I bought a pasta maker - now what???
 

I also got two different ravioli makers and have never attempted homemade pasta before - is there a thread or folder already started? I know there'll be a recipe or two in the manual but am hoping for any suggestions or websites or btdt tips. :tu

Grateful thanks in advance! :gcm

Re: I bought a pasta maker - now what???
 

Pasta is so much fun! Congratulations!

Basic pasta recipe (as per Marcella Hazan):

3-4 servings: 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups AP flour

5-6 servings: 3 eggs, 2 1/4 cups flour

7-8 servings: 4 eggs, 3 cups flour

When making stuffed pasta, add 1 tsp milk per egg. Also, it goes further, so you get more servings per egg.

I've tried many recipes over the years, and Marcella's proportions hold up. Some chefs add olive oil or water, but that's entirely regional. Ditto with semolina flour, which is tasty, but can be hard to find. (I wish I could say I used a family recipe, but all my cousins make pasta a little differently, even the ones who learned directly from our Italian grandmother - she used only duck eggs, and cooked for a gazillion people so her proportions were completely different!)

Rest the dough (at least 15 min, I usually do 1 hour) before you roll it out.

The first few times you make it, start with a smaller piece of dough than you think because it gets very long! It takes a little practice to handle long sheets of dough.

Roll it through the first couple of settings on rollers 2-3 times at least. You're kneading the dough at this point.

It's fun to make flavored pastas and much easier to do them with a machine. I started with spinach, but you can add different veggies and even squid ink.

Ravioli stuffed with sweet potato or pumpkin in a sage-butter sauce is delicious.

Cook's Illustrated has a good recipe for gluten free pasta dough if you need one.

Re: I bought a pasta maker - now what???
 

That's fantastic! :ty I love that you included proportional options! :tu

I'm really excited to try it. Since this summer looks like we'll be spending more time at home, we decided to invest in a few things that will help us enjoy that time. :heart

We definitely have food allergies but gluten isn't an issue.