Basic Egg Pastes

There are several variations of egg pastes that change according to gastronomic techniques, eating habits, regional customs and the creativity of the Chefs.
Generally speaking, there are precise rules to follow for this preparation that take into account the type of flour you want to use, the cooking time, and the particular use of the dough.
Whatever type of dough we want to prepare, it must always be well amalgamated and homogeneous, have a good elasticity, be resistant to pressure and have the right degree of humidity.

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DOUGH:

HUMIDITY

Humidity is a very important parameter to be kept under control during the whole preparation and processing of the dough. We must always take care to repair the dough from drafts and to wrap it with transparent film during all phases of rest.

Too much humidity in the dough would lead us to have to increase too much the quantity of flour needed for the processing, while too little humidity will ruin the elasticity and compactness of the dough.

ELASTICITY

The elasticity determines the quality of the dough, it is given mainly by the egg white and the movements in the processing. In fact, it is important to knead the dough vigorously during processing and beat it on the surface or on the pastry board several times.

STAGES OF PREPARATION:

WORKING

The preparation of the simple ingredients and their processing is the first critical stage in the preparation of the dough. We must carefully sift the flour or flour mix chosen, to remove any foreign bodies, residues of peel and to shell it.  We sift the flour, in a fountain, on a well cleaned and dry surface or on a wooden pastry board.

We create a hole in the centre and put the eggs and yolks, the evo oil and the specific ingredients of the recipe. We beat briefly with a fork and then knead by hand. Kneading we have to bring the flour towards the center and, making it absorb all the liquids, knead energetically stretching the dough forward and folding it on itself several times until it is compact, elastic and smooth. The process takes about 10-15 minutes.

REST

The rest is a very important stage in the preparation of the dough as it allows the organoleptic exchanges between the ingredients. Moreover, during the working process the dough is stressed and, only during the resting phase, it will lose the tensions caused by the working process, resulting more elastic and soft to the touch. The resting time of the dough should never be less than 1 hour.

PULL THE SHEET OF PASTA

Once the necessary rest time has elapsed, we take the dough and place it on a clean and lightly floured surface or a pastry board. We work small quantities of dough, leaving the rest of the dough covered until the moment of use, with the rolling pin, with a movement from the bottom to the top, folding it on itself and then flattening it and thinning it several times. We rotate the dough clockwise as it becomes thinner to the desired thickness. If the pastry created in the various steps is sticky, we can flour it slightly to prevent it from sticking to the rolling pin. Be careful, however, not to dry the pastry too much.

I advise you to use a pasta rolling machine to make this operation easier and faster and to have a more precise sheet. In the machine I advise you to pass the sheet several times, reducing the thickness between the rollers at each pass. This will allow us to have a sheet with a constant and regular thickness in order to have a uniform cooking. 

COOKING

Cooking times may vary depending on the thickness of the pasta but, generally, for fresh pasta, 2-5 minutes in boiling salted water is sufficient.

To prevent the pasta from sticking during cooking, we can add a tablespoon of oil to the cooking water.

STORAGE

The fresh pasta is kept 48-72 hours in the fridge, covered with a cloth.

If dried (spread out on a tray and covered) and protected from humidity, it can be stored for up to 90 days.

If vacuum-packed, it will keep 8-12 days.

It can be stored raw, in the freezer, for up to 2-3 months.        

INGREDIENTS:

THE FLOUR

The most suitable flours are type 00 or type 0 for fresh pasta, if you want a thin and delicate pastry. While, the flour of regrinded semolina gives the dough a firm cooking and roughness; kamut, spelt and wholemeal flours are more protein and less refined.

EGGS

The eggs are the liquid part of the dough, they must be fresh and of good quality. We pay attention to the size of the eggs purchased at the supermarket, usually the quantities proposed in the recipes refer to average eggs.

Using only the yolk gives color and a stronger flavor and a thinner but drier pastry. Adding egg white is more protein and has a low fat content, making the puff pastry more elastic and with a more delicate taste.

THE SALT

There are two schools of thought on the subject. Generally you don't use it because salt could leave white spots in the dough and you prefer to salt the cooking water and the seasoning. If you want to salt the pastry as well, I suggest you use very fine salt and put a little.

RECIPES:

 Each pasta format has measures of length, width and thickness to be respected here are some examples:

• Pappardelle 2-3cm sp 2-3mm
• Tagliatelle 7mm sp 1-3mm
• Fettuccine 3-5mm sp 1-3mm
• Lasagne 14 x 20cm sp 2mm
• Tagliolini 3mm sp 1-3mm
• Linguine 3-4mm sp 1.6mm   
• Spaghetti on guitar 2 x 2 mm
• Candies 4 x 3cm thick 2-3 mm

Rough dough: ideal for tagliolini, tagliatelle, maltagliati. It goes well with seasonings with a strong taste.

• Durum wheat semolina 500g
• Whole eggs 5
• Oil evo 10g
• Salt 8g

Semi-rough: ideal for both short and long pasta, in particular it goes well with delicate seasonings.

• Durum wheat semolina 125g
• Flour type 00 125g
• Egg yolks 8 
• Oil evo 10g
• Salt 8g

Elastic dough: ideal for creating traditional filled pasta.

• Flour type00 350g
• Durum wheat semolina flour 150g
• Egg yolks 3
• Whole eggs 4
• Salt 5g

Yellow puff pastry: ideal for fillings or seasonings based on cheese or fine meats.

• Flour type 00 200g
• Egg yolks 8
• Salt 5g
• For dry, compact fillings.
• Flour type 00 150g
• Yolks 90g
• Salt 3g

For stabilized fillings.

• Flour type 00 500 g
• Durum wheat semolina flour 135g
• Whole eggs 6
• Oil evo 10g
• Salt 5g

Now we're ready to make our homemade pasta!