testkitchen45
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Post by testkitchen45 on Jul 17, 2017 19:37:08 GMT -5
I woud love help from seasoned pasta pros.
Made a great bolognese from scratch the other day, & made fresh pasta to go with it. Used my KA attachment & made bucatelli. Good news: bucatelli were super-easy. Bad news: they look like earthworms. But I was inspired to make spaghetti a few days later, & did a double batch, & followed some random cookbook's advice to use baby-food carrot puree to turn it orange.
Bad idea. Not only was the spaghetti NOT orange at all, but although the first batch was OK, the second batch seesawed between too wet and too dry. I honestly don't know which it ended up to be, b/c I'm inexperienced at this. But it was so sticky at first that it wouldn't extrude, so I kneaded in a bit more flour & then it was so dry that it hardly extruded, and split in half while drying & fell from the pasta racks.
Any hints on making fresh pasta, & how to determine that the dough is just right? Bonus points for experienced hints in turning my pasta various colors (by design, that is--ha!). Thanks!
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charley
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Post by charley on Jul 18, 2017 18:27:40 GMT -5
I love bucatelli! That's all I got, lol.
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Post by karenw on Jul 18, 2017 19:24:13 GMT -5
I make homemade pasta, but to be honest....I don't flavor or color it often as I find the flavors don't add much. Things I have added include fresh or dried herbs, cracked black pepper, tomato paste, or mushroom powder. Pasta dough is a fairly stiff dough. Adding wet ingredients is always trickier than dry flavorings. My basic recipe starts with 2 c. flour, 3 eggs, and salt which makes about 1 # pasta. That's it! From there, you may need to adjust if you add wet ingredients to flavor the dough by adding more flour or water/oil if it is too dry. I use my food processor to make the dough and when you add all of your ingredients, you do not want the dough to come together in a ball or it is probably too wet. You want it to just start to come together; then I knead it by hand into a ball, wrap it, and let it rest in the refrigerator. It should be stiff and not stick to your fingers when you touch it but pliable enough to shape. If you are finding it is too wet as you are trying to roll or cut it, dust it generously with flour. I never use plain flour when I make my dough anymore. I usually use a combination of whole wheat flour and semolina. Plain flour will make a softer dough. The whole wheat and/or semolina makes a slightly coarser dough. I also do not use an extruder machine; I use rollers. The extruder may have more trouble with a wetter dough (I think??). Hope this helps a little!
Karen
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testkitchen45
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Post by testkitchen45 on Jul 18, 2017 20:55:37 GMT -5
Thank you for all this great info! I'll try fresh pasta again soon, & will refer to your hints.
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Post by Catbatty on Jul 19, 2017 2:25:48 GMT -5
I've had fun making pasta...but long ago. I have a friend who had her own retail pasta shop. I asked her about green (spinach) pasta. She said NOT to use fresh spinach as it clogs up the machine. She said to use canned spinach instead. I haven't tried it yet, but the lady knows her pasta so it must work. Here is a lovely video I just ran across...handmade fresh pasta cookingwithnonna.com/italian-cuisine/how-to-make-fresh-pasta-101.htmlCatbatty |
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testkitchen45
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Post by testkitchen45 on Jul 19, 2017 14:13:42 GMT -5
Interesting. KarenW, you like semolina flour, but my KitchenAid pasta-attachment recipe book says to use regular flour. But KA is also presumably adding the right amt of moisture for regular flour. One would hope. Catbatty, the spinach-pasta recipes I've seen all say to use frozen spinach: I would think that'd be the same mushy texture as canned, right? Which would be in line with what your friend said. Thanks for asking her! If you think of it, do you think you might ask her how she colors her pasta if she wants something other than spinach (green)? KarenW, when you use tomato paste, do you get a nice orange color?
when you add all of your ingredients, you do not want the dough to come together in a ball or it is probably too wet. You want it to just start to come together; then I knead it by hand into a ball, wrap it, and let it rest in the refrigerator.
KarenW, that may be the key--the dough came together in a ball on the dough hook, and my kneading just made it prettier. It sounds as if a scrappy, NON-ball appearance is what I want when it's on the dough hook.
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Post by karenw on Jul 19, 2017 18:13:04 GMT -5
testkitchen-yes, I do get a nice orange/red color when I have added tomato paste but I do usually need a bit more flour in that dough. Also I use a kitchen aid attachment too, but not the extruder. I use the rollers. They do fine with the semolina flour. The extruder may have more difficulty with the coarser/grainier semolina flour dough. Not sure?? I also find it easier and more reliable to make the dough in a food processor, but that's just my preference. I have used spinach in the past, but it has been awhile since I did. I think I used frozen, too. My favorite flavor additions are usually fresh herbs, particularly fresh rosemary or sage. Rosemary and cracked black pepper is a good combo. Also sage and garlic (roasted). I have also done fresh basil. Basil dough needs a bit extra flour. Dried herbs usually need no adjustments in my experience. Another good combo. is mushroom powder with garlic (fresh, roasted, or dried). Good luck.
Karen
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