ARTISAN SERIES - 7 secrets to crafting the best fresh italian pasta
Last week we spoke with Ileana from the Dolce Vita Experience, a classically trained Italian chef whose passion is fresh made pasta. You can catch the full experience on our IGTV and Facebook page where we talk about everything from best tips for Italian cooking, to finding our Dolce Vita and diving into our forever question… what makes a true artisan!
But hey, we know, we’re all crazy busy so as an added bonus, we are breaking down Ileana’s authentic secrets to achieve your own artisanal fresh made pasta at home… you know, until you can come to Italy again!
As we say, Buon appetito!
NUMBER 1
USE HIGH QUALITY INGREDIENTS
This can seem like a no brainer but it is the MOST important step as there are only two ingredients in fresh pasta! To make great pasta, make sure to buy 00 flour, not the all purpose stuff you grab when you have the sudden urge to make chocolate chip cookies. 00 flour is much finer and gives you a much lighter pasta dough! In the U.S. look for Caputo type 00.
And as for the eggs, make sure they are free range, fresh eggs from a grazing farm. Grass fed chickens that are pasture raised produce much tastier eggs, not to mention it is more humane!
NUMBER 2
USE A LARGE STONE OR WOOD SURFACE
Making fresh pasta means getting your kitchen a little messy. If you have a granite or stone counter top, it is best to just mix the flour and egg and knead the dough right on your counter! Or you can use a large wooden cutting board or surface. Either way, something natural is the way to go. Don’t ask us why… most Nonne (Italian grandmothers) just wave their hands and say “because it tastes better”!
NUMBER 3
SLOW AND STEADY CREATES THE BEST TASTE (AND CONSISTENCY)
That brings us to number 3, combine the flour and the egg slowly with good old table fork working from the inside out as you scramble the egg. Remember, it’s a courtship, not a race to the alter! When kneading the dough, you probably need between 8-10 minutes or until it starts to get “springy”. Make sure to knead with your palm in a circular motion.
NUMBER 4
TOSS THAT ROLLING PIN AND INVEST IN A WOODEN DOWEL
This one was an aha moment. True artisanal pasta makers don’t use rolling pins. Why? Because they are too short. You want to be able to roll the entire width of the dough out with each push. This creates a consistent thickness throughout your pasta strands, meaning they will cook evenly. Usually a simple long wooden dowel is used (yep, like the end of an old broom). In some places in southern Italy they also use bamboo that has been hollowed out and sanded smooth. Either way, designate a specific pasta making dowel in your kitchen not to be used for anything else, and don’t wash it with soap after you use it! Just wipe it down with some water and a towel and let it dry.
NUMBER 5
WATER IS THE BEST ADHESIVE
This one is for ravioli or pastas with filling. While some recipes you may have seen call for closing the two sides of the ravioli with an egg wash, the best chefs say NO WAY! First of all, it is super wasteful to use an entire egg just for some little old edges but also because yet again, it makes your pasta dough more “eggy”. Ileana recommends using water instead, but not too much! Dip your finger in some lukewarm water and paint around the edges of your filling on one side of the pasta. then flip your dough, press down and cut away!
NUMBER 6
USE DURUM WHEAT FLOUR OR SEMOLINA FLOUR FOR DUSTING
Another super insider tip! Once you have cut the pasta (through a pasta maker or by hand) dust it with semolina flour or durum wheat flour to keep the pasta pieces from sticking together before cooking. Don’t use the same flour with which you made your pasta dough! Why? Well, semolina / durum wheat flours are much heavier than 00 flour so when you cook your pasta, this dusting flour will fall to the the bottom of the pot instead of sticking to your beloved pasta and altering the consistency! You see, we told you the devil was in the details!
Pause for a #protip:
Cook fresh pasta in salted water (kosher or coarse salt of course) for about 6 minutes, definitely not more. You don’t want your hard work to turn into a mushy old mess! And freah pasta is NOT meant to be served “al dente”… so six minutes should cook it all the way through to the perfect consistency! Oh and please don’t add “a splash of oil” to your water. We don’t know who started that rumor but it’s a waste of precious liquid gold…
NUMBER 7
DON’T YOU DARE TOSS THAT PASTA WATER!
This one is HUGE! When it is time to add your pasta sauce to your pasta, you NEED some of that pasta water. Make sure when you drain your pasta, you don’t dump all of that preciously starchy H-2-0! Whether it’s a butter, tomato, pesto, or any other type of sauce, spoon some of that pasta water into the pan to marry the pasta and the sauce together. Add and mix until it is the right consistency for you!
Drooling yet?
Good news… you can sign up for virtual pasta making classes with the Dolce Vita Experience. Every Sunday, Ileana hosts a group class dedicated to a different pasta or you can book a private session! To learn more, head to her website!
We hope this inspires you to add a little la dolce vita into your life. And as for our forever question, “what makes a true artisan?” According to Ileana, it is a commitment to building a life around what you love doing every day, and doing it with the utmost passion. Cheers to that!
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