Fresh Pasta In The Food Processor Recipes

HOMEMADE PASTA IN A FOOD PROCESSOR

Steps:

• Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine.
• With the machine running, add eggs one at a time and blend after each addition. Add olive oil and process until dough looks like a coarse meal that comes together when pressed into a ball, about 10 seconds. Do not over-process. If the dough seems excessively sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing just until incorporated.
• Lightly dust work surface and hands with flour. Turn dough out of food processor and knead until elastic and smooth, and no longer sticky, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a disk and cover with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl. Let rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature (or up to 1 day in refrigerator) before rolling. If the dough has been refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for about an hour before rolling and shaping.
• Cut the dough into 6 to 8 pieces. Flatten it into small rectangles to fit through a pasta machine.
• Keeping the dough lightly floured, roll the pieces through a pasta machine set at its widest opening. Keep rolling pasta through machine as progressively narrower settings, forming strips.
• Lay pasta strips on a lightly floured surface and keep covered with towels. One at a time, fold strips into a flat roll and slice crosswise into ribbons. Unfurl ribbons and transfer to a floured baking sheet. Slice lengthwise into long ribbons, about 1 1/2 inches wide, using a sharp knife or pizza cutter.
• Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 2 to 4 minutes, until al dente. Drain and serve immediately.

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.

FRESH PASTA DOUGH (FOOD PROCESSOR)

Steps:

• Combine flour, eggs, olive oil, salt and pepper in the b owl of a food processor. Whirl in short bursts until dough comes together, about 15 seconds.
• If dough appears too dry, add a few drops cold water. If too wet, add flour.
• Turn out onto a wooden board and gently knead together until smooth and elastic. Rub with oil and wrap in plastic. Set aside on counter surface to rest for at least 30 minutes. Dough can be chilled overnight and rolled out just before you wish to cook and serve.
• To roll out, follow manufacturer's directions from pasta machine.
• To cook, toss pasta into 4 quarts of boiling salted water. Stir once or twice and boil uncovered until al dente. Cooking times will vary depending on the size of the pasta but will require less time than dried pasta. Drain and return to pan. Immediately serve or toss with sauce.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Place the cake flour, all-purpose flour, egg yolks and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. With the machine running, gradually add the oil then 1/3 to 1/2 cup water until the mixture forms a dough (the dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers). If necessary, add additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time if the dough is too dry.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and knead until the dough is smooth, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into quarters and press flat. Run each piece of pasta dough several times through a pasta-rolling machine, adjusting the setting each time, until the pasta is about 1/8 to 1/16-inch thick. Cut the pasta into the desired shape and use as needed.

FOOD-PROCESSOR PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• In a food processor blend all ingredients except for additional flour until mixture just begins to form a ball. On a lightly floured surface knead dough, incorporating additional flour as necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dough is best used immediately but may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, wrapped in plastic wrap.
• To roll pasta dough:
• Set smooth rollers of pasta machine on widest setting. Cut dough into 4 pieces and wrap 3 of them separately in plastic wrap. Flatten unwrapped piece of dough into rectangle and feed through rollers. Fold rectangle in half and feed through rollers 8 or 9 more times, folding in half each time and dusting in half as necessary to prevent sticking.
• Turn dial down to next (narrower) setting and feed dough through rollers without folding. Continue to feed dough through, without folding, making space between rollers narrower each time, until narrowest setting is reached. Halve sheet crosswise and arrange on a dry kitchen towel, letting pasta hang over edge of work surface. Roll out remaining dough in same manner. Cut dough while pasta is still soft.

FRESH PASTA

Steps:

• Place the flour in the bowl of a food processor. In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the salt and olive oil to the eggs and stir to combine. Add the egg mixture to the food processor with the flour and pulse to combine the ingredients, scraping down the sides once or twice. Continue, with the machine running, until the liquid is evenly distributed, about 1 minute. The dough should stick together if pinched between your fingers and be cornmeal yellow in color. Some of the dough will be clumping together, but it will not form a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Gather the dough into a ball and knead gently until the dough is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes before rolling and shaping as desired.

FRESH PASTA IN THE FOOD PROCESSOR

Steps:

• 1. Put flour, egg, oil and salt in the food processor and process to a loose, grainy consistency. If it is a little sticky at this point, don't worry. You will just use less water.
• 2. With the processor running, add water 1 teaspoon at a time until the dough forms a single ball beside the central column of the processor. If you overshoot, add a little flour.
• 3. Remove the ball of dough from the food processor, fold it on itself a couple of times and form it into a ball.
• 4. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes to relax the gluten. If you cannot shape it immediately, wrap it very tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring back to room temperature before shaping.
• 5. Shape with your hands, a rolling pin, a pasta roller, or the like into the desired shapes. You will probably need to dust the dough with flour to work with it.
• 6. Toss the raw pasta in flour (optionally, mixed with a bit of cornmeal) to prevent sticking and use immediately or freeze. To protect complex shapes, freeze first on a cookie sheet and then toss in a bag.
• 7. To cook the pasta, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Shake any loose flour off the pasta a place in the boiling water. If you have frozen the pasta, do not defrost it but put in the boiling water while still frozen. Fresh pasta cooks in about 2 minutes, depending on its thickness. Do not overcook. Sauce it as you would any other pasta.
• 8. A NOTE TO NEWBIES: If this is your first time making pasta, consider making plain pasta. Flavored pasta doughs tend to be a bit harder to work with than plain. Any flavoring that contains water (e.g. vegetables) will probably require that you add more flour. Sharp seeds like caraway will want to tear the pasta.
• 9. TO MAKE SPINACH PASTA (updated 3/24/17): Before adding the eggs and oil, process fresh spinach with the flour. Then continue as before, adding water or flour until the dough forms a ball. Since spinach is predominantly water, you will need less water than for plain pasta. To use bagged, pre-washed spinach, cook as indicated on bag then wring out by pressing against the side of a sieve or colander. To use frozen chopped spinach, drain and wring out in a towel as much water as you can.
• 10. TO MAKE OLIVE PASTA: Pit about 20 medium oil-cured, calamata, or other olives and add to the flour and egg in the food processor. Omit salt for all types of olives. Omit olive oil for oil-cured olives. Compensate for the saltiness of this pasta in the final dish, e.g. don't use this pasta with a salty ham. This pasta is good mixed with other pastas for multi-colored pasta dishes.
• 11. TO MAKE OTHER FLAVORED PASTAS: Add flavoring during the process of making the dough and adjust water and flour amounts as necessary. Possibilities include any green leafy herb (parsley, basil, etc.), spices (e.g. pepper), a vegetable paste (tomato, olive, etc.), vegetable juice (instead of water, e.g. beet juice for pink pasta), and so on.
• 12. FLOURS TO USE FOR PASTA: Pasta can be made with almost any flour. Finely ground durum flour is used in Italy and makes delicious pasta. American "semolina flour" is often more coursely grained but can add flavor and texture to a pasta made with it mixed with other flour. Whole wheat pasta can be made with either 100% whole wheat or a mixture of whole wheat and white flour. It will take proportionately more water than white flour pasta. Rye noodles can be made using rye flour but note that, as rye does not make gluten, these noodles will be more fragile and the dough will feel gummy. These are probably best rolled by hand rather than in a pasta roller. (Updated 3/24/17) Using bread flour, with its increased gluten, makes a slightly stronger, more elastic pasta great for ravioli and other applications where strength is needed, such as very fine angel hair pasta.