201 WITH DOMENICA COOKS

Domenica Cooks All-Purpose Pasta

This recipe is adapted from the one my Italian mother gave me many years ago. I call it “all- purpose” because it is just that; it can be used to make everything from delicate ravioli and sheets to sturdy maccheroni alla chitarra. It comes together easily and quickly in the food processor but be sure to start with the smaller amount of listed, to avoid a dough that is too stiff (different will absorb liquid differently). I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh the flour, as this will give you a more consistent result.

Makes about 1 pound pasta, to serve 4

INGREDIENTS 250 to 280 g (2 to 2 1/4 cups) “00” flour; or unbleached all-purpose flour 10g (1 tablespoon) semolina flour or semola rimacinata (may substitute more “00” or AP flour) 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 3 extra-large eggs; or 3 large eggs, plus 1-3 tablespoons water, if needed 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Measure 250g (2 cups) flour into the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the semolina flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Break 3 eggs into the work bowl and add the oil, if using; pulse until the mixture forms crumbs that look like small curds. Pinch together a bit of the mixture; it should form a soft ball. If the mixture seems dry, dribble in water by the tablespoon and pulse until the dough starts to come together. If the mixture is too soft and sticky, add more flour by the tablespoon and then pulse until the dough starts to come together. THIS IS IMPORTANT: It is OK if the dough is sticky, as you will be more flour into it. It is much harder to add liquid to a dry to than it is to add flour to a sticky dough.

2. Turn the dough out onto a clean, lightly floured work surface, preferably wood (unlike pie dough, pasta dough loves a warm surface). Knead the dough using the palm and heel of your hand, pushing the dough gently but firmly away, and then folding it over towards you. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat the pushing and folding motion. Continue to knead for several minutes, until the dough is smooth and silky. Form it into a ball and place a bowl over it or wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

3. To stretch the dough, set up your pasta machine with the rollers on the widest setting (#1 on my Marcato Atlas hand-crank machine.) Scatter a little semolina or flour on the work surface around the machine and have more on hand for sprinkling on the dough.

4. Cut the dough into 4 equal quarters and rewrap three. Knead the remaining piece briefly on the work surface. With a or the heel of your hand, flatten the piece of dough into a thick oval 3 to 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. Feed the dough through the pasta machine and then lay it on the work surface. Fold the dough into thirds, as though you were folding a business letter; sprinkle lightly with semolina and pass it through the rollers again. Repeat the folding and rolling process a few more times using that first setting to help relax and smooth out the dough.

5. Move the roller setting to the next narrower notch and feed the strip of dough through the setting twice, sprinkling it with a little semolina if needed to keep it from sticking. Continue to pass the dough through the rollers twice on each setting until you have stretched it to the desired thickness ~ how thick or thin you strip should be will depend on the shape/ you are making. Many recipes, including those for ravioli and lasagne, call for stretching the dough thin enough that you can see your hand through it ~ about 1/16-inch (2mm) thick. On my machine, passing the dough through the second-narrowest setting (#6) produces a very thin pasta sheet, so I usually don’t stretch past that setting; in fact, I generally stop after #5.

6. Once you have stretched your piece of dough into a long ribbon-like sheet, lay it out on a semolina- or flour-dusted surface and cover it with a clean kitchen towel while you stretch the remaining three pieces in the same way. When all the dough has been stretched, uncover the sheets and let them dry briefly so that they feel somewhat leathery but are still pliable. This will prevent the pasta from sticking together when you cut it into . (If you are making ravioli, skip the brief drying step.)

7. Sprinkle a rimmed sheet or a clean tablecloth with semolina or flour. Cut the sheets of pasta into noodles using your machine’s cutter attachment. Or, to cut by hand, sprinkle a sheet of dough generously with semolina and roll it up loosely, jelly-roll style. Cut it crosswise into thin or wide noodles, depending on your desired shape. Wrap the cut noodles loosely around one hand to form a nest and set it on the prepared baking sheet or tablecloth.

8. If you are cooking your noodles within a couple of hours, you can leave them out at room temperature. Otherwise, place them on the baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours or until firm. Transfer the frozen nests to a tightly lidded container or zipper-lock freezer bag and return to the freezer until cooking time.

9. To cook, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt generously. Drop in the pasta nests and use a pasta fork to gently swirl the strands apart. Cook until al dente ~ fresh pasta cooks very quickly, generally within five minutes and sometimes as fast as one minute. Drain in a colander set in the sink and toss lightly with sauce.