Fresh Pasta Recipe

Prepare the flour

On a clean work surface or in a large mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and semolina flour. Make a mound and create a deep well in the center large enough to hold the eggs.

Add eggs and seasonings

Crack the eggs into the well. Add the olive oil and fine sea salt into the eggs. Using a fork, gently whisk the eggs while gradually incorporating a little flour from the inner edge of the well to thicken. Be careful to maintain the walls so the egg mixture doesn't escape.

Form the dough

Once the egg mixture is thick enough, use your hands to fold more flour into the eggs, bringing the mixture together into a shaggy dough. If the dough feels dry and crumbly, add up to 1 tablespoon water; if it is sticky, sprinkle in a bit more flour (a tablespoon at a time).

Knead

Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. The dough should spring back slowly when pressed. If using a stand mixer, knead with the dough hook on low for 6–8 minutes.

Rest the dough

Shape the dough into a ball, coat it lightly with a little olive oil, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Resting relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.

Divide the dough

Unwrap the dough and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time and keep the remaining pieces wrapped to prevent drying.

Flatten and roll

Flatten a piece with your hands or a rolling pin to about 1/4-inch thickness. If using a pasta machine, feed the dough through at the widest setting once or twice, folding once if it tears, then progressively run through thinner settings (e.g., 6 to 2 or 7 to 1 depending on machine) until you reach desired thickness (about 1–1.5 mm for tagliatelle/fettuccine, thinner for lasagne). Lightly dust with flour as needed to prevent sticking.

Cut to shape

For long ribbons (tagliatelle/fettuccine): lightly flour the sheet, roll it loosely from the long edge into a cigar, then slice into 1/4-inch (for fettuccine) or 3/16-inch (for tagliatelle) strips. Unroll the strips and toss lightly with semolina or flour to keep separated. For pappardelle, cut wider strips; for filled pasta or lasagna, cut or shape accordingly.

Dry briefly (optional)

You can hang the pasta on a drying rack or lay it in loose nests on a floured tray for 10–20 minutes if not cooking immediately. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly, so avoid over-drying.

Boil water

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and add the coarse salt (about 1 tablespoon per 4–6 quarts of water).

Cook pasta

Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water. Fresh pasta generally cooks in 1–4 minutes depending on thickness. Test a strand after 1 minute for very thin pasta, 2–3 minutes for typical ribbons; it should be al dente (tender but with a slight bite).

Reserve pasta water

Before draining, scoop out and reserve about 1/2 to 1 cup of the starchy cooking water — useful for loosening and emulsifying sauces.

Finish in pan

Transfer cooked pasta directly to a warm skillet with the extra-virgin olive oil or butter over medium heat. Add a splash of reserved pasta water (1–3 tbs) and toss for 30–60 seconds so the sauce clings to the noodles. If using a simple olive oil and garlic, you can lightly sauté minced garlic in the oil first before adding pasta.

Serve

Turn off the heat and stir in grated Parmesan or Pecorino and chopped fresh herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper as needed. Serve immediately.