homemade pasta tutorials?

I've got a kilo of 00 flour coming via mail, a kitchen aid pasta attachment gathering dust in the basement, a weekend coming up where I don't have any huge plans and a can-do attitude. Unfortunately, it's not this weekend but the following one. However, this gives me time to plot out my plan of attack! Anyone have any go-to tutorials, recipes, tips or tricks you would be willing to share? Any disaster-laden paths I should avoid treading on? I'm determined to tackle homemade pasta this year and, as always, this is the group I turn to first. I'm not scared of filled pasta either, like ravioli. Shower me with your knowledge, oh awesome F52 friends!

Niknud
  • Posted by: Niknud
  • January 10, 2018
  • 2115 views
  • 9 Comments

9 Comments

Niknud
Niknud January 23, 2018
Update! I always appreciate updates on the Hotline. So, in case anyone's interested.... I went with the serious eats tutorial (but added in a little semolina flour and a T of olive oil because I'm at high altitude and moisture gets sucked out of everything up here. Turned out amazing! Went with the fettuccini setting instead of ravioli so I could get a chance to work out the dough before I tried to fill it. And decided that Marcella Hazan's beef bolognaise was a worthy sauce (as you do) but added some Italian sausage because, you know, Italian sausage. Next up: ravioli!
 
magpiebaker
magpiebaker January 10, 2018
Try a few video tutorials: https://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/these-incredible-italian-grandmas-teach-you-to-make-pasta-from-scratch-recipe.html

Good luck! Agree with starting with simple shapes first.
 
Niknud
Niknud January 12, 2018
Yah, I think even though I am itching to try some ravioli, I am probably just going to stick with a normal fettuccini-type noodle at first. Baby steps.... :)
 
Nancy
Nancy January 10, 2018
Just a few tips from my learning curve on pasta:
1) Used Marcella Hazan's recipe for pasta dough; found it easy and worked first time and always. Many fewer tears and no failures (unlike learning to work with yeast)
2) used no machines* 1st few times and developed feel for the dough (as with making bread)...*Just a board, rolling pin, hands or fork to mix the dough. Later got and used manual rolling machine. Still prefer board & rolling pin.
3) agree with Half Pint...somehow much more fun to do with another person, especially if you're later making a batch of filled pasta with it's repetitive minute movements.
Be fearless, have a good time, & please report back ;)
 
Niknud
Niknud January 12, 2018
Can you ever go wrong with Marcella Hazan? I've got her cookbook at home, so I'll go with that recipe and maybe throw in her amaze-balls meat sauce to boot!
 
HalfPint
HalfPint January 10, 2018
I don't have a specific tutorial but I have this tip that Marc Matsumoto (No Recipes) taught me. He showed me how to use a (covered) ironing board to roll out pasta since I didn't have a lot of counter space in my old apartment. We basically attached the hand-crank pasta machine to the ironing board. We even made ravioli and again that ironing board really came in handy. I find that homemade pasta is much more fun with at least one more person, because an extra pair of hands makes the rolling out process much easier.
 
Niknud
Niknud January 12, 2018
I've (fortunately) got great counter space - but I remember my mom laying out fresh pasta over the clothes drying rack that she would drag out into the kitchen on pasta making occasions. I'll enlist the 10 and 7 yo kiddos to help - no way they aren't psyched to make noodles! Thanks for the tips!
 
Emma L.
Emma L. January 10, 2018
Mastering Pasta by Marc Vetri is a great resource. I'd start with simple shapes, like pappardelle and fettuccine, then go from there. And pay extra attention to the Kitchen Aid dial numbers (which calculate thickness). Some recipes reference a specific number, but the thickness this correlates to has changed between models. So, if it seems too thin or thick, it probably is—trust your gut!
 
Niknud
Niknud January 12, 2018
That's a good catch - the thickness dials on the attachment. Would never have occurred to me. Thanks!
 
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