Homemade Pasta: A Labor of Love

For awhile now, I have been harboring a desire to make homemade pasta. Not just any homemade pasta, but ravioli. At first, I was intimidated by finding the ingredients I would need: 0% flour, semolina flour...but a recent inquiry at a local Italian restaurant set my mind at ease. Their chef uses all-purpose flour! 

I then set out to begin my endeavor. Internet research led me to a super simple pasta recipe thanks to The Pioneer Woman and a video of some guy's granny. My impression was that the dough would take tons of kneading and rolling, so I recruited. With family in town for the holidays, it wasn't difficult to find helpers--my mom and brother were more than willing. 

I headed to Mom's (and her bigger kitchen) with my mind a buzz with ideas for kneading, rolling, sealing, and cutting. Turns out, all my strategizing was for naught. Not only did my mother have a pasta maker, but a ravioli maker as well! Things were looking pretty good and actually it turned out be rather simple--but time* consuming. 

Here's how it went down.

"Rule of Thumb"

(according to The Pioneer Woman)

2 eggs per cup of flour

1 egg per person

So, 2 eggs and 1 cup of flour serves 2 people.

We were making ravioli for 6, so I wanted to make sure I had plenty.

I used 7 eggs and 3 1/2 cups of flour.

This was done in 2 initial batches of 4 eggs/2 cups and 3 eggs/1 1/2 cups.

Start by making a well in your flour and cracking the eggs into the well.

Using your hands, loosly mix the eggs and flour together.

I did this in a bowl and then turned the dough out onto the floured counter:

(The video of granny shows her doing everything on the countertop.)

 

Then begin kneading the dough until it is very smooth and elastic.

It took about 10-15 minutes of kneading:

Kneading:

Kneading some more:

Done!

Cover with a dish towl:

And a bowl:

(this keeps it from drying out)

Allow dough to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Divide dough into manageable size for rolling:

Run each dough ball through the pasta maker, or roll out using a rolling pin. 

I started on setting 1 and moved up to setting 5.

The dough was folded and patted with flour between each run:

Each setting needs to make the dough smooth and even. 

This took several runs at each number. 

My brother taking a turn:

Cut the dough to fit the ravioli maker. 

This process took quite a while, 

so the dough strips were covered with a damp tea towel to prevent drying:

Next, the filling.

 My husband's uncle had caught and smoked his own Sturgeon and 

we were lucky enough to have him share a fillet with us. 

Ricotta and and egg would provide the rest of the filling:

Here it is combined:

The ravioli maker and filling, all ready to go:

Cranking out ravioli:

Separated and ready to be cooked:

We boiled the ravioli's for about 5 minutes and dressed them with olive oil, mixed dried herbs (from the summer's garden), and seasoned with salt and pepper to taste:

Some salad and steamed veggies to go with and dinner is served!

My initial plan (before I knew I'd have a pasta maker) was to show everyone the video of granny and follow her lead. Since then, I stumbled on Annie's Eats Homemade Pasta Tutorial and may follow her advice the next time around (who knows if I'll have mom's kitchen to raid).

The advantage of cooking with helpers: there's someone to take pictures of the action! Thanks Jenny Jo!

*A note on time frame: We began the pasta making at about 1:30, let the dough rise for about an hour and a half, and ate dinner around 6:30. This is an all day process, good for a rainy day or quality time together in the kitchen.