Quick And Simple Homemade Pasta

Homemade pasta is one of life's best things.It is pure heaven to eat with a simple burro or butter sauce or a rich tomato marinara. Unfortunately many home chefs shy away from creating their own spaghetti or ravioli because they feel pasta is difficult to make. That's a myth.it;s actually one of the easiest to whip up.

Melissa Clark tackled this in her A Good Appetite column in today's New York Times Food section.Homemade pasta doesn't require any fancy gadgets to be made , let alone a pasta maker. In fact all home chefs need are flour, eggs olive oil and kosher salt. That's it. Surprisingly the weather does play a part in creating the perfect batch of noodles.Humidity  can effect the dough  as does the season, however if you want to make pasta from scratch in July or January , do so.
However when your skin is dry in January then  your dough will be too.. Making it on a hot and sticky summer day  may result in a sticky kind of paste. You'll need extra flour then to create a satiny and smooth kind of texture.  Another factor in the dough's success is the age of the flour.Also for a better flavor and texture it pays to get the Italian .00 flour but you can use regular flour too.Bread flour will do but it will give you a slightly coarser pasta. It will increase the dough's elasticity and make it springier and thicker. Ms. Clark recommends this if you want to have pasta arrabiata which can stand up to the spicy pepper sauce.It can also be used for heavier pasta dishes like lasagna which requires larger pieces or sheets.

The key to a delicious scratch pasta are the eggs. Ms Clark recommends using two whole eggs plus three yolks. This gives the finished product a deep golden color and an almost buttery flavor.You could make it with just all yolks. The pasta will be rich tasting but the dough will be very soft. The  protein in the whites can give it a bit of a chew and make it easier to work with. Adding olive oil gives the pasta both fat and flavor.along with suppleness. A few drops of water can correct the texture , making a dry dough a bit more flexible. However keep in mind that too much water give you mushy noodles.As much as some home chefs don't; like adding salt , it is necessary here.It not only adds to the flavor but also strengthens the gluten , adding elasticity  and structure.Many commercial chefs mix the pasta dough with their hands however you can use an electric mixer/Ms. Clark prefers and recommends a food processor fitted with a metal blade. This is the fastest way to mix the dough. A well mixed dough should  come together when you press it in your hand , evenly moist not wet and sticky..it should have a satiny feel after being kneaded into a ball.. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface and then feed it through a pasta machine. You can also cut the dough  into noodles using a knife too. cook as you would commercial pasta in boiling salted water for one to three minutes.

Nothing beats pasta made from scratch. It's easy to make and ca be whipped up in  just an hour before dinner. Try a batch today with your favorite sauce and experience sheer heaven.