Pasta: A Five Part Series. Part 3: Printed Pastas

Hellooooo Foodies!

As always, I hope you’re having a wonderful week. It’s been a pretty crazy week here in Doha, if you haven’t heard it rained! Not just like a couple of sprinkles, it was a full on thunderstorm and the most rainfall in the history of Qatar. As you can imagine, it was full-blown chaos. Everything was flooded, museums, schools, even Qatar National Library. Cars left in parking ramps were found completely underwater. The streets were flooded and not a lot of people know how to drive in the rain here, but people still did… a lot of people. There were loads of cars stuck in standing water all over the city. The next day, every tow truck was in use, taking water damaged cars to shops. But despite the chaos I also saw a lot of people making the best of such rare weather here in the desert. People were tying tubes and water skis to the back of cars like they do boats and riding all over the city. I even saw a video of two Qatari men using what looked, to me, like a sled, as a canoe to get out of the water. It was actually kind of cute.

In all the chaos, I decided to stay home (big surprise, right?). I love rainy days and it was so refreshing since it’s been nothing but hot and sunny for the last few months. I spent most of my time updating my blog, working on improving my photography, creating new recipes, and of course, making pasta.

Let’s Get Started

Part three of this five-part series is all about printing your pasta. Printing means taking things like fresh herbs or spices and rolling them into your dough. This is a fun, yet simple way to add a little color and pop to your homemade pasta without completely altering the dough with colors.

Printing Methods

Method 1 is what I like to call the knead-in method. It means you literally knead in whatever it is that you want printed in your pasta. I use this method when I’m going for a more sporadic look. It’s a great method for pressing things like thyme leaves, rosemary, chili flakes, or soft herbs (like parsley) if you’re okay with them being broken down rather than whole leaf.

Method 2 is the press in method. This means once your dough is ready to roll out, you’ll cut it into two equal sized pieces and sheet each to the thinnest or second thinnest setting. as long as you can see through the sheet of pasta. Once rolled, you will place you place the herbs onto one sheet and lay the other on top. Gently press the sheets together and roll the pasta out again to the thinnest setting, or until you can clearly see your print on each side of the sheet. I use this method when I want to see the entire leaf come printed in the sheet of pasta.

Printed Pasta Recipe

2C AP Flour

3 Eggs

1 Egg Yolk

1 TBSP EVOO

1 tsp Salt

Handful of red pepper flakes, basil, parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, or any other fresh or dried herb or spice you may want to use.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, eggs, egg yolk, EVOO and salt. If you are using the knead-in method, add your print at this point.  Mix until a crumbly dough forms, then turn onto a flour surface to knead dough.
2. Knead the dough until it forms a smooth, elastic ball.
3. Cover in plastic and rest for 30 minutes at room temp, or for up to 24 hours in the fridge.
4. Using a rolling pin, roll your pasta on a floured surface until thin enough to fit through the widest setting on your pasta machine.  If you are using the press method, cut your dough into two equal pieces.
5. If you are using the knead-in method, continue sheeting until desired thickness is reached, shape as desired. Disregard the following steps.
6. Sheet each piece of pasta starting from the thickest setting to thinnest, making sure to keep each sheet the same size and shape.
7. Once you have reached the thinnest setting on your pasta machine, place each leaf closely together onto one of your pasta sheets. Place the other sheet on top and using your rolling pin, lightly roll the sheets together.
8. Once again, sheet your pasta back to the thinnest setting. Shape as desired. For this method I like to use a larger shape such as a ravioli (circle or square) or lasagna to display the herbs.
9. Allow to dry at least 30 minutes before cooking or keep refrigerated for up to three days

 

 

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