Fresh Egg Pasta

Makes: 4 servings

Time: At least 1 hour, somewhat unattended

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Beginners will want to start here. This Emilia-Romagna–
style pasta is rich and golden in color from the egg yolks, which also make the dough moist and forgiving.

  1. With a food processor Put the flour and salt in the bowl and pulse once or twice. Add the eggs and yolks all at once and turn the machine on. Process just until a ball begins to form, about 30 seconds. Add a few drops water if the dough is dry and grainy; add a tablespoon flour if the dough sticks to the side of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.
    By hand Combine the flour and salt on the counter or large board. Make a well in the middle. Break the eggs into the well and add the yolks. Beat the eggs with a fork, slowly and gradually incorporating a little of the flour at a time. When it becomes too hard to stir with the fork, use your hands until all the flour has been mixed in.
  2. Knead the dough, pushing it against the board and folding it repeatedly until it is not at all sticky, but smooth, and quite stiff.
  3. Sprinkle the dough with a little flour and cover with plastic or a damp towel; let it rest for about 30 minutes. (You can wrap the dough in plastic and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to roll it out, for up to 24 hours.)
  4. Clamp a pasta-rolling machine to the counter; sprinkle your work surface lightly with flour. Cut off about one-third of the dough; wrap the rest in plastic or a damp towel while you work. Roll the dough lightly in the flour and use your hands to flatten it into a rectangle about the width of the machine. Set the machine to its thickest setting and crank the dough through. If it sticks, dust it with a little more flour. Repeat. Set the machine to its next-thinner setting and repeat. Each time, if the pasta sticks, sprinkle it with a little more flour, and each time put the dough through the machine twice. Continue to work your way thinner. If at any point the dough tears badly, bunch it together and start again (you will quickly get the hang of it). Use as much flour as you need to, but add in small amounts each time.
  5. Pass the dough through the thinnest setting only once. (If it rips repeatedly when you attempt this, pass it through the next-thicker one once.) Flour the dough lightly, cover, and set aside. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
  6. Cut each sheet into rectangles roughly 16 inches long and as wide as the machine; trim the ends to make them neat. Put each rectangle through the machine once more, this time using the broadest (tagliatelle) cutter. Or cut by hand into broad strips to make pappardelle. Cook right away or you can hang the strands to dry for up to a couple of hours.
  7. To cook the noodles, drop them into a large pot of boiling salted water, and stir occasionally to prevent sticking. They’ll be done when tender, in less than 3 minutes (and probably less than 2). Drain and sauce them immediately and serve.

Herbed Pasta Use 3 whole eggs, no extra yolks. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme, or ¼ cup chopped (minced if mixing by hand) fresh basil, chervil, or parsley when you add the eggs. If using basil, chervil, or parsley, you may need to add about ¼ cup more flour.

Spinach Pasta Lots of color; the spinach flavor is subtle: Use 3 whole eggs, no extra yolks. Stem, rinse, and steam 8 ounces fresh spinach, or thaw 4 ounces frozen spinach. Drain, squeeze to get as much water out as possible, and chop (mince if mixing by hand). Add the spinach with the eggs, making sure to break up any clumps when mixing. You may need to add about ½ cup more flour.

Orange Pasta Neutral-tasting but a stunner: Use 3 whole eggs, no extra yolks. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste when you add the eggs. Make sure things get thoroughly mixed. You may need to add a little extra flour.

Fuchsia Pasta Brilliantly hued: Use 3 whole eggs, no extra yolks. Bake 8 ounces beets as in Beets, Done Simply (page 178). When cool enough to handle, peel, chop, and purée in a food processor until smooth. Squeeze out any excess moisture using cheesecloth. Add ½ cup of the well-drained purée with the eggs. You might need to add up to an additional 1 cup flour.