Chef John’s Basic Pasta Dough
Yield 2 pounds raw pasta
Ingredients
- Eggs 8 each
- oil, olive 1/2 fl oz
- salt 1/2 tbl
- flour, bread 3/4 lb
- flour, semolina 3/4 lb
Directions
- Place the eggs, oil and salt in a large mixer bowl.
- Use the paddle attachment to combine.
- Add one-third of the flour and stir until the mixture begins to form a soft dough. Remove the paddle attachment and attach the dough hook.
- Gradually add more flour until the dough is dry and cannot absorb any more flour.
- Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap it well with plastic wrap and set it aside at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
- After the dough has rested, roll it into flat sheets by hand or with a pasta machine. Work with only a small portion at a time, keeping the remainder well covered to prevent it from drying out.
- While the sheets of dough are pliable, cut them into the desired width with a chef’s knife or pasta machine. Sheets can also be used for making ravioli, as illustrated next.
- Semolina flour can be substituted for all or part of the bread flour in this recipe, although it makes a stronger dough that is more difficult to work with by hand.
Angel Hair Carbonara
Serves 18
Ingredients
- 2 pound spaghetti or angel hair pasta cooked ala dente
- 4 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 8ounces prosciutto, pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
- 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 large egg
- 2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cup reserved pasta water
- 8 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Directions
- Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, reserving 1 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
- Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.
Pappardelle with Marinara sauce
Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 6 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 celery stalk, finely chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4lb crushed tomatoes
- 3 dried bay leaves
- 1 tbsp Basil
- 1 tsp oregano
Directions:
- In a pot heat the oil over a medium-high flame.
- Add the onions and garlic and saute until the onions are translucent.
- Add the celery, carrots, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, and basil and simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens, about 2 hours. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper, to taste.
Goat Cheese Ravioli with Basil Pesto
Basil Pesto
Yield 2 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup Walnuts toasted
- 2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese
Directions
- Combine the basil, garlic, and nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
- If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
- Toss into hot pasta ands serve
Goat cheese filling for ravioli
Yield about 60 ravioli
INGREDIENTS
- 3 cups firmly packed chopped goat cheese
- 2 cup ricotta cheese strained
- 1 tsp salt to taste, if desired
- 1 tsp pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
- 2 egg yolk
PREPARATION
- Put the goat cheese, ricotta, salt, pepper, cream, chives and egg yolk in a mixing bowl. Blend well.
- When ready to use the filling, scoop out about one and one-half teaspoons of the mixture, and roll into a ball. There should be about 32 balls in all. Fill the rolled-out pasta dough.
Homemade Dutch Oven Bread
Yield two loaves
Ingredients
- 4 cups lukewarm water, between 90˚-110˚F
- 4 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 8 cups all-purpose flour, lightly packed and leveled off, plus more for dusting
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
Preparation
- Stir the yeast into the water and allow the yeast to bloom until foamy.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour and salt by hand. Once incorporated, create a small well in the middle and pour in the water and yeast mixture.
- Mix by hand, wetting your working hand before mixing so the dough doesn’t stick to your fingers. The water and flour should come together and a form rough dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour in small increments, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Once the dough comes together, cover and let rise until doubled in size (about 1 ½-2 hours).
- Uncover the dough and give it a few pokes with your finger. If the dough has risen properly, it should indent under the pressure of your finger and slowly deflate.
- Using your hand or a rubber spatula, start from the rim of the bowl to work the dough loose from the sides and fold it up and towards the center of the bowl. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until all the dough has been pulled from the sides and folded towards the center.
- Once finished, cover and let the dough rise again for another 1 ½-2 hours.
- Once the dough has doubled in size again, gently transfer it from the bowl to a lightly floured surface.
- Sprinkle a bit of flour on top of the dough. Using your hands, begin to shape it into a loaf. Fold the dough under itself several times to form a ball, then pinch together the seams of dough underneath.
- Place the dough seam-side down in a clean bowl that has been lightly coated with olive oil and dusted with flour.
- Cover and let rise for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, place a 6-quart Dutch oven (or heavy cooking pot with oven-safe lid) inside the oven. Preheat the oven to 450˚F (230˚C) with the pot inside for 45 minutes-1 hour.
- Carefully remove the pot from the oven and place it on a trivet or heat-safe surface. (Be careful! It’ll be VERY HOT.)
- Turn the proofed dough over onto a lightly floured surface and carefully place it inside the pot.
- Cover with the lid and return the pot to the oven.
- Bake for 45 minutes, removing the lid for the last 15 minutes.
- Remove bread from pot, cover, and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
