If you’re looking to elevate your pasta game, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of making your own from scratch. This recipe for fresh pasta with parsley uses only a handful of humble ingredients to create tender and flavourful noodles that beats its dried, store-bought counterpart hand down. Serve this pasta with a simple tomato sauce or get creative with your toppings. The possibilities are endless!
The allure of homemade fresh pasta
There is something so comforting about a steaming bowl full of pasta, and while store-bought pasta is extra convenient, sometimes making them from scratch brings a little something extra to the experience. In this recipe, we will be delving into the age-old art of making pasta from scratch. The base recipe and method here are inspired by Paul Bertolli’s recipe in his book Cooking by Hand. I have added fresh flat-leaf parsley which gives the pasta a vibrant green colour where the leaves are placed and begin to infuse flavour into the pasta right from the beginning.
The Simplicity of Fresh Pasta
Pasta is incredibly easy to make and utilizes only a few ingredients that you likely already have in your kitchen. With just flour, eggs, and salt you can turn humble ingredients into a delicious base for a meal to enjoy with your favourite sauce. The contrast in flavour and texture between fresh pasta and dried, store-bought counterpart is undeniable and does a much better job at soaking up and clinging to sauces. The delicate richness of fresh pasta and the chewy bite it has means that the pasta becomes the star of the show instead of being just a background character.
Embrace the Art of Making Fresh Pasta
Making fresh pasta might seem daunting at first but this method by Paul Bertolli is easy and straightforward. I find it immensely meditative moving through the steps and kneading the dough to finally slowly rolling out the pasta. It’s incredibly satisfying to start the process with just some simple ingredients and be left with deliciously chewy and flavourful pasta sheets. One of the crucial steps in this process is letting the dough rest. Time is important here as it allows the gluten in the dough to relax, resulting in a more pliable or ‘kneadable’ dough. If this step is skipped the dough will be too tough to roll out.
From Dough to Delicate Sheets
Transforming the dough into beautifully thin and delicate pasta sheets will require a pasta maker. Mine is a vintage Italian hand pasta maker that was thrifted. Starting at the highest setting, pass the dough through the machine a few times. Slowly decrease the setting gets the dough thinner and thinner, and stretches out the pasta dough longer. It can get a bit unruly here and you might need a lending hand at this point. Depending on your preference the pasta maker will be able to cut the sheets to your desired width.
Cooking Fresh Pasta to Perfection
Unlike dried pasta, fresh pasta cooks in just 3-4 minutes. Depending on how thin your fresh pasta is you really have to keep your eye on it as soon as it hits the salted (like the ocean) boiling water. If left unattended it can turn mushy and slightly slimy as it absorbs too much water. There is no real hope for bringing it back after it has hit this point. The pasta is done once it is al dente. Firm to the bite but already tender.
Serving Suggestions and Flavor Combinations
Once you have your freshly cooked pasta you can add it straight into your sauce. Always reserve about a cup or so of the pasta water to add to the sauce as it helps it thicken and emulsify. Here I have served it with a rich beef ragù and some bread to mop up the gorgeous sauces. Another alternative is this delicious Spinach and Ricotta pasta sauce, adapted from Paul Bertolli’s book Cooking by Hand.
Fresh Pasta with Parsley
Equipment
- Pasta roller and cutter
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs
- ½ tsp salt
- 15g fresh, flat-leaf parsley leaves carefully removed from the stalks
Instructions
- Pour the flour onto a clean work surface and make a well in the center.
- Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt.
- Using a fork, whisk the eggs and salt together, gradually incorporating the flour from the sides of the well.
- Once the dough starts to come together, use your hands to knead it for about 10 minutes, until it's smooth and elastic.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, divide the dough into 6 equal portions.
- Using a manual pasta maker, roll out each portion of dough into thin sheets. Begin on the thickest setting and roll out the dough into a long. At this stage the dough needs to be ''laminated'' and the parsley incorporated. To do this take the rolled dough on the thickest setting and place a few parsley leaves into the dough, fold each long end of the dough into the middle, and press down to create a ticker dough. Now start rolling this out again using your pasta roller on the thickest setting. Keep rolling out the dough, gradually making the dough thinner by adjusting the setting on your pasta roller.
- Cut the pasta sheets into your desired shape, such as fettuccine or tagliatelle
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for 2-3 minutes, until al dente.
- Serve the pasta hot with your favorite sauce or toppings.
