the edge of your hand, then feed the end of the dough back into the roller. Repeat this process at least once more, because this helps develop the gluten that gives your pasta its strength.

• Turn your pasta roller’s adjustment dial by one “click,” to make it narrower. Feed the sheet through, again catching it with your other hand as it comes from the bottom. Fold this sheet in the middle, so it’s half the length and doubled over. Feed the folded edge into the machine, and re-roll the sheet.

• Click the pasta roller to the next thickness, and feed the sheet through again. At this point the sheet will usually be inconveniently long, so cut it to lengths of approximately 12 to 18 inches. You don’t need to be terribly precise, just keep it to a length that’s easy to manage. If the dough shows any sign of sticking, dust it with a little more flour.

• Repeat this process, cutting the pasta to a suitable length as often as necessary, until your pasta reaches the second-thinnest setting on the roller. That’s the correct thickness for most purposes.

• Set aside the freshly rolled sheets for 15 to 20 minutes, dusting them lightly with flour and turning them once. This allows time for the sheet of pasta (sfoglia, in Italian) to become slightly leathery, which makes it easier to work with.

• Remove the roller attachment, and insert the fettucine cutter attachment. Place a sheet pan, baking dish or platter near your work area, and dust it lightly with flour.

• Feed the first sheet of pasta into the cutter, guiding it carefully with one hand and with the other hand beneath the cutter to catch the noodles.

• Twist the sheaf of noodles together to make a sort of loose rope, then wrap it in a circle to make a pasta “nest,” tucking the end underneath. Set it aside on the pan or platter.

• Repeat, until you’ve made as many noodles as you need. Any unused dough can be wrapped and returned to the refrigerator, and rolled or cut for other uses.

Note: This is a large recipe – you get approximately 1 portion per 100 g of flour, so this is 10-12 portions – but the math to cut it to ½, 1/3 or ¼ of the original size is quite easy.

*1 kg of yolks equals 1 liter of yolks, or approximately 1 quart if you buy them frozen and pasteurized. It’s approximately 5 dozen egg yolks, so buying them frozen is much more convenient than cracking them by hand.

Pomodori Sauce

The crucial ingredient in a good tomato sauce isn’t surprising: It’s simply the best tomatoes you can find on any given day. Sadly, even if you’re an avid gardener, perfectly fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes simply aren’t available for much of the year. The ones you buy at the supermarket are bred for durability, not flavor, and they don’t make an especially good sauce. 

In contrast canned tomatoes, especially imported DOP San Marzano tomatoes from Italy, are picked when dead-ripe and canned immediately to preserve their sweetness and flavor. They aren’t a compromise ingredient, far from it. For most kinds of tomato sauce, for most of the year, they’re simply the superior option. 

On the other hand a simple, classic pomodori sauce absolutely demands fresh tomatoes, so here’s a pro tip: The smaller the tomatoes, the tastier they (usually) are. Full-sized tomatoes are picked when under-ripe, because that’s the only way they’ll last until they reach the store. Smaller grape and cherry tomatoes, or the slightly larger “cocktail” tomatoes, are sturdier because there’s relatively less tomato to be contained by their skin. This means they can be picked when they’re ripe and flavorful, unlike their full-sized cousins, and still make it to market intact. 

We’ll use grape or cherry tomatoes in this recipe, to enjoy their fresh and summery flavor.

Ingredients

1-2 tbsp oil

Pinch of red pepper flakes

2 to 3 cloves garlic, to taste

2 pints grape or cherry tomatoes

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste

2-4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan

4 to 6 large leaves fresh basil

Method

• Place a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and let it come to a boil over medium-high heat, while you prepare the sauce.

• Heat the olive oil at low temperature in a heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the pinch of pepper flakes and let them infuse in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes, until aromatic.

• Mince the garlic very finely and add it to the pan. Heat it for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until it is just translucent. Don’t let it burn, because burnt garlic has a very harsh flavor. If it burns, discard the garlic and wipe out your pan, then start over.

• Add the tomatoes to your skillet and give it a shake, so the oil is distributed over and around the tomatoes. Stir frequently until they begin to pop and release their juices, so the garlic doesn’t brown. You can speed things by pressing down with the back of a spoon or spatula to manually pop a couple of the tomatoes and let some juice out.

• Cook until the tomatoes are tender and their skins have burst, stirring or shaking frequently. Season with salt and pepper, tasting frequently, until the flavors are well balanced.

• Mash the tomatoes with a masher, a fork, or the back of a spoon or spatula to give the sauce a more consistent texture.

• Measure out 2 large or four smaller portions of fresh-made pasta, and drop it into the pot of boiling water. Cook for approximately 2 minutes, until the pasta is just barely al dente, then drain and add it immediately to the skillet.

• Toss the noodles in the tomato sauce, adding half of the Parmesan and half of the basil. Continue tossing until the sauce and pasta are well combined and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 to 30 seconds.

• Portion into 2 large pasta bowls as a main dish, or 4 smaller plates as a side dish, and garnish with the remaining cheese and basil. Serve immediately.