•¼ tsp salt
Step 1: Mix the flour and salt together. Make a mound of these ingredients on a clean countertop or in a bowl and then hollow out the top, like a volcano.
Step 2: Put the eggs and oil into the hollow and then mix them into the flour mixture; it is best to do this with your hands, but you can also use a mixer with a dough hook. Keep mixing until a ball develops and all of the dry crumbs on your fingers are incorporated into the dough. If the dough gets too dry, sprinkle it with a bit of water.
Crack the eggs into the top of the “volcano.”
Step 3: Knead the dough for five to ten minutes. Shape it into a ball again and let it sit for ten to thirty minutes, covered or wrapped in plastic, to allow the glutens to relax (which will help the dough roll out
more easily).
Step 4: Roll out the dough on the countertop to an even thickness, as flat and thin as possible, and then fold it over and over onto itself (alternating top to bottom and side to side) until it looks like a nifty little folded handkerchief.
After the dough has rested, you can start rolling it out on your work surface.
Step 5: Roll the dough out again and then fold it again in the same way; repeat this process several times until the pasta dough appears to be an even color and consistency.
Step 6: Roll out the dough one more time, but do not fold it; leave it very thin and flat. Use a knife or a pasta or pizza cutter to cut the dough into noodles of your desired size and shape (I used to use our kids’ Play-Doh cutters with curvy edges).
Keep rolling the dough until you’ve gotten it flat, thin, and even.
Step 7: Set the noodles aside after you cut them. When we make long, thin noodles, we drape them carefully across the backs of our kitchen chairs—and the banisters, and towel bars, and counter edges!
Either use the pasta noodles right away by cooking them rapidly in boiling water or leave them out to dry completely (they will be very brittle) and store them in a plastic bag or container.
Eccolo—homemade pasta! Enjoy!
Finished flat noodles, ready to be cooked or dried.
Filled Pasta
Once you’ve mastered rolling out sheets of pasta, you can make filled pasta, too. We’ve hosted parties where each couple brought a filling, we provided the sheets of pasta, and everyone had a boisterous evening of creating and cooking delicious filled pasta. Our guests got to take home big sealed plastic bags of pasta for their freezers.
Materials/Ingredients:
•Ravioli tray or ice-cube tray
•Small spoon
•Paintbrush or pastry brush
•Glass of water
•Pasta or pizza cutter
•Rolling pin or wine bottle
•Parchment paper
•Cookie tray
•Optional: Freezer bags or containers
•Fresh pasta sheets
•Filling of your choice (see Basic Ravioli Filling sidebar)
Ravioli
We’ve tried many different ravioli-making tools over the years and ultimately decided that the device resembling an ice-cube tray is our favorite. You can use a regular ice-cube tray to similar effect, or you can separate the ravioli with your pizza or pasta cutter; both methods are explained here. Either way, cut your pasta sheets to the same size, as one will lie on top of another. If using a tray, cut your pasta sheets so that they are slightly larger than the tray.
Put the completed ravioli on a parchment-lined cookie sheet to be frozen or cooked. If storing, leave the ravioli on the cookie sheet in the freezer until they are semi-frozen before putting them in a container or freezer bag (they should be firm enough to be stacked without getting mashed). To use them right away, cook them by dropping them individually into a wide kettle of boiling water.
The Tray Method:
Step 1: Lay a single sheet of pasta on top of the tray, and gently make indentations into the openings below. Be careful not to tear the sheet as you press down.
Step 2: Scoop a scant spoonful of filling into each indentation.
Step 3: Paint lines of water where the pasta is touching the edges of the tray—between the indentations and on the outside edges.
Step 4: Lay the second sheet over the first, matching up the outer edges. Roll firmly over the top of the pasta with a rolling pin (or wine bottle), sealing the edges.
Step 5: Lift the sealed pasta sheets out of the tray, and, if necessary, cut between each ravioli with a knife or wheel to separate them.
The Countertop or Tabletop Method:
Step 1: Dust your work surface lightly with semolina, and lay out one sheet of pasta.
Step 2: Place scant spoonfuls of filling on the pasta, spacing them out evenly and leaving at least one or two finger widths between each scoop.
Step 3: With the brush, paint water lines between all of the dollops of filling.
Step 4: Gently lay the second sheet of pasta on top of the first, lining up the outer edges. Carefully press the pasta down between the dollops; you want as little air in the pockets of filling as possible.
Step 5: Take your cutter and firmly roll between each of the dollops along the wet lines you painted. Be sure to cut all the way through both sheets. Although some cutters will seal the edges as they cut, we’ve found that it still helps to pinch the edges of each ravioli to make sure that they are sealed on all sides. If the ravioli are not sealed, they will spill their contents into the cooking water.
Basic Ravioli Filling
•15-ounce container
•ricotta cheese
•1 egg
•1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
•1/2 tsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped
•Cinnamon, pinch
Mix all ingredients together until well combined and smooth. Use a dollop in each ravioli pillow.
A cutter separates the ravioli and helps seal the edges.
Tortellini
Tortellini are ring-shaped, filled noodles whose shape, legend has it, was inspired by Venus’s belly button. Whether the Roman goddess of love had anything to do with it or not, this pasta is well loved and worth the time and effort involved in creating your own. Each noodle is made from a round or square piece of pasta, and the navel shape is formed after the noodle is filled and sealed.
Step 1: Decide whether you want circular or square tortellini. To cut circles out of the flat pasta sheets, you can use a clean tuna can, a cookie cutter, or a biscuit cutter—all work well. For squares, use a knife to cut the pasta into pieces of equal size.
Step 2: To fill the tortellini, center the filling on half of the circle or square, and then fold it in half (for the squares, fold diagonally into triangles). Pinch the edges to seal them.
Step