I experimented for a long time to get my pasta recipe just right. This rich semolina dough has an ideal texture, achieved by having an exact ratio of egg white to egg yolk, that's perfect for making ribbons such as tagliatelle and also stuffed pasta such as ravioli and tortellini. If you're using whole eggs, you will end up with a lot of leftover whites. What I do instead (which I would recommend), is buy the egg yolk separately. For extra colour and richness I add a little bit of tomato puree and a pinch of ground turmeric, but these are optional.
This recipe will be easier if you have a stand mixer, as it's important to knead the dough thoroughly for a good 10 minutes to get a nice elastic texture. You can do it by hand but it will be a bit more work. You'll also need a pasta machine to roll out the sheets. It would be unwise to attempt this by hand with a rolling pin – it will be very hard work due to the firmness of the pasta dough. If you're making long pasta, use a tagliatelle attachment for your pasta machine if you have one, or simply fold the sheets on a floured board and cut with a knife to whichever size takes your fancy.
Fresh Egg Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 600 g durum wheat semolina
- 225 g eggs
- 115 g egg yolks
- 15 g tomato puree (optional)
- ½ tsp ground turmeric (optional)
Method
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Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the yolks and tomato puree. Whisk or blend until smooth and combined.
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Place the semolina into a bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the egg mixture. Mix with a spoon until you have a roughly formed dough.
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If you have a stand mixer, transfer the dough to the mixer bowl and mix with the dough hook, on speed 2, for 10 minutes. If you don't have a mixer, transfer to a (non-floured) work surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes. The dough should be silky and elastic in texture.
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Wrap the dough carefully to ensure it's not exposed to air (you don't want to dry it out), and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours to firm up. The dough will now be ready to roll out.
