My pasta recipe:
250gm 00 flour + more on hand as required
2 eggs, room temperature
Pinch salt
Olive oil, again as required (sometimes I leave this out, with no real effect)
Mix the salt and flour together as you start. It makes a difference.
Add in each egg individually, molding the dough as you go. I’n using my KitchenAid with the dough hook by this step.
I add more flour as it is needed, as the size of the eggs and the ambient temperature changes the texture and overall the dough can be sticky and sometimes gloopy by here.
Keep kneading until you have a soft, beautiful ball of pasta dough - almost like a bread dough before it gets baked. It should be soft and pliable.
Important! Cover and wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but really not longer than 2-3 hours. The older your dough is, the more reactive the eggs become and it will turn greenish if not used reasonably quickly. You can divide up your ball and freeze whatever you don’t need immediately, but of course remember to defrost gently in the fridge before you use it.
On a floured board, take the chilled pasta and begin to knead it into a thin sheet (or use the KitchenAid like I do, lol lazy!)
Once you have your desired thickness, adding dusting flour as you go, cut into the shapes you want. Spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair, lasagna sheets, whatever.
It’s important now to let the pasta dry for a while before cooking. I usually aim for about 20 minutes on a pasta drying rack, but a lot of mommas use a broomstick handle or such. I don’t let it dry for much longer as it can break if too dry.
To cook, a large pot with boiling water well salted. Don’t believe the hype that it should “taste like the sea”. This is nonsense. It should be well seasoned, but not overly so. Keep in mind that the pasta water in a small way will become part of your whole finished dish, so too much salt at this point will make your sauce overly salty later. I personally don’t salt my sauce very much because I know that it will get some later.
I then cook my fresh pasta for about 6 minutes for aldente spaghetti, maybe a minute or two more for fettuccine and obviously I bake if making lasagna.
This step, along with the kneading of the dough is where you (or at least, I) get the wonderful endorphin rush of watching my beautiful, very very simple ingredients come together and do their work.
Once the pasta is cooked to my desired texture, I drain it with a colander and retain some of the liquid of pasta cooking water, the amount depends on how much pasta you have cooked, but generally about 3 tbsp for this recipe.
Then I return it to the warm saucepan and pour in my sauce, stirring and mixing it together, while keeping some of my sauce aside to pour on my finished dish.
Then I serve up. For a professional look, use a large salad fork to twist it into an attractive shape. Then spoon over some of your remaining sauce, but remember not to overdo it here. The pasta is the hero, and the sauce should be the accompaniment.
Finish with finely grated Grana Pandano and picked basil leaves, or whatever else is going to work for your dish.
I generally agree that the grated cheese doesn’t really work with a delicate fish ragu, it’s a bit strong of a flavour clash.
I really really recommend playing around with this recipe, technique and your sauce. You will find your rhythm and preferences the more often you try this recipe, and it is very fun and satisfying.
Believe me when I say that your homemade fresh pasta is miles better in texture and taste than any dried, bought product - no matter how good the quality of the store bought stuff might be. It’s just different level when you make your own. I almost never use dried pasta nowadays, only when I am needing a particular shape, for which I am not going to buy an extruder.
Sorry about the very long post. If you have any questions or wish to discuss further, hit me up!