There’s something quite special about making your own homemade pasta. While the option of dried (store-bought) pasta is never a bad one, there’s nothing that quite gives the same experience of creating fresh pasta from scratch.
This guide introduces you to the world of fresh pasta, providing you with the ingredients and methods required, plus information on storing, cooking and answers to some common questions. We have also provided a selection of delicious recipes you can try yourself, allowing you to experiment with your pasta making once you’ve mastered the basics.
Why make homemade pasta?
Making your own homemade pasta is one of those things that initially may seem like it requires some effort, however many will agree that once you have learnt how, the reward always outweighs this.
Learning how to make fresh pasta is hugely rewarding for any foodie and leaves you with a great sense of pride afterward – especially when you see your family or friends tucking into a bowl of ravioli, tortelli or spaghetti that you have made.
Also, there is a real pleasure in the process of making it. It’s one of those relaxing and therapeutic experiences that makes cooking so rewarding, plus you will develop a whole new set of cookery skills.
Once you have mastered the basics, you can start to experiment more and have fun with it.
As well as the standard pasta recipe, you can get creative, with home chefs using different natural ingredients to turn their pasta into a variety of colours. Squid Ink is used to turn your pasta black; Spinach makes it green; Tomato paste gives it an orange hue; and Beetroot results in a vibrant purple colour.
Adding these ingredients to your dough will also allow you to test out different flavours. Other things to try include:
Freshly chopped herbs, such as basil, parsley, or mint
Ground spices, such as turmeric, chilli flakes or paprika
Roasted peppers
Cocoa powder
Your creativity does not have to stop there, as you can also try out a range of different pasta shapes. From the long, ribbons of tagliatelle or fettucine, to the more intricate patterns of fusilli, casarecce or silatelli.
A final reason for making your own pasta is that you are in control of the ingredients you use. This means you can experiment with different flours or use eggs from your favourite local farm. Also, if you are adding new flavours or colours you can source some of these from a trusted supplier or even out of your own garden.
Ingredienser i hemmagjord pasta
Det finns två riktigt bra saker med att göra egen färsk pasta – du behöver bara tre huvudingredienser (mjöl, ägg och salt) och du har dem troligtvis redan i ditt skafferi eller kylskåp.
Recepten kan variera en aning, som du kommer att se i våra recept nedan. Vissa innehåller till exempel ytterligare valfria ingredienser, som olivolja (som också kan hjälpa till att binda degen) eller semolina.
När det gäller mjöl innehåller vissa recept vanligt vetemjöl, medan andra föreslår att du använder ”typ 00”. Det är ett finmalet vitt italienskt mjöl som används specifikt för att göra färsk pasta. Den säljs vanligtvis i större matbutiker, men din italienska deli eller internetmatleverantör kan också ha det i sitt sortiment.
Många börjar dessutom experimentera med att blanda olika mjöl. Till exempel gör en blandning av ”00” och semolinamjöl pastan mer robust än om du bara använder rent 00-mjöl. Beroende på vilken typ av sås du planerar att använda kan du prova en annan kombination.
Utrustning för hemmagjord pasta
Som vid den mesta matlagningen kräver många grundläggande metoder endast minimalt utrustning, men att använda rätt köksapparat gör att allt går snabbare och enklare.
För att göra hemmagjord pasta helt för hand behöver du bara en stor skärbräda, en gaffel, en kavel, lite återanvändningsbart omslagspapper och en vass kniv.
Om du vill ta det ett steg längre kan du använda en mekanisk pastamaskin för att rulla pastan till önskad tjocklek.
För att få ihop degen lite snabbare kan du använda en matberedare i stället för en gaffel.
Ett annat alternativ som är till stor hjälp när du gör degen är att helt enkelt använda en köksassistent. Den hjälper dig inte bara att blanda degen snabbare, utan inkluderar även ett brett utbud av praktiska pastatillbehör såsom former, valsar och skärare.
Ett sista redskap du kan välja att använda är en torkställning för pasta. De är vanligtvis gjorda av trä och blir en vacker detalj i köket, med band av färsk pasta som torkar över dem.
How to make pasta in a stand mixer
Using a stand mixer means you will save time and effort, plus make less mess in your kitchen than if you just do it by hand.
How to make pasta in a stand mixer
Here are the steps to follow:
1. To start, fit the dough hook to your stand mixer and add the ingredients into the bowl (depending on your pasta recipe)
2. Next use the speed setting 2 and mix for about 3 minutes. You are looking for a mixture that looks crumbly but is still moist. If it seems a bit too dry, then add a tablespoon or two of water, and if it seems too sticky, then add a little extra flour
3. Remove the mixture from the bowl, put it onto a floured large board and then knead it by hand until it becomes a smooth dough
4. Use your hands to form a ball, wrap the dough and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (although this can be up to 2 hours if you need to do something else in the meantime)
5. Now it is time to turn your dough into pasta sheets. Start by rolling it out with a rolling pin into a flattened oval disc shape. Then take your flattened disc and feed it through the stand mixer pasta roller attachment, roller, changing the setting from 1 to 6 or 7 to get the right thickness (this is typically between 1-2mm). It can be rolled by hand or using a manual machine but once you’ve used the attachment on your mixer, you’ll realise how much easier it is. Alternatively, you can continue to roll it by hand
6. Once you have rolled out the pasta sheets, it can be cut into different widths to make lasagne, spaghetti, trenette or fettuccine using the different pasta cutters, or if you wish, you can cut by hand. It can also be used to make filled pasta such as ravioli or tortellini.
7. The last step is to dry the pasta for around 30 minutes, using a pasta rack or creating ‘nests’
How to make pasta by hand
An alternative to using a stand mixer to make your pasta is to do it all by hand.
To do this:
1. Take your flour and create a mound on your board or work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the remaining ingredients to the flour, using a fork to break up the eggs in the process
2. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until you have a rough ball of dough
3. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth – this might take around 8-10 minutes, which is longer than if you had used a stand mixer
4. Wrap the dough and leave it to rest at room temperature for around 30 minutes
5. Cut the dough into pieces (depending on how much you have made), then take each one and use a rolling pin to flatten it out to a thickness of between 1-2mm
6. Use a sharp knife to slice it into ‘ribbons’ of different widths, depending on the type of pasta you want to make (for example, tagliatelle, pappardelle or fettuccine). Dust these with some flour to prevent them sticking
7. Finally, you need to dry your pasta, using a specific rack or by creating individual ‘nests’
How to cook fresh pasta
Now you have made your pasta, it’s time to get cooking so you can enjoy it.
The key to remember with cooking fresh pasta compared to the dried equivalent, is that the length of cooking time is much shorter.
Depending on the thickness, it can cook in as little as 15 seconds, with many pasta types being ‘al dente’, what you should be aiming for, in around 2-3 minutes.
To cook your pasta, simply add it to a large pan of salted boiling water. Add the pasta, stir gently and bring it back to the boil. Then start timing your required cooking length.
Once cooked, drain the pasta immediately and serve as soon as possible.
Storing fresh pasta
As the name suggests, fresh pasta is best consumed soon after you have made it. You should put it into an airtight container and cook it within two days.
The good news is you can freeze uncooked fresh pasta for up to one month.
Once cooked, it’s likely to still be good the next day, if you’ve found you haven’t eaten it all or ended up making too much for one meal.
As the name suggests, fresh pasta is best consumed soon after you have made it. You should put it into an airtight container and cook it within two days. The good news is you can freeze uncooked fresh pasta for up to one month. Once cooked, it’s likely to still be good the next day, if you’ve found you haven’t eaten it all or ended up making too much for one meal.
Making your own fresh pasta means you can re-visit some of your favourite dishes or start to create your own family favourites. It also allows you to really put your creative skills to the test with lots of flavours. And this creativity gets even more exciting when you consider the huge variety of fresh pasta recipes you can try and enjoy.
Ranging from a simple classic like a spaghetti bolognaise to the more complex prosciutto, ricotta and parmesan tortelloni with pea pesto, pasta recipes are flexible and offer numerous meat-free options.
Here is a small selection of our favourites:
Carbonara
Spaghetti alla carbonara is another classic pasta recipe. It sees fresh spaghetti combined with tangy Parmesan cheese, smoky pancetta and eggs, plus added flavour from garlic, black pepper and olive oil.
This is a lasagne recipe with a difference. The often-used beef ragu sauce is substituted here with the main ingredients of chicken, butternut squash and green pesto.
This recipe not only stands out for the beautiful combination of scallops, chilli, garlic and olive oil, but also for the vibrant black colour of the pasta, courtesy of the squid ink. Fettuccine is the pasta of choice here for this dish.
This is a recipe for lovers of stuffed pasta, with a winning combination of spinach and ricotta cheese. What really brings this dish to life is the hint of grated nutmeg and the chopped sage leaves.
Another recipe with pasta parcels, but this time the pasta ravioli and the filling combines white crabmeat, ricotta and breadcrumbs. Flavours include lemon, parsley, dill and sage.
This article has hopefully given you lots of information already about making your own pasta, however below is a summary of the key frequently asked questions that you might have.
¿Qué harina es mejor para hacer pasta?
Está ampliamente aceptado que el mejor tipo de harina para hacer pasta fresca es el ‘00’.
Es una harina blanca, en la que el número de ceros indica la textura: la harina de un solo cero (“0”) es gruesa y la de triple cero (“000”), fina. El doble cero (“00”) es un valor intermedio.
Como ya mencionamos, hoy en día puede encontrar harina “00” en los principales supermercados, tiendas italianas de delicatessen y tiendas especializadas en alimentos, así como por Internet.
¿Deberías usar huevos o agua en la masa para la pasta fresca?
A menos que vaya a preparar una pasta vegana, los huevos son la opción preferida, ya que aportan humedad a la pasta.
Los huevos ayudan a formar gluten para una buena estructura y forma, además de aportar grasa, que hace la pasta más suave y sedosa.
Hay algunas recetas de pasta fresca que utilizan agua en lugar de huevos. Según parece, datan de los tiempos de racionamiento tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial, cuando los huevos escaseaban.
Selección de la forma de pasta correcta
Una de las grandes cosas de la pasta es la gran variedad de formas que se le puede dar. Así que puedes pasar horas de entretenimiento en la cocina experimentando.
Para emparejar la forma de pasta con la salsa adecuada, hay algunas pautas generales a seguir:
Forma de la pasta
Tipo de pasta
Salsa ideal
Larga y delgada
Espaguetis, linguine, vermicelli, bucatini, cabello de ángel, reinette y fideos
Los accesorios de molde elaborador de pasta para robots de cocina son muy útiles, ya que pueden ayudar a crear fácilmente formas diversas.
¿Se puede congelar la pasta fresca sin cocinar?
Si lo necesitas, puedes congelar la pasta fresca sin cocinar.
Una vez elaborada, déjala secar unos 15-30 minutos y guárdala en un recipiente hermético en el congelador. Como alternativa, puedes congelar la masa antes de enrollarla y cortarla, y sacarla cuando necesites hacer una comida fácil pero impresionante.
Al igual que la mayoría de los alimentos congelados, es mejor consumirla lo antes posible, por lo que muchos sugieren no congelarla durante más de un mes.
Puedes descongelarla dejándola unas horas en la nevera, aunque hay quienes la cocinan congelada. Vigila el tiempo de cocción, ya que necesitará un poco más de tiempo, pero sin llegar a cocinarla en exceso.
¿Listo para hacer tu propia pasta? Comienza con Kenwood.
Preparar la propia pasta fresca es una de esas habilidades muy gratificantes de aprender, que además te permite experimentar con una amplia gama de formas, colores y sabores.
Al principio tendrás que aprender algunas cosas, pero con un aparato como el robot de cocina se te hará fácil y rápido.
Además hay una emocionante variedad de recetas para probar y, lo que es más importante, disfrutar comiendo. Algunas otras tentaciones:
