PASTA DOUGH

MAKES 1 POUND

In March of 2013, I opened Crossroads Kitchen at the corner of Melrose and Sweetzer in Los Angeles. Crossroads is not what people picture when they think of a vegan restaurant. With upscale décor and lighting, we are the first plant-based restaurant in town to have a full bar. Most guests don’t even make the connection that the menu is plant-based. We believe great food should be enjoyed by everyone at the table!

That belief is one of the things I have in common with Chad and Derek. I’ve known Chad for more than ten years. Over the years, I’ve gotten to know Derek as well. I’ve always admired Chad and Derek’s cooking. We’ve had the pleasure of cooking together on several occasions, and I’m happy to share my fresh pasta recipe with them for this cookbook.

Although these directions are quite detailed, making fresh pasta dough is not at all difficult. A food processor mixes the dough quickly. Good pasta dough is firm, elastic, and easy to work with. Instead of eggs I use firm silken tofu, which adds protein and fat. It’s virtually impossible to detect a difference between this and classic egg pasta dough. Note that silken tofu is sold in boxes and is shelf stable; you can usually find it in the produce aisle. You will need a pasta maker to roll and cut the pasta—either the manual kind or an attachment to your stand mixer. After resting, the dough can be rolled, cut, and cooked right away or refrigerated or frozen for future use. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before you roll it out.—TAL RONNEN

½ (14-ounce) package firm silken tofu, drained

1½ cups “00” pasta flour, plus more as needed

1½ cups semolina flour, plus more as needed

3 tablespoons red palm oil

2 tablespoons filtered water, plus more as needed

½ teaspoon sea salt

Combine the tofu, flours, oil, water, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and process until the flour is evenly moistened and crumbly, about 10 seconds. Continue to process until the dough comes together to form a loose ball and feels moist but not sticky, about 2 minutes. Pinch the dough to test its consistency: If the dough seems excessively sticky, add more “00” flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing until just incorporated. If the dough is too dry, add a teaspoon or so of water. Dough is all about feel.

Remove the ball of dough from the food processor and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. (The food processor heats up the dough and makes it too soft to work with right away.) Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour to firm it up. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.

Flour a work surface and your hands. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time (cover the others to prevent them from drying out), roll or press the pasta out on a lightly floured work surface into a rough rectangle (image A). Feed the dough through the widest setting of a pasta machine; catch the sheet of dough in the palm of your hand as it emerges from rollers. Lightly dust both sides of pasta with a little flour. Run the dough through the machine two more times, then fold it into thirds. The dough will start to feel silky smooth. Then reduce the setting by one and crank the dough through again two or three times. Continue reducing the dial setting and rolling the dough through until the machine is at the second-to-narrowest setting (number 2 on most machines); the sheet should be about 1/16 inch thick (image B). Cut the long sheet into two workable pieces, put them on a baking sheet dusted with flour and semolina, and cover with a damp towel. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough.

The dough should be cut or shaped shortly after being rolled out so it won’t dry out (image C). Or, to store the sheets of pasta, stack between pieces of wax paper, tightly wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 1 month.

OPTION

CHIVE PASTA DOUGH: Once the dough comes together in the processor, pulse into it 1 bunch of coarsely chopped chives (about ½ cup), just until you see green flecks throughout the dough.