Egg and Semolina Pasta

Ingredients needed:

• 250 g durum wheat semolina
• 200 g flour type 500
• 2 eggs
• 200 g egg yolks (about 11 yolks from medium eggs)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• about 100 g durum wheat semolina for rolling
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a pinch of salt

Quick pasta — Ingredients needed:

• 500 g flour type 500
• 5 fresh large eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• about 100 g durum wheat semolina for finishing the kneading and dusting
• about 100 g durum wheat semolina for rolling

Method for the dough of both recipes:

Mix the sifted flour, the semolina and the salt.

Kneading by hand: Lightly beat the eggs with the yolks, salt and olive oil. Make a well in the flour-and-semolina mixture and pour in the eggs. Form a ball and knead about 3 min. to an elastic dough. Wrap in foil and let rest 60 min. in the fridge.

Kneading with a mixer: Use the dough-kneading attachment. Put the eggs, olive oil and yolks in a bowl and mix at medium speed. Add the flour-and-semolina mixture and knead about 3 min. to a firm elastic dough. Remove from the bowl and knead by hand about another minute. Wrap in foil and let rest 60 min. in the fridge.

Kneading with a food processor: Put the flour mixture in the processor. Run at medium speed, gradually pour in the egg mixture until large lumps begin to form. Remove from the processor and knead by hand another 2 min. until the dough becomes silky and elastic. Wrap in foil and let rest 60 min. in the fridge.

Variations of the quick pasta recipe:

• Red: Replace 2 eggs from the recipe with the same volume of boiled, puréed red beetroot.
• Green: Replace 2 eggs from the recipe with 150 g blanched, dried and puréed spinach. A little more flour and semolina may be added.
• Yellow: Various options are possible. You can use 2-3 pinches of powdered saffron dissolved in 1 tbsp water and added to the eggs; the more economical option is to replace the saffron with turmeric, or simply sprinkle the yolks with salt and leave them for an hour in the fridge, covered with foil.
• Orange: 2-3 tbsp pumpkin or carrot purée added to the dough.
• Black: Achieved only with cuttlefish (sepia) ink. Since it is quite difficult and expensive to obtain the ink, it is better to buy ready-made black pasta.
• Herb: Add 1 tea cup of finely chopped herbs to the basic recipe.
• Tomato: Add 2 tbsp puréed sun-dried tomatoes together with the olive oil.
• Peppered: Add 1 tbsp ground mixed or black pepper to the dough.

Rolling out the pasta:

With a rolling pin: Use a long, medium-thick rolling pin. Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it into two parts. Put one part on a floured surface and cover the other again. Roll from the body of the roller outward, always on a well-floured surface. After each rolling, turn the dough 90°. Roll it very thin – to 1-2 mm. To make it thinner, wind it around the rolling pin into a roll and, with light pressure and a movement of the hands from the middle toward the ends of the roller, thin out the dough.

With a pasta machine: Take the dough out of the fridge, divide it into four parts. Wrap three in foil, and flatten one with the palms, roll it lightly into an oblong piece with a rolling pin and pass it through the widest opening of the machine. You get a thick sheet. Fold its edges toward the center and pass it again through the widest opening. Proceed this way another 3-4 times, so the pasta reaches its maximum width. Then start passing it consecutively through the thinner openings until the desired thickness is reached.

Cutting: For pappardelle cut the dough into strips 4 cm wide, for tagliatelle – 2 cm, for taglierini – 1 cm.

Shake the cut pasta lightly so it does not stick together and so the excess flour and semolina fall off.

This pasta can be cooked immediately or left for 3-4 hours wrapped in a damp cloth, or left to dry 3-4 hours and stored closed in the fridge for several days or frozen for several months.

Tips for cooking pasta:

1. The most important thing is a large pot. For 100 g pasta you need 1 L water and 1 tsp salt. Once the water boils, add the pasta and stir periodically so it doesn't stick.
2. It must not be overcooked, it should remain slightly firm or al dente, as they say in Italy. The exact cooking time depends on the type of pasta and for store-bought is stated on the package.
3. For dough with durum wheat as the main ingredient about 8-10 minutes are needed, and for fresh egg pasta 3 minutes are enough.
4. Serve immediately after boiling or mix with the sauce, otherwise it sticks together.
5. Rinsing with cold water can prevent sticking for a while, but in return it quickly cools the pasta and takes away from its taste.

From http://www.menumag.bg/content/pryasna-pasta