Fresh pasta has a reputation for being fussy, the kind of project reserved for long holidays and grandmothers with decades of practice. In reality, a basic egg dough takes about ten minutes of hands-on work, and the result is so tender and silky that dried pasta can feel like a different food.
You do not even need a machine. A rolling pin and a sharp knife will get you there, though a hand-crank pasta roller makes thin sheets faster and more even.
The Basic Dough
“Beginners worry about getting it perfect, but dough is forgiving,” says Lucia Bertolini, who teaches pasta classes in Providence, Rhode Island. “If it feels dry, wet your hands. If it feels sticky, add a pinch of flour. Your fingers will learn faster than any recipe.”
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For four servings of tagliatelle you will need:
- 2 cups (about 250 grams) of 00 flour or all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- A pinch of salt and a teaspoon of olive oil
Make a mound of flour on a clean counter, form a well in the center and crack in the eggs with the salt and oil. Beat the eggs with a fork, slowly pulling in flour from the walls until a shaggy dough forms. Then knead for eight to ten minutes until it is smooth and springs back when pressed.
Rest, Roll And Cut
Wrap the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling much easier. Divide it into four pieces and roll each one out until you can just see the shadow of your hand through the sheet.
Dust the sheets with flour, fold them loosely and slice into ribbons about a quarter inch wide. Shake the strands apart and nest them on a floured tray. Fresh pasta cooks in salted boiling water in two to three minutes, so have your sauce ready before it goes in.
Bertolini recommends a simple sauce for the first attempt: butter, a ladle of pasta water and plenty of grated Parmesan, tossed until creamy. “When the pasta is this good,” she says, “you want to taste it.” Leftover nests can be frozen on the tray and cooked straight from the freezer.
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