Pasta Recipe

Measure and mound flours

On a clean work surface, combine the all-purpose flour and semolina flour into a mound. Create a deep well in the center large enough to hold the eggs and oil without spilling.

Add eggs and seasoning

Crack the 6 whole eggs and 2 additional yolks into the flour well. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 teaspoons fine sea salt into the well.

Incorporate into dough

Using a fork, gently whisk the eggs and gradually draw in a little flour from the inner wall of the well. Continue slowly until the mixture is too thick to mix with a fork, then use your hands to bring the dough together into a shaggy mass. If dough feels very dry and crumbly, add up to 2 tablespoons water, one teaspoon at a time; if very sticky, dust with a little more flour.

Knead the dough

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should be cohesive, pliable, and not sticky. Form into a ball.

Rest the dough

Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place in a covered container and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.

Divide and flatten

Unwrap and place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal portions. Flatten one portion with your palm to form a rough rectangle suitable for feeding through a pasta machine or rolling pin; keep remaining portions wrapped to prevent drying.

Roll the dough (machine)

If using a pasta machine, set it to the widest setting and feed the flattened piece through twice, folding once and passing again to develop gluten and even thickness. Gradually decrease settings, one notch at a time, passing the sheet once per setting until you reach the desired thickness: for spaghetti or fettuccine set ~3–4, for pappardelle ~2–3, for very thin sheets (lasagne) ~5–6 depending on your machine. Lightly flour between passes if sticky.

Roll the dough (by hand)

If rolling by hand, use a rolling pin to roll the dough as thin as possible (2–3 mm for ribbon pastas, 1–1.5 mm for thin spaghetti). Rotate and flip the sheet frequently, dusting with flour to avoid sticking.

Cut to shape — spaghetti

For spaghetti, dust the thin sheet with flour, loosely fold or roll the sheet to the width of your cutter, and slice into thin strands (about 2 mm). Unfurl the strands and hang on a drying rack or lay in loose nests on a floured tray. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cut to shape — macaroni (small elbows)

For elbow-style macaroni, roll sheets slightly thicker (3–4 mm). Using a sharp knife or pasta cutter, cut into strips about 1 cm wide. Wrap each strip around the handle of a wooden spoon or a thin dowel, press seam to seal and slide off to create a curved tube; trim to 2–3 cm lengths. Alternatively, extrude if you have a pasta extruder with an elbow die.

Cut to shape — pappardelle

For pappardelle, roll to about 2–3 mm thickness. Dust lightly with flour, fold loosely into thirds and slice to 2–3 cm wide ribbons. Unfold ribbons and form loose nests on a floured tray or drying rack.

Dry slightly or cook fresh

You can cook fresh immediately or let shapes dry for 15–30 minutes to develop a slight skin (this helps with boiling). For longer storage, dry completely for 24–48 hours on racks, then store in an airtight container.

Boil water

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil (about 4–6 liters for 1 lb pasta). Add 2 tablespoons coarse salt to the boiling water.

Cook pasta

Add the fresh pasta. Fresh ribbon pastas like pappardelle or fettuccine will cook in 2–4 minutes depending on thickness; thin spaghetti 1–3 minutes; shaped pastas like macaroni 3–5 minutes. Stir gently to prevent sticking and taste for doneness — it should be al dente with a slight bite.

Reserve pasta water

Before draining, scoop out 1 cup (240 ml) of the starchy cooking water and set aside to adjust sauce if needed.

Drain and finish

Drain pasta in a colander or transfer directly to the sauté pan with your sauce. If not using sauce immediately, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil to prevent sticking. If finishing in a pan, toss over low heat with sauce and a splash of reserved pasta water until sauce clings to pasta, 30–60 seconds.

Serve

Plate the pasta, finish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired, and serve immediately.