- Fresh egg pasta:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 5 eggs
Pour out the flour directly on your countertop or a very large pastry board, making a well in the center like a volcano. Crack the eggs into the center of this well and begin to beat with a fork. Little by little, incorporate flour from the walls of the volcano. Try not to let the egg mixture break through the walls and go spilling everywhere. Patience is the secret to fresh pasta: beat it with the fork until you can't bear it anymore. When the dough ball is ready to be worked by hand, relinquish the fork. If you proceed to hand kneading too soon, though, you will make a sticky, eggy mess of your hands. Knead the dough by hand, incorporating as much of the remaining flour as possible. Next, the dough needs to rest. Wrap your precious golden ball in plastic wrap and leave on the counter for 30 minutes.
After the dough rests, it's time to roll. (If you don't have a pasta rolling machine, now would be too late to go buy one.) Have some extra flour ready. Cut off about a quarter of the dough ball and roll it out using the machine. My method is to make a round disc by hand, coat it with flour, and roll it through stage 1. Dust again, fold the piece in half, and send it though 1 again. Now dust, proceed to 3, dust again, and proceed to 5. I usually stop at the second to last stage because if you go all the way, the dough gets really thin and tears easily. You will find, through practice, your own method that works in your kitchen.
- Spinach-Ricotta filling:
- 1 lb spinach, blanched, cooled, squeezed, and chopped
- 1 quart ricotta
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan
- salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until incorporated.
- Simple tomato sauce:
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
Saute the garlic in the oil until just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and their juice and simmer until reduced, about 15 minutes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon along the way. Season with the salt and pepper and toss in a few basil leaves if you have them.
Manicotti are the simplest type of filled pasta. Just cut your pasta sheets into large rectangles, boil them until they float, and then drain. Roll them with the filling, slather with sauce and some additional parmesan cheese, and bake for 25 minutes at 350. Buonissimo!
Shortcut: use no-boil lasagna sheets and either just make it into a lasagna, or cut the sheets in half and boil them for a few minutes until soft enough to be rolled.