Urban Farm Projects. Kelly Wood

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      The Italians have been making pasta for countless generations. It doesn’t take as long as you might think, and it makes a huge difference in the taste of your meal. Store-bought fresh pasta is a high-end delicacy, but you can save yourself the trip to the market.

      I’ve got to confess that pasta-making is my husband’s territory. I still occasionally rely on dried store-bought noodles, but when I’m putting together a special dinner or just don’t want to run to the store, I make the pasta from scratch and am always impressed by what it adds to the meal. With practice, you’ll discover how easy the process can be and how tasty the results are.

      Traditional pasta is made from hard-grained wheat called durum wheat. The flour is a semicoarse grind called semolina; finer grinds are called durum flour. (Under Italian law, dried pasta must be made from semolina.) When making pasta from scratch, you can use either semolina or plain white flour—the latter is what we call bread flour—or a mixture of both. My husband uses whatever is on hand.

      Semolina-only noodles will be chewy, more like a packaged dried pasta when cooked. Pasta made with bread flour alone can be gummy if overcooked, but when cooked properly, the texture of this pasta is more delicate than that of pasta made with semolina only.

      Flat Noodles

      Materials/Ingredients:

      •Mixing bowl

      •Rolling pin (or wine bottle)

      •Knife or pizza/pasta cutter

      •Optional: Mixer with dough hook

      •3 large eggs

      •2 cups flour

      •2 tsp olive oil

      •Water as needed

      •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 СКАЧАТЬ