There is nothing, I mean nothing like homemade pasta. Sauce just sticks to them better, they are more tender, more flavorful and just DANG ARE THEY GOOD! I’m sure to some folks it can be really intimidating to make homemade pasta dough, but I promise it really isn’t that bad. Heck you can even use a Kitchenaid® to roll out the dough for you. However, I much prefer rolling it out by hand because that way I can gauge when it’s done by the feel of it. I also think by doing it by hand you get the full feel of really how to traditionally make pasta, like they do in Italy. I think it ignites more of a passion for what you are doing, but I’m weird!
For the dough of the pasta, I used a blend of sifted Bob’s Red Mill® All-Purpose Flour and Semolina Flour. It’s the perfect combination and really makes the noodles so tender and so good. Simply said USE THIS BLEND :-).
To make the dough simply sift both flours onto a clean surface and make a well. Next, crack your eggs in the well and mix them with a fork until they are beaten. From there start combining the eggs with the sifted flours until they are combined. You will most likely need to add ¼ cup to a 1/3 cup of water because the dough will be pretty dry. The key is to get the dough to a not-too-wet and a not-too-dry consistency. Once the flour, eggs and water are combined kneed with it with the palm of your hands for 2 to 5 minutes and place it in a plastic bag and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
Now to roll it out! Like I said earlier I like to do it by hand! Simply put dust a clean surface with flour and roll out a 1/3 of the dough at a time until it is very thin. You should be able to see through the dough, and be the consistency of Resume Paper.
From there you want to let the pasta dry out a little bit, so let it set out on a flour dusted surface after it’s been rolled out for about 30 minutes. Then, fold it over and slice it as thin or thick as you’d like! Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, sprinkle on some flour and toss to coat, and spread out.
What would pasta be without a good sauce?! I made a traditional Ragu alla Bolognese which is more of a brown meat sauce or gravy instead of a tomato based sauce. It’s delicious and you should make it! It starts with crisping up some Italian Bacon, Pancetta and then adding in some blended onions, celery, carrots and garlic. From there add in some ground pork, ground beef and some Sangiovese wine and let it cook. You then simmer the sauce in a bit of pureed tomato, beef stock, bay leaves and a Parmesan cheese rind four at least 60 minutes.
Now you get to see the final product!
I was absolutely in love with how well this turned out. I had fun doing it and man is the sauce delicious and the noodles even better!
You will be amazed at just how rich homemade pasta is. You can’t eat as much as a premade pasta, but Maybe that’s a good thing.
Another nice close up shot!! Be sure to follow my good friends over at Bob’s Red Mill on all of their social channels!
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- 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill® All-Purpose Flour
- 1 cup and 2 tablespoons of Bob’s Red Mill® Semolina Flour
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 8 roughly chopped thin slices of pancetta bacon
- 3 roughly chopped carrots
- 3 roughly chopped stalks of celery
- 1 roughly chopped yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 pound of ground pork
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 cup of Sangiovese wine
- ½ cup of pureed tomato
- 3 cups of beef stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind
- Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- For the Pasta: sift both flours onto a clean surface and make a well.
- Next, crack your eggs in the well and mix them with a fork until they are beaten. Start combining the eggs with the sifted flours until they are combined.
- Add ¼ cup to a ⅓ cup of water because the dough will be pretty dry.
- Once the flour, eggs and water are combined kneed with it with the palm of your hands for 2 to 5 minutes and place it in a plastic bag and let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out a ⅓ of the dough at a time until it is very thin. You should be able to see through the dough, and be the consistency of Resume Paper.
- Let the dough set out on a flour dusted surface after it’s been rolled out for about 30 minutes.
- Then, fold it over and slice it as thin or thick as you’d like! Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, sprinkle on some flour and toss to coat, and spread out.
- Boil the noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente or cover and store in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
- For the Pasta: In a large pot on high heat with olive oil cook the bacon until crispy and then remove it and set it aside.
- Next add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic to a food processor and process until finely chop and add it to the pot with rendered pancetta bacon fat and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Next, add in the ground pork and beef and cook until there is no pink. Next deglaze with the wine and cook it until it is absorbed and almost gone.
- Pour in the pureed tomato, beef stock, bay leaves and cheese rind, and stew over low heat for60 to 90 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Toss the sauce in the fresh cooked noodles and garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.
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That looks incredible! Great job, pinned! 🙂