The Best Hand Made Pasta Recipe

I used to be really intimidated about making pasta from scratch - that skill was reserved for my Nonno, who carefully made fresh pasta throughout my childhood. However, a couple of years ago, a work project had me make my own handmade pasta and since then, I think I've perfected the recipe and process and now make fresh pasta all the time. I recently shared my pasta recipe on Breakfast Television for National Noodle Month, and wanted to share all those recipes here. The first recipe is for the pasta dough and then I used that one dough recipe to make three different kinds of pasta with three different kinds of sauce: Fettuccini Carbonara, Pappardelle Pork Ragout, and Lobster Ricotta Ravioli. Keep reading to find out the best handmade pasta recipe.

Pasta Dough: The Best Hand Made Pasta Recipe 

Ingredients:

1 cup 00 flour

1 cup semolina flour 

3 large eggs 

1/2 tbsp olive oil 

½ tsp salt

Method:

Mix the flours together and make a nest with the flour on your work surface. Add the eggs, olive oil and salt to the centre. Use a fork to gently break up the eggs but maintain the flour walls as best as you can. Once fully mixed use your hands to work the dough into a rough ball. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes and it will transform from dry and loose to moist, smooth and tight. If the dough seems dry sprinkle with water and continue to work, or if the dough is too sticky add more flour to the workspace area and work it in.  Place dough ball in a glass bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rest at room temp. 

After resting cut dough into 4 pieces with a dough cutter then roll them into flatter oval shaped dough pieces. Place through your pasta makers widest setting 3 times, fold the corners inwards (like a 3 compartment folder) then fold that in half to make a rectangular shape. Then continue to run the dough through the pasta maker multiple times on the various settings until a thin but substantial thickness is achieved. Lightly flour a baking sheet, place the pressed dough into the flour and then sprinkle more flour on top.

For the Fettucine:

Run the dough strips through the fettuccine sized setting, spin the pasta into mini nests and let air dry for 30 minutes prior to making. 

For the Pappardelle:

Use a pasta maker rolling pin to cut the pasta sheets into pappardelle. Spin the pasta into mini nests and let air dry for 30 minutes prior to making. 

For the Ravioli:

Recipe will make 4 sheets of pasta, you will use two sheets each to make the ravioli, for a total of 8-12 large ravioli.

Fettuccine carbonara

Ingredients:

4 egg yolks

1 cup grated parm, plus extra

125g Guanciale or pancetta, cubed

Fresh fettucine pasta

Method:

In a pan on high heat,  add the cubed pancetta or guanciale. Once the meat starts to sizzle and pop, bring heat down to low  and keep cooking until pancetta is crispy. Remove the pancetta/guanciale with a slotted spoon and reserved pancetta fat , you should have about 4-5 tbsp of it. Let it cool to room temp, but you still want it to be a liquid.

In a glass bowl, whisk the parm into the egg by hand, then slowly pour the room temp rendered fat into the egg yolk/parm while whisking.

When blanching pasta, take a couple of tablespoons at a time and add it to the carbonara. When you strain the pasta, reserve ½ -1 cup of the starch water.

Add the pasta back to the empty pot, and off the heat, incorporate the carbonara mixture to the pasta. Add about ¾ of the crispy pancetta and mix it into the pasta, reserve the rest for garnish. Still off heat, slowly incorporate the starch water until it creates a rich texture, you might not need all the water, but stop adding once desired creaminess is reached. Season with ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper, and mix.

To plate, serve the pasta into shallow bowls and top with the rest of the crispy pancetta/guanciale. Finish with grated fresh parm and black pepper.

Pappardelle pork ragout

Ingredients:

2 lbs boneless pork shoulder

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp black pepper

3-4 tbsp olive oil  

1 jar passata

1L beef or vegetable stock

2 tbsp tomato paste 

Fresh parm

Gremolata:

1 bunch fresh basil

1/4 cup olive oil

Zest from 1 lemon

1-2 cloves grated garlic

Salt

pepper

Method: 

Cube the pork shoulder into large chunks. Season with the salt and pepper liberally on all sides.

Add olive oil to a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium-high, allow the oil to heat up. Once hot, brown the pork on all sides, in batches if needed. Once all the meat is browned and back in the pan, add the passata to the pot. Add some beef or vegetable stock to the empty jar of the passata and shake it, pour into the pot and then add the remainder of the stock to the pot as well. Cover and lower the heat. At the 2 hour mark, remove lid, add tomato paste and stir, allow to cook for another 1-2 hours until the meat just falls apart in the sauce.

Finely chop the fresh basil and drizzle with a bit of oil, continue to chop until it turns into a bit of a paste. Add to a bowl and grate in the zest from one lemon, grate in the garlic, drizzle in the olive oil until the basil is covered, season with salt and pepper and mix.

Cook the pasta until al dente or desired doneness.

To serve, place pasta in shallow bowls and serve the ragout on top, garnish with grated parm and basil gremolata.

Lobster Ricotta Ravioli 

Ingredients:

Ravioli

Get a circular or square stamp cutter

½ cup fresh leeks (white part only), finely diced

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp finely chopped basil

½ cup pre shucked lobster meat

½ cup creamy ricotta

Zest from 2 lemons

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

Sauce:

¼ cup butter, unsalted

½ cup heavy cream

2 tbsp chicken stock

1/2 cup grated parm, plus extra

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt

Black pepper

Method:

In a pan on medium heat, add 3 tbsp butter and let it melt. Add ½ cup finely diced leek and 2 tbsp finely chopped basil. Cook until tender, remove and set aside to cool.

In a bowl, mix the pre-shucked lobster meat with the creamy ricotta, add leek mixture, zest from 2 lemons, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper and mix well. To make the ravioli, place one pasta sheet down on your work surface. Pack a heaping spoonful of the filling on to a tablespoon measure, and place about an inch or two from the edge of the pasta sheet. Continue to place spoonfuls of the filling in a row a couple of inches apart along the sheet of pasta and then place another sheet on top. Use your hands to shape and seal the filling in between the pasta sheets, getting rid of any air. Use the stamp cutter to cut the ravioli.

Sauce:

In a pan, add ¼ cup butter and ½ cup heavy cream, let it melt and mix. Add 2 tbsp chicken stock, and let simmer, then add the grated parm. Once the parm is melted and the sauce has reduced, take off the heat and add the juice from 1 lemon. Place back on the heat on a low simmer, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cook the ravioli until it starts to float, remove with a slotted spoon straight into the sauce in the pan, some starch water can come with it. Let the ravioli cook in the sauce 1-2 minutes and move around so doesn’t stick.

To serve, add the ravioli to a plate or shallow bowl, season with black pepper and more grated parm.

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