homemade pasta resources?
I just received a Marcato pasta maker as a gift and I'm so excited to start using it! I've made homemade pasta once (rolling it out by hand) - does anyone have suggestions for good homemade pasta resources? Online or cookbooks - any suggestions welcome! Thanks in advance!
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11 Comments
Spaghetti and lasagne are about as close as you will come to uniformity. Useful cuts to master are pappardelle and filled pastas such as ravioli and tortellini. But if there is a specific cut that you've especially liked than learn to make that and research how it was intended to be sauced as that's the thought process behind any pasta.
It should be pointed out that not all flour is equal, nor eggs. Today's commercial laying hens in the USA produce eggs with smaller yolks than those of twenty years ago, something an old recipe like Hazan's will not address.
In this particular case, I think repetitions and hands-on experience is far more valuable than any Internet resource for a basic understanding of pasta.
Remember, people have been making noodles for thousands of years; the World Wide Web is less than 25 years old, not old enough to rent a car in most US cities.
Good luck.
Resources, for me, include a large work surface or pastry board, good rolling pin, dough scraper...all these to work with your new pasta maker. Avoid very specific-use tools (like a ravioli mold or pin) until you know you will use them often.
I would suggest finding what is for you a reliable basic recipe and make it many times until you master it, and can make it without referring to a page.
Important - as with bread - is to learn the properties of the dough, of the food itself.
Take a course (if there are some coming up soon in your area). Or practice with others. Knowledgeable people, if possible. Fellow enthusiasts, if not. Mistakes are funnier, success more delicious when cooking together. Also you can try more recipes, share out the results.
After you master a basic dough, then - if you want - branch out to flavored ones, flour variations, etc.
For sauces, to use on both homemade and commercial dry, sky's the limit.
My book recommendations (ones I've found reliable, educational, informative):
Marcella Hazan, Classic Italian Cookbook (1976) or or Essentials of Italian Cooking (1992). For this thread, see her basic pasta recipe. And the rest of the books for good reading and cooking.
Giuliano Bugialli - any of his books on Italian cooking. But he has one devoted to the topic, Giuliano on Pasta, 1988.
And a little know but much loved gem,
Jack Denton Scott, Complete Book of Pasta, 1968.