ChezCindy: Easy Handmade Pasta Dough

 

Making handmade pasta dough can seem like a daunting, unattainable task.  But once you learn the basics, it is a satisfying cooking project and really delicious!  Think of it like playing with Play-Doh as a kid.  Except this time, you get to eat the dough.  

It does take special equipment being a pasta roller and cutter, either a manual option or an attachment to your KitchenAid mixer.  Both are great options with each yielding great success.  

Handmade Pasta Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour or Tipo 00 flour, divided  
2 large eggs
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons water

Measure 1 1/2 cups of flour placing the flour into a wide mixing bowl with shallow sides, leaving the remaining flour for later use.  Make a well in the center of the flour.  

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, crack the eggs into the vessel, adding 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water, mixing lightly to combine.  Pour this mixture into the well with the flour.  Using a fork working from the center of the bowl, begin pulling the flour into the liquid until the flour starts to clump together into a shaggy mass.   Using your hands, form the flour mixture into a ball, pushing and turning the dough cleaning the sides of the bowl.  If the dough seems dry and is not picking up the remaining bits, add 1/2 tablespoon each of oil and water to the dough, continue gathering the contents in the bowl.  Transfer the dough to the counter.  Begin kneading by folding the shaggy dough, pushing and turning, then folding again.  Continue the kneading process for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and soft.  Flatten the ball of dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.   

Prepare your pasta rolling equipment, adjusting the rollers to the widest setting.  Unwrap the pasta, dividing it into 4 equal portions.  Begin with 1 portion, rewrapping the remaining in plastic wrap.  Lightly flour the surface with flour.  Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten the first piece thin enough to fit through the rollers on the widest setting.  Feed this through the rollers, 2-3 times.  Then fold the dough into thirds like a letter, flattening again to fit through the rollers.  Repeat this folding and rolling process 2 more times, adding additional flour to the counter as needed to prevent the pasta from sticking as it passes through the rollers.   

Move to the next setting on the rollers, feeding the dough through each setting until you have a long sheet of thin pasta dough.  Place each sheet of pasta onto parchment paper, sprinkling with a small amount of semolina flour to prevent sticking.  Continue with each portion of remaining dough.  

Add the cutting attachment to the pasta equipment or hand cut each pasta sheet into strips of fettucine or pappardelle.  Lightly sprinkle the cut pasta with semolina.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes.  Serve with your favorite sauce.

ChezCindy: Weeknight Chicken Bolognese

 

Bolognese is a hearty Italian meat sauce most often made with finely ground beef, veal, and/or pork, along with chopped vegetables, simmered for hours in a rich tomato sauce.  The recipe I make most often on a day when I have hours of time to be watching over a simmering pot is that of Marcella Hazan.  Of course, if I am taking hours to make Bolognese sauce, I also make homemade pasta.  Together the two recipes are highly delicious.  But that is a post for another time.  

 

Today's post features a recipe that is a lighter version of the traditional Bolognese, using ground chicken and a shortcut of prepared Italian pasta sauce.  Much easier to make and to enjoy on a weeknight, and also, really delicious.  

Weeknight Chicken Bolognese

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup

1 medium leek, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced, about 1/2 cup

1 large carrot, peeled and finely chopped, about 3/4 cup

2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

1 pound ground chicken

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup whole milk

2 cups prepared Italian pasta sauce

1-pound fresh tagliatelle, fettucine, or pappardelle  

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Additional olive oil for serving

Place a large Dutch oven pan over medium heat, adding in the olive oil.  When the oil is hot, add in the chopped onion, leeks, and carrots, seasoning with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook until the vegetables are softened but have no brown color, about 5 minutes.

Add in the ground chicken, plus 1 teaspoon salt, breaking up the chicken stirring to mix in with the vegetables.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring and breaking up the chicken into small bits combining with the vegetables.  Stir in the tomato paste, cooking for 2 minutes.  Add in the wine, cooking and stirring until the wine is mostly evaporated.  Add in the milk plus 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring to combine.  Stir in the pasta sauce, heating through, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.  Turn off the heat, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.   

While the Bolognese sauce is simmering, prepare the pasta according to package directions.  Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water setting aside.  Add the drained pasta to the Bolognese sauce, plus a few tablespoons of pasta water, tossing to coat the pasta with the meat sauce.  Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, and olive oil.