I was most likely the only American teenager to ask for a pasta machine for Christmas back in 2007. While my friends excitedly loaded their new iPods with the latest music, I was instead eager to buy some semolina flour and put my shiny new pasta maker to work. Since then, I’ve made dozens of batches of homemade ravioli using my great-great-grandmother’s secret recipe. While I can’t divulge her recipe here without risking my place in the family, I can share some of what I’ve learned about making authentic Italian pasta by hand-- starting with the right ingredients.
Flour, in particular, can completely alter the way your pasta turns out. Avoid using white flour and instead look first for semolina. Pure semolina can be challenging to find outside of Italian specialty stores-- a string of confused Stop and Shop stock boys has taught me this lesson. However, combination semolina/fancy durum “pasta flour” is another great option that is available in most supermarkets.
Investing in the proper flour is really all you need to set the stage for fantastic, authentic pasta, especially considering how inexpensive and simple the rest of the ingredients for the dough are. In addition to your semolina or pasta flour, the following are all you really need to make your dough:
· Eggs
· Extra Virgin Olive Oil
· Water
· Salt
As a final tip on pasta flour, I suggest always buying an extra bag. Semolina or pasta flour doesn’t just go into the dough--it is also useful throughout the entire cooking process. Continually coat your cooking surface, your utensils, your pasta maker, and pretty much everything else in sight, in flour. Doing so will help keep the dough from getting sticky and will allow it to be cranked through the machine without getting stuck or breaking.
Now, get cooking! Ciao!
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| My go-to flour when I don't have semolina |
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| Batch of homemade ravioli before being boiled |
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