Is there any better comfort food than pasta? It’s warm, filling and delicious. If you get it right! You can use dried or fresh, but there are certainly easier ways to prepare a pasta dish than by making the pasta from scratch. Dried takes a little longer to cook, and fresh (bought fresh at the grocery) is much quicker, and both prefer different kind of sauces. Dried pasta (80% of pasta eaten in Italy is dried) pairs best with a hearty sauce, like a Bolognaise, while fresh pasta likes a more delicate sauce, maybe even just garlic butter and parmesan Reggiano.
From scratch pasta will likely take you several hours, and quite a bit of elbow grease. It is quite a task, but sometimes, when you are cooking for someone special, it becomes a labor of love. You will enjoy making something special for special friends, and they will appreciate your effort. There is a textural difference in fresh pasta that is simply delightful (there is a little more starch), and there is the added benefit of having no artificial ingredients or preservatives.
The basic ingredients for fresh pasta are 1 cup of AP or oo flour, ½ ts salt, 1 egg and a tbs of water or so. It’s pretty basic. Combine the flour and salt on a clean surface, make a well in the center and add the egg and water. Mix well, and kneed for 3 to 4 minutes, using the palm of your hand to push the dough away from you, then form it back into a ball (this is an important step). If you have a pasta machine, run the dough through the rollers three or four times. Now, cover it and let it rest for 30 minutes to one hour.
Cut the pasta into strips or, again, use the desired blade of the pasta maker for the pasta shape you want (the Italians have more than 300 shapes!). Boil in heavily salted water for 1 to 2 minutes (do not overcook and make it mushy!)
Dress the pasta with garlic butter and extra virgin olive (remembering using the best quality ingredients is very important), or a simple, but long cooked marinara sauce. It is also good with fresh diced tomatoes, finely diced garlic, shredded fresh basil and good quality extra virgin olive oil.
