House-made Pasta Recipe

Prepare the flour well

On a clean work surface or in a large bowl, combine the all-purpose and semolina flours. Mound the flours and create a wide well in the center about 3 inches across.

Add eggs and flavorings

Crack the four eggs and the extra yolk into the flour well. Add the olive oil and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt to the eggs.

Incorporate flour into eggs

Using a fork, gently beat the eggs in the center, then gradually draw in a little flour from the inner wall of the well. Continue slowly until the mixture thickens and starts to form a shaggy dough. If the dough seems dry and crumbly, add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time (up to the listed amount) until it comes together. If it becomes sticky, incorporate a little more flour.

Knead the dough

Once the mixture forms a rough dough, use your hands to bring it together and knead on the work surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky. Use the heel of your hand to push and fold; rotate the dough frequently. The finished dough should spring back when pressed.

Rest the dough

Shape the dough into a ball, coat lightly with a tiny drizzle of olive oil so the surface won't dry, wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. For more relaxed gluten and easier rolling, you may rest up to 2 hours or refrigerate up to 24 hours (bring back to room temperature before rolling).

Divide and flatten

Unwrap the dough and divide it into 4 equal pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others covered. Flatten the piece with your hands into a rough rectangle about 1/2 inch thick so it fits through a pasta machine or under a rolling pin.

Roll the dough

If using a pasta machine: set the rollers to the widest setting and feed the flattened piece through once without folding. Fold the sheet in thirds, flatten lightly, and run through again on the widest setting. Repeat this fold-and-run 2–3 times to improve structure. Then progressively decrease the thickness setting one notch at a time, running the sheet through each setting once, until you reach the desired thinness (typically setting 6–8 on most machines for tagliatelle/linguine; thinner for ravioli or capellini). If using a rolling pin: roll the dough on a lightly floured surface, turning and stretching until you reach 1.5–2 mm thickness or desired thinness.

Cut the pasta

For ribbons (tagliatelle/linguine): lightly dust the sheet with flour, fold it loosely into thirds (do not press to avoid sticking) and slice with a sharp knife to desired width (about 1/4 inch for tagliatelle). Unfold and toss gently in semolina or flour to prevent sticking. For cut shapes or stuffed pasta, cut or shape as desired now.

Dry slightly before cooking

Place cut pasta in loose nests on a lightly floured tray or hang on a drying rack for 10–20 minutes to firm up slightly. Do not dry completely unless making for long-term storage.

Boil water

Bring a large pot (at least 4–6 quarts/liters) of water to a rolling boil. Add coarse salt (about 1 tablespoon) once boiling. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta.

Cook the pasta

Add fresh pasta to the boiling water and stir gently to prevent sticking. Cook for 1.5–3 minutes for thin pasta (capellini) or 3–4 minutes for thicker ribbons like tagliatelle; test a strand for doneness — it should be tender but with a slight bite (al dente). Reserve about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of pasta cooking water before draining.

Make a simple butter sauce

While pasta cooks, heat a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the unsalted butter and extra-virgin olive oil until the butter melts and begins to foam but not brown. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to emulsify and create a silky sauce.

Toss pasta with sauce

Add the drained pasta directly to the sauté pan. Toss and gently fold the pasta in the butter sauce for 30–60 seconds so the sauce clings to the strands; add additional reserved pasta water as needed to loosen and finish the sauce to desired consistency.

Finish and plate

Remove from heat. Stir in 2–3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and adjust salt if necessary. Drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil, sprinkle chopped parsley if using, and serve immediately with extra grated cheese on the side.