Fresh Pasta: Malloreddus and Fettuccine

About once or twice a year I get the urge to make fresh pasta. I don’t make it all that often because it’s a pretty involved process and our (very active) family of four can put away a significant amount of pasta, so you really have to be ready to spend a chunk of the day pretending you’re Lidia Bastianich behind your kitchen counter. When I want to take the extra time to roll out fresh pasta, I seize the opportunity, because there is nothing quite like a hot plate of pasta that just minutes ago was rolled out on the countertop. The pasta strands are unbelievably light and tender without being mushy, and the clean wheat flavor really shines through a simple sauce.

There are two main types of pasta dough that Italians make: pasta all’uovo, or fresh pasta dough made with eggs, and pasta fresca di semola di grano duro, or fresh pasta made with semolina flour. A few nights ago for dinner, I made fettuccine from pasta all’uovo and malloreddus from semolina dough. Although the ingredients for the two pasta doughs vary slightly, the mixing and kneading process is quite similar. The steps below are shown using the pasta all’uovo.

The dough can be made either in the food processor or on the countertop with just a fork—the food processor will save you some time and effort, but I almost always use the countertop method because I would rather spend a few extra minutes kneading pasta dough rather than use up precious dishwasher space to clean the food processor.

Start with a mound of flour, then create a deep cavity in the center of the mound with your fist.

Pour the eggs into the cavity, then pierce the yolks with the tines of a fork, and begin gently beating the eggs while slowly incorporating more flour into the beaten eggs.

After a few minutes, you’ll end up with a shaggy mass of dough that you can begin kneading with your hands. After 15-25 minutes (or one episode of The Mindy Project), the dough will be smooth, supple, and feel like a dry earlobe. Then it’s time for the dough to rest; it takes at least 30 minutes for the gluten molecules to relax and allow for the dough to hydrate fully, so wrap the dough in plastic wrap, stick it in the fridge, and wait for a bit before you start rolling the pasta into the sfoglia, or pasta sheets.

As a comparison, the photos above show what the semolina dough looks like before and after kneading.

Once the dough has rested, it’s time to roll out the pasta dough. The dough can be rolled with either a rolling pin or a pasta roller, but the pasta roller is so much easier and faster to use than doing it by hand. The dough is cut into portions, then rolled starting on the widest setting to the thinnest setting, with about 3 passes though each numbered setting. The pasta dough is properly rolled when it’s smooth and thin enough that light can pass though it and your hand is clearly visible when placed beneath the pasta sheet.

Once you’ve rolled out the sfoglia, let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes so that it will cut more cleanly into fettuccine. While it’s resting, you can roll out the remaining portions of dough.

Cutting the dough into the fettuccine is the easy part. Either roll the pasta sheets like you would a yoga mat and cut crosswise into strips, or cut it on a fettuccine-sized attachment on a pasta machine. Liberally dust the cut pasta with all-purpose flour, then pile the noodles loosely on a dishcloth dusted with flour while you cut the rest of the pasta.

Thin, fresh pasta like this cooks almost instantly, so it needs just one to two minutes in boiling, salted water before it’s perfectly al dente. Toss it in a simple light sauce like pesto, butter, or a light tomato sauce (pictured above is a sautéed garlic and olive oil sauce), and serve the hot pasta immediately with a little parmesan.

Now for the semolina dough:

Semolina dough is much sturdier than pasta all’uovo, so I use it to create pastas like cavatelli, or small dumpling shapes like these malloreddus. Malloreddus are originally from Sardinia, and occasionally include saffron in the dough for color and flavor. You can sometimes find them sold as dried pasta, but they can also be made fresh. They’re much less time consuming to shape than any sort of noodle or filled pasta, but they do take a little bit longer to cook. The dough gets rolled into long ropes about half an inch in diameter, then cut into half-inch pieces, a little smaller than a piece of gnocchi.

To give the malloreddus a curved shape and ridged exterior, they’re traditionally rolled on the back of a wicker basket, but a cheese grater is commonly used as well with similar results.

Malloreddus take about eight to nine minutes to cook in the pasta water before they get tossed with sauce (pictured below is a brown-butter and shallot sauce) and served.

Pasta all’uovo for fettuccine

Serves 4

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 large eggs

1. Mound the flour on a countertop or large cutting board, then create a deep cavity in the center of the mound with your fist.
2. Pour the eggs into the cavity, then pierce the yolks with the tines of a fork, and begin gently beating the eggs while slowly incorporating more flour into the beaten eggs.
3. After a few minutes, you’ll end up with a shaggy mass of dough that you can begin kneading with your hands. After 15-25 minutes (or one episode of The Mindy Project), the dough will be smooth, supple, and feel like a dry earlobe. Then it’s time for the dough to rest; it takes at least 30 minutes for the gluten molecules to relax and allow for the dough to hydrate fully, so wrap the dough in plastic wrap, stick it in the fridge, and wait for a bit before you start rolling the pasta into the sfoglia, or pasta sheets.
4. Cutting the dough into the fettuccine is the easy part. Either roll the pasta sheets like you would a yoga mat and cut crosswise into strips, or cut it on a fettuccine-sized attachment on a pasta machine. Liberally dust the cut pasta with all-purpose flour, then pile the noodles loosely on a dishcloth dusted with flour while you cut the rest of the pasta.
5. Thin, fresh pasta like this cooks almost instantly, so it needs just one to two minutes in boiling, salted water before it’s perfectly al dente. Toss it in a simple light sauce like pesto, butter, or a light tomato sauce, and serve the hot pasta immediately with a little parmesan.

Pasta di semola di grano duro for malloreddus

Serves 4

1 lb. semolina flour

200 ml (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) filtered water

1. Mound the flour on a countertop or large cutting board, then create a deep cavity in the center of the mound with your fist.
2. Pour the water into the cavity, then use the tines of a fork to slowly beat the water into the semolina flour.
3. After a few minutes, you’ll end up with a shaggy mass of dough that you can begin kneading with your hands. After 15-25 minutes (or one episode of The Mindy Project), the dough will be smooth, supple, and feel like a dry earlobe. Then it’s time for the dough to rest; it takes at least 30 minutes for the gluten molecules to relax and allow for the dough to hydrate fully, so wrap the dough in plastic wrap, stick it in the fridge, and wait for a bit before you start forming the mallorredus.
4. Cut the dough into six pieces, then roll each piece into a long, even rope about ½ inch in diameter. Cut the rope into ½ inch pieces, a little smaller than a piece of gnocchi. Roll each piece off the ridged side of a cheese grater (see pictures in the post for more details), then place the malloreddus on a dishcloth dusted with flour.
5. Cook the malloreddus in boiling salted water for 8-9 minutes, until al dente. Drain and toss with sauce, then serve immediately.

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Zucchini and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Brown Butter Tomato Sauce

Like any average kid on Christmas day, I always spent the morning in agonizing anticipation while my parents slowly sipped their coffee, then raced into the living room to open my presents and see what Santa brought me. The afternoon was then filled with playing with all the new toys. Sounds normal, right? Normal if you ignore the fact that when I was ten years old the gift was not a new bike but rather a pasta maker. I was so excited that I spent the afternoon trying my hand at pasta dough and rolling out long strands of fettuccine and tagliatelle. I loved that gift more than anything; it represented something new to challenge myself with, something I had never done before.

My trusty pasta maker has produced dozens of pounds of fresh pasta, including ravioli, capellacci, fettuccine, paparadelle, and farfalle. Over the past few summers, making fresh pasta has been my most popular class for young cooks. Making fresh pasta is an undertaking, but like anything becomes easier with repetition. Yes, your kitchen will become a sticky, floury, mess and the process does take a few hours, but it is worth it. When a fresh sauce hits al dente pasta and the smell fills the kitchen, it’s hard not to be proud of all the hard work you put into making something so complex from start to finish.

Enveloped in the thin sheets of fresh egg pasta is a zucchini filling that’s full of garlic, mint, and tangy goat cheese. It’s the perfect example of how seasonally versatile ravioli is: asparagus or fava beans in the spring, zucchini in the summer, butternut squash in the fall, and wild mushrooms or potatoes in the winter.

As far as filling the ravioli goes, if you can turn a crank, cut in a straight line, seal envelopes, and boil water, you won’t have any trouble. For more detailed instructions on how to shape the ravioli, check out this Picasa slideshow.

Now let’s talk about the sauce: it’s a puree of roasted Roma tomatoes quickly simmered with brown butter, garlic, and a touch of vinegar. The simplicity of the ingredients lets the ravioli take center stage while highlighting the flavor of summer tomatoes. If making fresh pasta still sounds daunting to you, at least make the sauce and serve it tossed with rigatoni and lots of grated cheese.

If you have the time and are up for a culinary adventure, tie on an apron and give ravioli a try. If not, enjoy the pictures and convince someone else to make it for you. Whichever option you choose, you’re in for a treat.

Zucchini and Goat Cheese Ravioli with Brown Butter Tomato Sauce

Serves 4

Dough:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 eggs

Filling:

1 ½ pounds shredded zucchini

Kosher salt

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 oz. goat cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

¼ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sauce:

2 pounds Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Table salt, for cooking

Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

1. For the dough: Mound the flour onto a flat work surface and form a deep well. Crack the eggs into the well and break the yolks with a fork, gradually whisking and working in the flour until you have a shaggy mass of dough. Knead the dough mass by hand for about 5 minutes until a smooth ball of dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
2. For the filling: Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Let sit for 30 minutes to begin releasing excess water. Transfer the zucchini to a clean dishtowel and wring the towel to remove all of the liquid. Set the zucchini aside. In a large, non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil, then add the garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the zucchini and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes, until the zucchini is tender and has begun to caramelize. Transfer the zucchini to a medium bowl and mix in the goat cheese, mint, salt, and pepper. Check for additional seasonings to taste, and set aside.
3. For the sauce: Preheat the oven to 400F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and kosher salt and spread them onto the baking sheet. Roast for 50-60 minutes until tender and beginning to brown in places. Place the roasted tomatoes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until pureed, about 5-6 pulses. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter, then continue cooking it until the mild solids have begun to brown, about 2-3 minutes more. Add the garlic cloves and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the tomatoes and table salt, stir to combine, and let simmer on low heat for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Stir in the white wine vinegar and set aside.
4. To roll the pasta dough: Cut the pasta dough into 4 sections, and using a pasta roller, roll each section into thin strips, starting on the widest setting and working your way to the highest setting (usually #6). For the thickest settings (1-3), fold the pasta into thirds and roll it before rolling two more times through the same setting. Set the pasta strips on a kitchen towel brushed with flour and let sit for 15 minutes to air-dry.
5. To fill the ravioli: Take a 4 inch wide strip of pasta dough, and cut it in half lengthwise. Dollop scant teaspoons of the filling, 1 inch apart onto one of the strips. Using your finger or a pastry brush, lightly brush the bare sections of pasta dough with water. Place the second strip of pasta dough on top of the one with the filling, and gently press it around the filling mounds to remove air bubbles and seal the ravioli. Using a knife or fluted pastry wheel, trim the edges and then cut out the individual ravioli. Set the ravioli on a towel dusted with flour and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
6. To cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 1 tablespoon table salt. Gently warm the pasta sauce in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add ½ of the ravioli to the boiling water and gently boil for 3-4 minutes, until al dente. Using a slotted spoon or a spider, drain the ravioli straight into the sauce, and toss to combine. Cook the remaining ravioli, toss with the sauce, and serve immediately with grated parmesan.

Refer to this Picasa slideshow for how to shape and fill ravioli.