January 4, 2014

Rustic Emmer Pasta

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10 cups cooked pasta
This recipe is dedicated to my Grandma Betty, who always made homemade pasta for our family’s Thanksgiving dinner. She would cut the pasta by hand, then cook it & toss with butter and parsley. We turkeys gobbled it up. A pasta machine makes rolling the dough much easier, but it can also be rolled out with a rolling pin (just like grandma did).

Ingredients

For the Pasta
  • 3 cups Bluebird Emmer Flour
  • 2 1/2 teaspoons salt (kosher or sea salt)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 tablespoons water
For Grandma Betty's Sauce
  • 1-2 large cloves garlic pressed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin or melted butter
  • 1-2 handfuls fresh herbs chopped (I like parsley)

Methods

To Make Pasta
  • pour the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt into a large bowl and stir together with a fork. Make a well in the center of the flour
  •  add the eggs, oil and water.
  • Use the fork to whisk the eggs and slowly incorporate the surrounding flour. When it gets tough to stir, use your hands to knead the dough together.
  • If all the flour does not absorb into the dough, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for about 5 minutes, until smooth and not sticking to the board. It will be a dense dough. 
  • Cut dough into 4 equal pieces, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  •  Working with one piece of dough at a time, coat with flour, and roll through the pasta machine at the lowest setting (usually 1). Fold the dough into half or thirds, then roll it through again. 
  • Repeat 3 to 4 times on each setting, until you get to setting #5, the dough will get thinner each time.
  •  Cut the sheet of dough into strips as wide as you like, toss with flour to prevent sticking together, and set aside while you roll out the rest of the dough.
  • Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add 2 teaspoons salt, and cook the pasta for 5 minutes. Drain, toss with the sauce ingredients, and serve.

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