Fresh pasta dough
This dough is used for long pasta and shapes such as stracci (which literally means ‘rags’), soft pastas generally served with delicate sauces.
About 800g
500g tipo 00 flour, plus extra, to dust 2½ tbsp fine sea salt 8 egg yolks 2 eggs
1. Sift the flour and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Lightly whisk the egg yolks and eggs together in a bowl. Mixing with the dough hook, slowly drizzle most of the egg mixture into the flour and mix until absorbed. Start adding the remaining egg, a little at a time, to form a firm dough (you may not need to add it all: towards the end of the mixing process, it doesn’t take much extra liquid for the dough to become too soft). 2. Tip the dough onto a clean, lightly floured workbench. Knead with the heels of your hands for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Roll into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour to rest. 3. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Flatten 1 piece slightly, wrapping remaining pieces in plastic wrap to prevent them drying out. Pass the dough through a pasta machine on the widest setting. Fold in half, then pass through 3 more times, folding in half between each pass. 4. Reduce the setting on the machine 1 notch and pass the dough through, then pass the dough through 2 more times, reducing the setting each time, dusting lightly with flour if it starts to stick. 5. Turn the pasta machine back up to the widest setting, fold pasta sheet into thirds (like a brochure) and pass through the machine again. Pass through 2 more times, reducing the setting each time. 6. Fold pasta sheet into thirds (like a brochure), rotate the sheet 90 degrees, turn the setting back to the widest and pass through the machine multiple times, reducing the setting each time, until you reach the thickness suitable for the specific pasta shape you’re making (see Trofie alla Carlofortina recipe, following). 7. When the dough starts to get too long to handle, cut it in half and continue with each half separately. If it becomes too long to handle again, cut in half again. Repeat with remaining dough. Any further remaining dough can be kept in the fridge for up to 2 days or frozen for about 1 month.
½ quantity Fresh Pasta Dough (see recipe, left), passed
through pasta machine an additional 5 times Tipo 00 flour, for dusting 50ml extra virgin olive oil ½ brown onion, finely chopped 200g yellow grape tomatoes, tops cut offff, halved Sea salt flakes, to taste 300g sashimi-grade tuna, cut into 2cm cubes Crema di basilico 100ml extra virgin olive oil 50g pine nuts 20 basil leaves 2 garlic cloves, peeled Sea salt flakes, to taste
1. Lay the pasta sheets out on a clean, lightly floured workbench and cut into strips about 4cm long and 5mm wide. Roll each piece between the palms of your hands to form a thin spiral. Place on a baking tray and sprinkle lightly with flour. 2. To make the crema di basilico, place all ingredients in a food processor and process until well combined and creamy. Set aside. 3. Heat oil in a frying pan over low heat. Add onion and cook until soft but not coloured. Add tomatoes and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon until sauce thickens slightly. Stir in salt flakes. Allow to cool slightly. Place in a blender and puree until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve into a large clean saucepan. Set aside. 4. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and boil for about 6 minutes or until tender. Strain well, reserving 60ml of the cooking water. 5. Heat the tomato sauce over low heat. Add the pasta and toss for 1-2 minutes or until well coated. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water, adding a little more if necessary to give the sauce a glossy appearance. 6. Remove from heat. Add the tuna and toss through the pasta for 1 minute or until the outside of the tuna just turns opaque. 7. Serve in flat pasta bowls. Top with a dollop of the crema di basilico.