i was standing in the flour aisle of my neighborhood market, doll's, reading labels like i always do. the shelves are probably about six or seven high with the packages arranged in a buy-this-brand-of-flour-exhibit . . . i imagine the sales rep for each one shoulders for their flour to be at eye level: shelves 5 and 6.
i put some bread flour into my cart, and some whole wheat, cornmeal, and semolina. and then i saw a package of hodgson mill pasta flour which i have never seen before. i read the label's flowery-pitch about the mix of semolina and fancy durum wheat flour acclaiming, "the best pasta flour you have ever used." durum wheat flour does have the highest protein content for a strong, elastic, gluten, dough–good for making long, stretches of pasta. but i usually just blend some semolina (the gritty bits of durum wheat left after the finer flour has passed through a sieve) with all-purpose flour to roll a dough that boils and strains a moist, light, slightly-eggie tasting noodle.
i tried to resist the sales copy with a smug question to myself, "how much better can it be than what i already make?" into my cart went the hodgson mill pasta flour, along with some eggs laid by happy hens, free-roaming right near home. when i got to my kitchen, i immediately mixed the pasta flour with a few eggs and boiled a pot of water. "what's for dinner?" from jim when he came in the door, and i handed him a fork twisted with spaghetti to taste . . . eye-roll, guttural-groans, and even a little snort. "what is so different?"
it's all in the pasta flour: golden color, mild-nutty flavor, and firm-elastic-shape-holding-body.
i tried to resist the sales copy with a smug question to myself, "how much better can it be than what i already make?" into my cart went the hodgson mill pasta flour, along with some eggs laid by happy hens, free-roaming right near home. when i got to my kitchen, i immediately mixed the pasta flour with a few eggs and boiled a pot of water. "what's for dinner?" from jim when he came in the door, and i handed him a fork twisted with spaghetti to taste . . . eye-roll, guttural-groans, and even a little snort. "what is so different?"
it's all in the pasta flour: golden color, mild-nutty flavor, and firm-elastic-shape-holding-body.
i use hodgson mill pasta flour to make happy-husband, taste buds with better pasta than i've ever rolled out before.
• 4 eggs
• several cups of semolina pasta flour (click here to buy)
• sea salt
1. make a large mound the flour on the counter with a well in the center large enough to hold four eggs.
2. break the eggs into the well. beat the eggs with a fork until well blended. you can shore up the flour dam with the opposite hand while you beat the eggs.
3. start to push the flour off the top of the dam into the eggs, beating all the time with your fork. continue to add flour until it starts to form a dough, and then start adding the flour with your hands.
4. push any unused flour to one side and start kneading the dough. add just enough flour to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticking.
5. wrap the dough in plastic and let it sit on the counter at least an hour.
2. break the eggs into the well. beat the eggs with a fork until well blended. you can shore up the flour dam with the opposite hand while you beat the eggs.
3. start to push the flour off the top of the dam into the eggs, beating all the time with your fork. continue to add flour until it starts to form a dough, and then start adding the flour with your hands.
4. push any unused flour to one side and start kneading the dough. add just enough flour to form a stiff dough that is no longer sticking.
5. wrap the dough in plastic and let it sit on the counter at least an hour.
6. cut the dough into fourths. process 1/4 at a time, and wrap the other pieces back up to keep from drying out.
7. dust the 1/4 piece with flour and flatten a little with your hands. then put it through the #1 setting of the pasta machine roller. dust it again with flour and fold in half, run it through the roller a few times to form a long, even sheet.
7. dust the 1/4 piece with flour and flatten a little with your hands. then put it through the #1 setting of the pasta machine roller. dust it again with flour and fold in half, run it through the roller a few times to form a long, even sheet.
8. dust the sheet with flour, set the pasta roller to #2 and run the sheet through the roller. increase the setting to #3, and on up to #4 for the correct thickness to make ravioli. i take it up to about #6 for linguine or spaghetti. cut the sheets to measure about 12" to 14" long.
9. process the remaining 1/4 pieces of dough the same way, and dust the sheets with flour to stack them and keep them from sticking.
9. process the remaining 1/4 pieces of dough the same way, and dust the sheets with flour to stack them and keep them from sticking.
10. cut the pasta sheets by hand into whatever shape you need. or, cut it with the linguine or spaghetti cutter on the pasta machine.
11. once it's cut, make mounds of it on a plate, and dust it with a little flour to keep it from sticking together.
12. put a large pot of water on the flame and once it boils drop in about 1 tsp. of kosher salt. drop in the cut pasta and stir to keep from sticking.
13. once the pot comes back up to a full boil count 10-12 seconds and remove it with a large wire bamboo strainer. give it a few shakes to remove as much of the water as possible, and then lay it out on a large platter.
14. drizzle the pasta with olive oil, and let it cool a little. then, toss it with your fingers to distribute the olive oil and keep it from sticking together. salt it before serving.
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