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The Best Homemade Fresh Pasta Recipe for a Pasta Maker

Italians have a deep history with pasta and they have created a wide variety of pasta recipes. As a beginner, you might have a tough time selecting the right recipe to try out. Worry no more as we will prepare fresh egg pasta, a recipe that you can try out this weekend. The step by step procedure highlighted in this recipe will ensure that you amaze others with your Italian culinary skills and it takes a relatively short time to prepare.

We will be making fresh pasta from scratch and you can serve with your favorite sauce.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of flour – Our target is to get 5-6 servings, feel free to add the flour to increase your servings.
  • 1 teaspoonful of salt
  • 3 eggs
  • Kitchen equipment required
  • 1 mixing bowl
  • Fork or whisk for mixing
  • Baking sheet
  • Pasta maker
  • 1 clean non -perfumed dishtowel
  • 1 cup of warm water
  • 1 Dinner plate
    • A Rolling pin

Instructions on how to make the pasta

Step 1

Add salt to the flour– The flour should be in the mixing bowl. You can start by adding two and a half cups of flour into the mixing bowl.

Step 2

Add the eggs – Crack the eggs and add them into the flour. To make mixing easier, ensure that you break the eggs at the center of the flour.

Step 3

Begin mixing the eggs with the flour — You can use the whisk to mix eggs to the flour. Continue mixing until the mixture looks slurry. Do not rush while mixing the two together as you will waste your flour. Stop mixing after it forms a soft dough. Adding warm water will take care of any leftover flour in the bowl. Ensure that you still have some flour left as it will harden the flour.

Step 4

Kneading the dough — Begin kneading the pasta with your bare hands as using the whisk is ineffective. Apply some cooking oil or margarine on your hands will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands while kneading. Flatten and fold the dough till it hardens and forms a ball. Avoid trapping air bubbles as you do this.

If you suspect that you some air bubbles are trapped knead some more. Don’t worry about kneading if its your first time, you will get the hang of it. Sometimes as we add flour and it sticks to the bowl and you can a very small portion of water to get rid of this problem. If you add a lot of water your dough will become slurry again. Adding more flour will increase the number of servings one can make. A slicing knife comes in handy in letting trapped air escape and cut the dough into smaller portions.

Step 5

Let the dough cool — Place the dough in a plastic container and let it cool down. Alternatively, you can wrap it in an aluminum foil. Clean the mixing bowl after you have transferred the dough into the plastic container. Let it rest for 30 minutes and keep the container sealed.During this break, you can prepare the sauce for the freshly made pasta.

Step 6

Dividing the pasta into smaller portions — Take the dough out of the container and sprinkle some flour on it.

Some dough might be still stuck in the container. Scrape the dough from the bottom of the container using a spoon or a spatula. We are avoiding wastage of the dough and sprinkling flour dust does the trick. Place the dough on a surface and cut the dough into four smaller portions. Ensure that the smaller portions are fist -sized which are easy to roll. Apply flour on the rolling surface to prevent the dough from sticking to it.

Step 7

Rolling the dough — Your pasta machine settings should guide you on how wide you roll the dough. If you don’t have a rolling pin, can use a clean glass bottle as a substitute. Flatten the dough using a rolling pin by rolling it up and down twice and then rotate the dough so as to get a flat disk -like shape. Use the rolling pin to get control the thickness of the dough. For ease of cooking your dough shouldn’t be that thick. If your flat dough exceeds the wideness settings of the pasta maker, you can use a knife to cut the edges. Use your hands to feel the texture of the dough and ensure that it is soft.

Step 8

Thinning the pasta — Thick pasta takes a longer time to cook and is a chef’s nightmare. If you are not satisfied with the thickness of the pasta you can use the rolling pin to flatten the dough some more. Flatten it to your optimum thickness and the width of the pasta should be around 12 -inches. Each pasta cutting tool has its desirable settings and the thickness is highlighted in the instructions. Lay the dough on the pasta cutting board and cut it into two halves.

Step 9

Cutting the pasta using a pasta machine — Mount the pasta into your pasta cutting tool. Feed the pasta into the pasta machine as it cuts the dough into noodles, lasagna or spaghetti. Ensure that all pasta are of the same thickness. A basket is placed at the other end to collect the cut pasta. Repeat this procedure with each portion. Some pasta machines come with readily installed rolling pins and we can use our dough portions as they are.

Step 10

Cooking the pasta — Cook the pasta immediately. Add 2-3 cups of water to a large pot and a slight pinch of salt. Allow the water to boil and then proceed to add the pasta into the pot. Let the pasta boil for 4-5 minutes and then sieve the hot water. Others opt to dry or freeze the pasta for later use which is still a great idea.

Serve your pasta with you favorite sauce and salad. This entire process will only take an hour and is easy to follow.

Conclusion

You can add various spices to the dough and get varying flavors. Preparing pasta is easy and within no time you will have gained expertise in making your own pasta dishes. Avoid serving pasta with large chunks of meat in the sauce as they are tough to eat. Various sauce recipes are available and minced meat is your best bet when making sauce for the first time. Remember to enjoy yourself and be creative with the recipe.

How to make fresh pasta at home?

Make fresh pasta is very simple and the result of better flavor than industrial versions. It is an activity that can be enjoyed together with friends or family, around the stove. It is also a very appropriate way to encourage children in the kitchen to allow them to participate in the process. Continue reading

Chicken Alfredo Noodles Recipe

Serves/Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 3 cooked chicken whites, into strips
  • 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 1 small red bell pepper, membranes removed and seeded, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup heavy cream (35% m.s.g.)
  • 1 pack (13 1/4-ounce / 375 g) large egg noodles
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • Extra grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

How to cook Chicken Alfredo Noodles:

  • Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter; soften together mushroom and red bell pepper slices until tender then set aside.
  • Into a small casserole, melt remaining butter into heavy cream; reserve warm.
  • Into a large casserole, boil egg noodles in hot salted boiling water until ‘al dente’; drain.
  • Transfer pasta noodles back into casserole; reheat.
  • Add grated Parmesan cheese; take away from heat and stir until completely melted.
  • Mix in reserved warm butter-cream mixture; stir, over low heat until well coated, for approximately 1 minute.
  • Mix in cooked chicken strips and reserved mushroom mixture.
  • Reheat thouroughly.
  • Serve immediately, sprinkled with extra grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Note(s):

The Chicken Alfredo Noodles recipe is delicious, simple, and really easy to cook.

This recipe for Chicken Alfredo Noodles serves/makes: 4 servings.

Broccoli Pasta Recipe

Serves/Makes: 4 servings

Ingredients:

  • 2 heads broccoli, cooked and strained
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 bunch basil leaves, about 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp parsley, fresh
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 large onion, sliced in wedges
  • 10-12 button mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch
  • 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
  • 4 cups rigatoni, or choice of pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste

How to cook Broccoli Pesto:

  • Put a large pot of water and 1 tsp salt on the stove and bring to a boil.
  • In a food processor, puree broccoli, basil, parsley, garlic and 1/2 cup chicken broth.
  • Should be the consistency of a thick tomato sauce, if not, add some more stock.
  • Place sauce into a pot on medium low heat, stirring frequently.
  • Slice chicken into long strips and salt and pepper them.
  • Heat up 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan.
  • Once heated, put chicken in and cook until light golden at a medium high temperature.
  • Add chicken to sauce.
  • Once sauce is heated, add Parmesan cheese.
  • Once water comes to a boil, add pasta.
  • Heat up 1/2 tbsp olive oil.
  • Add onions and cook for 2 minutes on medium high.
  • Add mushrooms and cook until a golden brown and add to sauce.
  • Adjust sauce as needed with salt and pepper.

This recipe for Broccoli Pesto serves/makes: 4 servings.

Balsamic Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta Recipe

Serves/Makes: 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb pasta
  • Salt
  • 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 cup cooked and diced chicken
  • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp sugar

How to cook Balsamic Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta:

  • Cook pasta according to instructions in boiling salted water.
  • In a large bowl, add remaining ingredients, except almonds, and whisk together.
  • Add cooked pasta to bowl and stir to combine.
  • Top dish with sliced almonds.

Comment(s):

Watch this disappear like crazy.

This recipe for Balsamic Gorgonzola Chicken Pasta serves/makes: 4

The Best Homemade Fresh Pasta Recipe for a Pasta Machine

When you want to make your own pasta using a pasta machine, you will find all kinds of recipes. According to what type of pasta you desire and if you wish to create a healthier pasta than what is found in stores, then you are going to truly enjoy this recipe along with variations afterward to help you make different colored pasta as well as add even more nutritional value to your dish. Continue reading