Handmade Pastas Recipe
Family-friendly Italian restaurant, serving wood-fired pizzas, handmade pastas, and signature antipasti since 2011.
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Ingredients
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Fresh Pasta Dough (for 4 servings)
Simple Tomato-Basil Sauce
Finishing & Serving
Method
Fresh Pasta Dough (for 4 servings)
- 1
- 2
Knead
When the dough holds together, use your hands to knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. If the dough feels very dry, add up to 1 tablespoon water; if too sticky, dust with a little flour. The finished dough should be supple and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- 3
Rest
Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a covered bowl and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.
- 4
Roll & Cut (by hand or pasta machine)
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Keep pieces you are not working with covered. Flatten a piece and run it through a pasta machine starting at the widest setting, fold and pass a couple of times, then gradually reduce thickness until you reach desired thinness (for tagliatelle/linguine about setting 4–6 on most home machines). If rolling by hand, use a rolling pin to get sheets about 1–2 mm thick. Dust with semolina or flour as needed to prevent sticking. To make tagliatelle: loosely roll the sheet, then slice into 8–10 mm ribbons and unroll. For pappardelle make wider ribbons; for fettuccine, slightly narrower.
- 5
Dry lightly
Hang the cut pasta on a rack or lay in loose nests on a floured tray while you prepare the sauce. If not cooking immediately, dust with flour, cover with a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate for up to 2 hours or freeze on a tray then transfer to a bag.
Simple Tomato-Basil Sauce
- 6
- 7
Add tomatoes
Carefully add the crushed canned tomatoes and the tablespoon of tomato paste, stirring to combine. Return to a gentle simmer.
- 8
- 9
Finish with butter
Just before tossing with pasta, stir in the 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter to make the sauce glossy and round out the flavor.
Finishing & Serving
- 10
Bring pasta water to a boil
Fill a large pot with water, bring to a rolling boil and add 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt. Fresh pasta cooks quickly, so have the sauce ready when the water boils.
- 11
Cook fresh pasta
Add fresh pasta nests to the boiling water and cook 2–3 minutes (thicker ribbons 3–4 minutes) until al dente. Taste a strand to confirm doneness. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta quickly.
- 12
Combine pasta and sauce (mantecatura)
Return the drained pasta to the empty pot or a skillet over low heat, add the warm tomato-basil sauce and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water. Toss gently for 1 minute so the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce and the sauce clings to the noodles. Add more reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a silky consistency. Stir in an extra tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired.
- 13
Plate & garnish
Divide among four warm plates, sprinkle with the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano, garnish with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil if desired. Serve immediately.