Fresh Egg Pasta for Beginners
Volume 1 of The Bearded Homecook YouTube Channel is up and we hope you enjoy it!
Simplest of ingredients to create an elegant dish...
Fettuccine Alfredo for your enjoyment
Let me begin by saying this dish was inspired by a drive to elevate my own homecooking and share as much as I can with others. Be sure to check out the full video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/0A-6r9glfzk
Recipe:
For the pasta:
3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
4 large eggs (at room termperature)
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
(makes 8 small portions)
For the Fettucine Alfredo:
6 TBP unsalted butter
1/2 cup of freshly grated Parmeseano-Reggiano cheese
(You can use strips of the leftover for garnish - see video)
1 cup of pasta water (see noted below)
Fresh chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
It all starts simple
Measure flour and sift/whisk to ensure no clumps exist
Mix eggs in a bowl, then add/whisk oil and salt
Pour the flour onto a smooth hard surface and create a well (approx 6" in the middle) to add the egg mixture
Add egg mixture to the center of flour and slowly incorporate flour with a fork
(This step will take several minutes)
Once about 3/4 of the flour is mixed with the egg mixture, go ahead and start mixing with your hands to form a ball of dough.
(If the dough is a little too wet at the end, add a little flour at a time to get it to for a dough ball)
(If the dough is a little too dry and hard to work with your hands, add lukewarm water 1 TBP at a time until you have a workable ball of dough)
Once dough is incorporated, dust work area with flour and begin kneeding process, working the dough into itself by rolling sides into middle and using the palm of your hand to push in on the middle.
Once dough is incorporated, dust work area with flour and begin kneading process, working the dough into itself by rolling sides into middle and using the palm of your hand to push in on the middle.
Once kneading is done, wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest on the counter for 430 minutes.
On to the dinner prep
While waiting for the dough to rest, use the 30 minutes to start prep.
Put a large sauce pot with 2 qts of water on the stove on high to bring to boil
(Lower to medium high once full boil met)
Begin by shredding the cheese to mix into the pasta once cooked.
(Pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking additives that can create a grainy texture. Avoid these items and shred the cheese yourself. See video for tips)
If you are going to garnish with parsley, chop now so it's ready at the end.
Clean up your work area with any time left and we should be ready for dough any minute.
After 30 minutes, open plastic wrap and cut ball in half. One half will supply 4 portions for the Alfredo. (For larger portions or more people, you can double the sauce mixture and make the entire dough ball into pasta).
Dust your work area and hands with flour to prevent sticking.
Cut the half into 4 equal pieces, placing all but one piece back into the plastic wrap to avoid drying out.
oWork that piece in your hands to create a ball then flatten it out like a hamburger before placing on the work station.
Begin rolling the dough, creating an oblong flattened piece of dough. You will then fold one third back onto the middle third, folding the last third onto the middle as well - as if three layers. That will put you in more of a rectangular shape to keep working the dough.
Once you have rolled the dough to a thinness that you can see your hand through, you are ready to cut.
Make sure the pasta is dusted and fold over itself gently to have a layered piece of dough not longer than 4 or 5 inches. You will make firm knife cuts from one side to the other in 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices depending on your preference. If the edges are uneven, trim them off before starting on the one side. The other edge can be trimmed at the end.
Once the cuts are made, separate the pasta so it doesn't stick, add a little flour as needed, and make a little nest on the counter. Continue with remaining pasta until you have it all rolled and cut for use today.
(Any unused pasta can be wrapped airtight and kept in the freezer for future use).
Now we are ready to make Fettucine Alfredo
Make sure you have a light rolling boil on the water, add a couple of pinches of salt to season the water.
Add the pasta one nest at a time, ensuring you move them around while dropping them so the noodles are not stuck together. You can put 4 portions in the water to cook, be sure to stir as soon as the fourth is in the water.
It will only take 3-4 minutes to cook so add your butter to a large sauté pan and and set to medium heat.
Taste one piece of pasta once you notice they are all floating and the color is light and appears cooked.
Once you have cooked pasta, remove from the water but do not strain. Move directly from the pot to the pan with a slotted spoon. Continue until all of the pasta has been transferred - leave the water where it is.
Lower the heat a little and add half of the shredded cheese.
Stir gently to not damage the pasta, then once incorporated, add the rest of the cheese.
You will add pasta water to keep the sauce creamy 1/4 of a cup at a time. You will use roughly 1 cup.
Taste taste taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed. (We don't season sooner since some cheeses can be salty)
You are ready to plate. Make sure the sauce is creamy enough to make it from the pan to the table and not be too thick. That might involve adding a little more pasta water right before serving.
Use tongs and spoon or a carving fork and a spoon to twirl the pasta up and center it on the serving plates.
Garnish with parsley, top with ribbons of cheese and you are ready to eat.
Enjoy.
Be sure to check out the video here: https://youtu.be/0A-
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