French Pasta Recipes

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Put the flour in a food processor with ¾ of your egg mixture and a pinch of salt. Blitz to large crumbs - they should come together to form a dough when squeezed (if it feels a little dry gradually add a bit more egg). Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, knead for 1 min or until nice and smooth - don't worry if it's quite firm as it will soften when it rests. Cover with cling film and leave to rest for 30 mins.
• Cut away ¼ of the dough (keep the rest covered with cling film) and feed it through the widest setting on your pasta machine. (If you don't have a machine, use a heavy rolling pin to roll the dough as thinly as possible.) Then fold into three, give the dough a quarter turn and feed through the pasta machine again. Repeat this process once more then continue to pass the dough through the machine, progressively narrowing the rollers, one notch at a time, until you have a smooth sheet of pasta. On the narrowest setting, feed the sheet through twice.
• Cut as required to use for filled pastas like tortellini, or cut into lengths to make spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle, or pappardelle. Then, dust in semolina flour and set aside, or hang until dry (an hour will be enough time.) Store in a sealed container in the fridge and use within a couple of days, or freeze for 1 month.

FRENCH ONION PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta to al dente according to package directions.
• Heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat in a large pan. Add onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with salt and sugar and cook another 15 minutes.
• Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
• Sprinkle flour over onions and stir to mix in. Turn heat up to medium. Cook 30 seconds and then gradually whisk in beef broth.
• Add sherry, onion soup mix, half-and-half, and thyme and simmer until thickened.
• Stir in chicken and cooked pasta.
• Transfer to a lightly greased casserole dish. (If your pan is oven-proof, there's no need to transfer. Just sprinkle the cheese on top.) Sprinkle both cheeses on top.
• Place casserole dish (or pan) in oven and broil until the cheese is melted and golden brown in spots.

HOMEMADE PASTA

Steps:

• Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a nest. Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to the center and use a fork to gently break up the eggs, keeping the flour walls intact as best as you can. Use your hands to gently bring the flour inward to incorporate. Continue working the dough with your hands to bring it together into a shaggy ball.
• Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. At the beginning, the dough should feel pretty dry, but stick with it! It might not feel like it's going to come together, but after 8-10 minutes of kneading, it should become cohesive and smooth. If the dough still seems too dry, sprinkle your fingers with a tiny bit of water to incorporate. If it's too sticky, dust more flour onto your work surface. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Dust 2 large baking sheets with flour and set aside.
• Slice the dough into four pieces. Gently flatten one into an oval disk. Run the dough through the Pasta Roller Attachment three times on level 1 (the widest setting).
• Set the dough piece onto a countertop or work surface. Fold both short ends in to meet in the center, then fold the dough in half to form a rectangle (see photo above).
• Run the dough through the pasta roller three times on level 2, three times on level 3, and one time each on levels 4, 5, and 6.
• Lay half of the pasta sheet onto the floured baking sheet and sprinkle with flour before folding the other half on top. Sprinkle more flour on top of the second half. Every side should be floured so that your final pasta noodles won't stick together.
• Repeat with remaining dough.
• Run the pasta sheets through the Pasta Cutter Attachment (pictured is the fettuccine cutter). Repeat with remaining dough. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.

FRENCH ONION CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the penne pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the butter to a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Once the butter has melted, add the onions, bell peppers and mushrooms, saute 5-6 minutes.
• Add the sour cream, beef broth and french onion dip mix to the sautéed veggies, stir everything together and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the shredded chicken and cooked penne pasta to the creamy veggie sauce, stir to combine and serve immediately.
• Top with shredded gruyere cheese.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Beat together the eggs, yolk and olive oil with a fork in a large spouted measuring cup.
• Combine the flour and a large pinch of kosher salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. With the food processor motor running, gradually pour the egg mixture through the feed tube and let it run until the dough forms a ball around the blade. (If the dough is too sticky to form a ball, add a tablespoon or so of flour and process again. If it is too crumbly to form a ball, add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process again.) Once the dough forms a ball, process until smooth and springy, 20 to 30 seconds.
• Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead several times, until the dough comes together in a smooth ball.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. (The dough can be made 1 day ahead, wrapped and refrigerated. Let it come to room temperature before rolling.)
• Anchor a pasta machine to your countertop or secure the pasta attachment to a stand mixer. Set the machine to the widest setting. Unwrap the dough and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Wrap 3 of the pieces while you work with the fourth.
• Flatten the dough into a rectangle and lightly dust with flour. Roll it through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter and feed it through the pasta machine. Repeat the folding and feeding of the dough through the machine 2 more times. (Rolling and folding in this manner will help strengthen and smooth the dough.)
• Set the pasta machine to the next setting (one setting thinner than the widest). Flour the dough as necessary and feed it through the machine. Repeat, feeding it through one more time.
• Adjust the machine to the next thinnest setting and feed the dough through 2 times as above. Continue changing the setting and feeding the dough through 2 times for each setting until you have fed the dough through the second-to-last setting. The dough should be thin enough so that you can see your hand through it.
• If you are cutting your pasta into noodles: Stop rolling the dough through after you have gone through the second-to-last setting.
• If you are making filled pasta, like ravioli: Change the machine to the final setting and feed the dough through.
• Cut the dough in half crosswise and cover it with plastic wrap. Repeat the folding, rolling and cutting process with the 3 remaining pieces of dough. Cover each piece of dough as you finish. You should have 8 pieces of dough total.
• If you are cutting your pasta into noodles: Affix the cutting attachment to the pasta machine. Choose the desired setting and feed the dough through. Lightly toss the noodles with a little flour on a baking sheet to prevent sticking and cover with a dry kitchen towel while you process the rest of the dough. Cook the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 3 to 4 minutes.
• If you are making filled pasta: Proceed according to your recipe's instructions.

FRENCH ONION PASTA

Steps:

• Heat oil and butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and shallots and cook and stir until onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in brown sugar well. Continue to cook over medium heat until well caramelized, 45 to 60 minutes. Stir occasionally, being sure to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• While onions cook, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook rotini at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain. Set aside and keep warm.
• Bone chicken and cut meat into chunks.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Add flour, thyme, and garlic to the caramelized onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add Marsala wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Add beef broth. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking continually until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add Greek yogurt and mix well.
• Stir pasta, chicken, and mozzarella cheese into the sauce. Mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into an oven-safe dish. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Garnish with fresh thyme for fancier presentation at serving.