Homemade Angel Hair

Over a year ago, I purchased the pasta roller attachment for our KitchenAid mixer.  When we bought it, we made pasta a few times, but each time the pasta did not turn out all that great.  Each time we had issues with all the pasta sticking together and not being the right consistency for light, fluffy pasta.  The roller has been sitting on a shelf ever since.  Until last night…

Over thanksgiving, I purchased Michael Ruhlman’s Ratio Book, which, little did I know, would end up like being the perfect guide to developing simple recipe structures for lots of food I already make, or should make.  Included in this book is a Pasta Dough ratio (3 parts flour, 2 parts egg), which I used to makes lasts night’s fluffy angel hair.  I also purchased a cooking scale in order to be more precise using the ratio’s for baking bread and other recipes.  Normally I only fluff Anthony Bourdain books on this blog, but I guess since Ruhlman and Bourdain are friends, it only makes sense that I’d fluff Ruhlman’s ratio book too (yea, go buy it).

In order to make your own pasta you need a roller or an attachment to a kitchenaid mixer.  I suppose you can do it by hand, but that sounds intense.  You could do without a cutting attachment and make tagliatelle or another thick pasta, easy to cut by hand.  Here is the simple pasta recipe.  Once you do this successfully once, you’ll realize how easy it is.  I’m not master yet, but I can see myself doing this all the time.  Next challenge, ravioli.

Ingredients:

6 ounces egg or 3 large eggs
9 ounces flour or about 1.5 cups
(I don’t have my scale yet, so this was done using volume)

In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour and then make a large hole in the center. Crack the eggs into the center and begin mixing the eggs slowly together with the flour with your finger. You could also pulse the eggs and flour together in your food processor just until combined.

Once combined, flour a work surface and knead the dough for about five to ten minutes. After that time has passed, shape the dough into a disk and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the refridgerator for about 15 minutes (as long as 24 hours) and then cut into four equal parts.

Season each section with flour, as well as your roller. Roll each piece to your desired thinness.* If you have a pasta cutter, use that to make your desired pasta once the sheets have dried for about 5 minutes. Cut the first sheet you rolled, as it has sat the longest. Cook in salted water for no more than 2 minutes, until al dente. Enjoy with any sauce you choose!**

*If you are using the KitchenAid attachment, I began on the lowest speed on 1. I rolled at that setting twice, increasing the speed to low. I then slowly worked my way up to the level 5 thinness, using each previous level two times. Basically run the pasta through 1-5 two times each. Make sure you flour the sheet when you set it down to dry.

**I made a simple sauce of butter, white wine, shallots garlic and tossed in some steamed green beans.