THE MINIMALIST
Pasta in the Rough
Evan Sung for The New York Times
By MARK BITTMAN
Published: January 7, 2011
FEW people make fresh pasta at home, and it’s not difficult to see why. Who wouldn’t be put off by demonstrations that include piles of flour on cutting boards, or pasta-rolling machines spitting out six-foot ribbons of gorgeous dough?
Related Recipe
Fazzoletti (Pasta Handkerchiefs) With Chunky Pesto (January 12, 2011)
Fortunately, there is an easy way. A food processor makes quick work of the dough, and a rolling pin, which predates the pasta machine, still works (though a little practice with the machine can make life easier in the long run). And as for fancy shapes: why bother? The handkerchief (fazzoletti) shape — a rectangle or square, as you like — is as traditional as anything else, and as delicious.
The dough, in this case, is of the classic Emilia-Romagna style, loaded with eggs and therefore easy to handle, a lovely color and deliciously rich. You can form a well in the middle of a pile of flour, crack eggs into it and use a fork to slowly and painstakingly incorporate the flour into the eggs — but the food processor is faster.
Now, however, you must wait, because if you don’t let the dough rest before rolling, it will resist your efforts. After a half-hour or so at room temperature (or longer in your refrigerator), it’ll be more pliable. You can then use a rolling pin (or a wine bottle) to roll the dough out until it is thin. Don’t worry about ragged edges. You cut the dough into squares — or rectangles or triangles or whatever — that are boiled until just tender.
You can serve fazzoletti with nothing more than butter and Parmesan, or a drizzle of garlic-infused olive oil. Here, I use a super-rustic pesto, with crunchy bits of pine nuts in a sauce that’s rough, flavorful and lovable, just like the pasta.
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