Order Up with Chef Eric: Pasta
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Chef Eric Durst demonstrates how to make homemade spaghetti.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Pictured from left are a tortellini, spaghetti, linguini and ravioli dish prepared by Chef Eric Durst.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Durst adds flour to make it easier to handle the fresh pasta.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Pictured is tortellini prepared by Chef Eric Durst.
Roberto M. Esquivel|Herald-Standard
Chef Eric Durst runs pasta dough through a press as he prepares to make spaghetti.
The difference between boxed pasta and homemade pasta is like the difference between a sun lamp and a sun-drenched beach. One might get the job done when you’re craving carbs or Vitamin D, but the other will make you happy to be alive.
Winter’s icy grip is the perfect time to gather some helpers and get to work on some own homemade pasta. If it doesn’t change your life, it will at least improve your day when you twirl the finished product around your fork.
Surprisingly, complex tools and skills are not necessary to cut and shape your own pasta.
You can simply use a large, sharp knife, though it will take a steady hand and an appreciation for lopsided spaghetti or fettuccini, because the pasta likely won’t turn out perfectly uniform on your first attempt.
Another option is to press a pizza roller, pastry cutter or long pizza cutter into the rolled-out dough. All three options are inexpensive, efficient and more controlled than a knife. These are found at most kitchen sections and stores or online.
All that said, even though it’s not necessary, don’t overlook the convenience of a pasta rolling machine when undertaking this project, says Chef Eric Durst of the Firehouse Restaurant in Dunbar Township — who demonstrated how to craft homemade noodles for the latest episode of the “Order Up!” web series.
“Definitely the machine simplifies it. Especially if you’re going to do it on a regular basis,” said Chef Eric. “A lot of your standard (pasta rollers) cost anywhere between $100 to $200, but they’re very durable and will last forever.”
It may be worth the splurge for the gadget, which operates with a turn crank, like an old-school pencil sharpener. As the dough passes through, it becomes long sheets of smooth dough and then a nest of nearly identical pasta noodles. The pasta roller cuts prep time in half — at least — and can help you create a variety of pasta shapes and sizes from ravioli to fettuccini to manicotti.
Check out the Order Up! video to see Chef Eric and the pasta roller in action (he explains how to use other tools to cut the pasta, as well). Find it on heralds tandard.com, under the “Food & Dining” tab.
To form the dough that will become your pasta, you don’t need a fancy stand mixer, either, as long as you don’t mind getting your hands dirty. In fact, mixing dough by hand is the preferred way to do it, according to Chef Eric — especially if you’re making just a small batch of pasta for a few friends or family members.
“A long time ago, before mixers, people mixed their dough by hand. I’ve found that mixing it by hand makes (the dough) not as tough. For small batches, it comes out a lot more pliable,” said Chef Eric.
And working the dough isn’t particularly time-consuming, either.
“The less you work it, the softer it is,” said Chef Eric.
According to Chef Eric, the last step — letting the dough rest before cutting it — is important because it helps make the dough more pliable and easy to work with.
“I spend more time letting (the dough) rest than I do actually making the pasta,” said Chef Eric.
After resting, the dough is ready to be cut or sent through the pasta machine.
“Sometimes if your dough is a little too wet, the rollers will tend to stick to it, and it’ll come out tacky. Just hit it with some flour, dry it out a little bit,” suggested Chef Eric.
Fresh pasta only needs to cook in salted, boiling water for a few minutes before it is plated.
“The really nice thing about fresh pasta is cooking time. Boom, in the water, two to three minutes it’s done, right from the cutter. And if you have guests coming over later, you can pop (the pasta) in the freezer for a few hours,” said Chef Eric.
Pasta dough
Makes three pounds
Serves 5-6
½ lb. Semolina
1 ½ lb. Durum flour
10-12 whole eggs
Mix well by hand or in mixer.
The dough is ready when it is smooth to the touch, rather than tacky. Let rest 20-25 minutes.
After the resting period, roll the dough using either a standard rolling pin or the pasta rolling machine.
Once the dough is as thick or thin as you’d like, either work it through the pasta rolling machine or introduce it to your knife, pizza roller or pastry cutter.
Add pasta to salted, boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Drain and serve.
Ricotta filling
1 lb. Ricotta
1 whole egg
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix with whisk
Cavatelli
Use equal parts ricotta filling to equal parts all-purpose flour. Mix by hand until even incorporated.
Lest rest 20 minutes. Roll into long ¼-inch tubes cut into ½-inch pillows and roll.
Boil 5-6 minutes.
Ricotta filling can pack everything from homemade ravioli to manicotti to lasagna, and for cavatelli, a gnocchi-like pasta dumpling made with ricotta cheese instead of potatoes.