Basic Semolina Pasta Recipes

FRESH SEMOLINA AND EGG PASTA

Steps:

• Thoroughly sift together all-purpose flour, semolina flour, and pinch of salt. On a clean surface, make a mountain out of flour mixture then make a deep well in center. Break the eggs into the well and add olive oil. Whisk eggs very gently with a fork, gradually incorporating flour from the sides of the well. When mixture becomes too thick to mix with a fork, begin kneading with your hands.
• Knead dough for 8 to 12 minutes, until it is smooth and supple. Dust dough and work surface with semolina as needed to keep dough from becoming sticky. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and allow it to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Roll out dough with a pasta machine or a rolling pin to desired thickness. Cut into your favorite style of noodle or stuff with your favorite filling to make ravioli. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, then add 4 teaspoons salt. Cook pasta until tender but not mushy, 1 to 8 minutes depending on thickness. Drain immediately and toss with your favorite sauce.

EASY SEMOLINA PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Sift the all purpose flour and semolina flour together. *This is very important*.
• Using a Stand Mixer with the Dough Hook: Put all ingredients into the mixing bowl and turn the mixer on medium speed.
• Allow the dough to mix until it forms a ball.
• Take the dough out and lay on a lightly floured surface. The dough should be pliable, but not too sticky. If it sticks to your hands, mix in a little bit more semolina flour.
• Push the pasta dough through the pasta attachment on your stand mixer.
• Dust pasta with semolina flour as it comes out of the attachement.
• Toss fresh pasta in semolina flour and place on a tray. *Be liberal when dusting and tossing the fresh pasta in semolina flour so that it does not stick together.*.
• By Hand: On a clean work surface, make a mound of the flours and salt with a well in the middle.
• Add the eggs to the well, and start stirring with a fork, slowly incorporating all the flour until the dough comes together.
• Knead the dough until it is soft and pliable. This will take several minutes.
• Run the pasta dough through the widest setting on your pasta machine, fold into thirds, and roll again. Continue this process until the dough is shiny and elastic.
• Work the dough through the settings of the machine until the desired thickness is reached.
• Use the attachments to cut the dough into whatever shape you like.
• Toss fresh pasta in semolina flour and place on a tray. *Be liberal when dusting and tossing the fresh pasta in semolina flour so that it does not stick together.*.
• Cook fresh pasta in salted boiling water. Length of time depends on the shape you make. Fresh pasta will cook much faster than store bought pasta.

BASIC SEMOLINA PASTA

Steps:

• Put the flour on a well-cleaned kitchen counter and form it into the shape of a nest.
• In the well in the center of the flour, add the lightly beaten eggs and the salt.
• Start blending the mixture together with a fork, slowly adding the flour from the outer edges of the nest into the center until all of it is well incorporated.
• After the flour-egg mixture is completely incorporated, cover the counter and your hands with a sprinkling of flour. Knead the dough for approximately 15 minutes until it is about the consistency of modeling clay.
• Form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap and chill for around 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• After chilling, plop the dough onto a clean surface dusted with semolina flour (again, to prevent sticking) and divide it into two even pieces.
• Sprinkle more flour on your counter and on a rolling pin. Flatten the dough ball with the rolling pin (or with a pasta maker if you have one available).
• Roll the dough with the pin unit it becomes translucent. Add dust to the countertop, your hands, and the pin as required. This is a quite lengthy process requiring up to 20 minutes.
• Set aside, and do the same with the other half. Then let the dough rest for another 10 minutes.
• Slice the pasta into thin strips or into shapes suitable for ravioli or other types of noodles.
• Dust the finished noodles with flour and hang them unit they are semi-dry. Once they are partially dry, you can freeze them or store them for up to four days in the refrigerator.

SEMOLINA PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Combine the flour, semolina and salt on a clean counter or in a mixing bowl. Incorporate the egg yolks, olive oil and 4 ounces water and continue to mix until a smooth ball of dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest on a counter for 20 to 30 minutes if rolling immediately. Alternatively, refrigerate overnight until ready to use; bring to room temperature before rolling.
• Roll, shape and cook as desired.

SEMOLINA PASTA

Steps:

• Follow the instructions for Egg Pasta, removing the dough to a semolina-dusted board after adding the water. This dough is a bit harder to work with and will require a good 3 to 4 minutes of vigorous kneading to develop the gluten. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest as with the Egg Pasta.
• To roll either type of pasta, first cut each dough in half and keep the other half wrapped in plastic while you work with the first half. Dust the dough liberally with flour before and between rolling. Begin on the highest setting for your roller, working your way down to #1 thickness for pappardelle.
• As you roll on the final setting, dust and fold the dough over in foot-long segments. With a sharp knife, cut horizontally at 1-inch intervals. Put on a baking sheet and toss with semolina. You can leave the cut pasta on a baking sheet or on a wire rack for a few hours before cooking. Pasta that has been allowed to sit tends to stick together while cooking, so give the pasta a vigorous stir when you first put it in boiling water.

BASIC FRESH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mound the flour in the center of a large, wide mixing bowl. Dig a well in the center of the mound and add eggs and yolks. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well. The dough will start to come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.
• Use your fingers to continue to mix the dough. Press any loose bits of flour into the mass of dough. If needed, add another egg yolk or a tablespoon of water to absorb all of the flour. Once the dough comes together into a cohesive mass, remove it from the bowl.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 4 to 5 more minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and uniform in color. Wrap the dough in plastic and set aside for at least 30 minutes (and up to 4 hours) at room temperature.
• Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust with semolina flour. Set aside.
• Cut off a quarter of the dough. Rewrap rest, and set aside. Use the heel of your hand to flatten the dough into an oval approximately the same width as your pasta machine, about six inches. Set the rollers to their widest setting and pass the dough through.
• Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board or countertop and neatly press together into halves, so it's again about the same width of the pasta machine. Feed the pasta through again at the widest setting. Think of these first rollings as an extended kneading. Continue to fold the dough in thirds and roll it until it is smooth, silky and even-textured. Do your best to make the sheet the full width of the machine.
• Once the dough is silky and smooth, you can begin to roll it out more thinly. Roll it once through each of the next two or three settings, adding flour as needed, until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick.
• Once the pasta is about 1/4-inch thick, begin rolling it twice through each setting. As you roll, lightly sprinkle all-purpose or 00 flour on both sides of the pasta to prevent it from sticking to itself.
• Roll out pasta until you can just see the outline of your hand when you hold it under a sheet, about 1/16-inch thick for noodles, or 1/32-inch thick for a filled pasta. (On most machines, you won't make it to the thinnest setting.)
• Cut pasta into sheets, about 12 to 14 inches long. Dust the sheets lightly with semolina flour and stack on one of the prepared baking sheets and cover with a clean, lightly dampened kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough.

BASIC PASTA WITH SEMOLINA (EGGLESS PASTA)

Steps:

• Place both types of flour in a large mixing bowl and stir to mix well.
• Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add water a little at a time, stirring with your hands until a dough is formed.
• You may need more or less water, depending on the humidity in your kitchen.
• Place the dough on a floured work surface and knead it like bread for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
• Cover and let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before using.