BLOG POST 2/9/22 Noodles & Cooking

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Hello Again!

This week’s post will be a brief introduction to basic noodle types and shapes, and how to cook your pasta! This process will start off from my last post on creating pasta dough. First, some important things to know before we begin. Pasta dough is pretty glutenous and tough if not rested for at leave 30 minutes before being formed into noodles/ shapes ( so make sure your dough is rested! ). Also, this post is written assuming you have access to a cheap or basic pasta machine, because it will make the process of rolling the dough way easier. Just incase you don’t have a machine, I’ll throw in a basic failsafe way to make some noodles with just a rolling pin and chef’s knife. Alright, with all that said lets get started!

Rolling & Forming the Dough

Note: As you follow the steps below, be sure to liberally flour all surfaces the dough will be touching, including the dough itself. As pasta dough is stretched thin, interior sticky portions are exposed and annoying if not dealt with.

Here are some steps to getting your pasta ready to cook:

1. Beat or roll out the dough until its just thin enough to roll through the widest setting of the flat roller attachment of your pasta machine.
2. Guide the dough through the roller slowly, to avoid edge-tearing of you pasta sheet. Roll the dough through on the same setting a couple of times to make sure the thickness is consistent and your dough is constituted.
3. Continue step two multiple times while continuously lowering the thickness of roller each – couple – passes through. Continue lower the thickness and rolling out your pasta sheet until you reach desired thickness.

Now that you have your pasta sheet, you could leave it as is and make lasagna, or follow the next step to create noodles! If you have a machine, simply run the pasta sheet gently and slowly through any noodle attachment you have, separating the noodles as they come out and gently tossing them with flour. Below I will include some instructions on how to make noodles without a pasta machine!

1. Roll out your pasta by hand with a rolling pin or wine bottle until you have a desired thickness. Then, flour the top surface of the dough generously.
2. Roll the dough sheet up loosly from two sides until they’ve ( so you will be met with a pasta scroll of sorts
3. Then using a sharp knife, quickly and decisively chop across the pasta roll vertically, as if you were making cinnamon buns. The thickness of the noddles depends on how much space you leave in between cuts. When you’ve cut all the noodles, flour them once more then gently toss them around with your hands to unfurl your pasta.

Cooking Instructions

Below I will put the steps to cooking your fresh pasta! Don’t worry, if you made it this far you’ve already completed the hardest part – fresh delicious pasta is within reach! Things to note when cooking the pasta: Your water should traditionally be salted heavily in order to season your noodles. The general saying is your boiling water should be “as salty as the sea”, but if you’re sodium conscious cutting back is no problem. Also, fresh pasta cooks much faster than box pasta, so don’t even think about leaving it unattended because it will overcook. Now that we’ve gotten the disclaimers out of the way, lets cook!

1. In a medium saucepan or pot, add 4-6 cups of water, or enough to fully submerge your pasta. I like to fill my pot a little over half way full, just be careful because it may boild over if you add too much water.
2. Salt your water to taste and stir to dissolve the sodium, then wait until your water has reached a rolling boil.
3. Gently lower your pasta into the pot and stir gently if you need to. The rolling nature of your water should be enough to move the pasta around so it doesn’t stick.
4. Cook the noodles for around 3 minutes or until they’re floating consistently at the surface of the water. This means the pasta is “al dente” or “to the tooth” in italian, translating to the pasta having a little bite but still being tender.
5. Remove the pasta from the pan with tongs and strain the water with a collander. Serve hot, use in a recipe, or refrigerate for later!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this comprehensive and basic guide on how to get started in preparing fresh, home-made pasta! In next weeks’ post we’ll be wrapping up our pasta unit by doing a deep dive into some intermediate pasta forming and traditional shapes that are loved by many, as well as some interesting techniques that can be used to spice up your dough. As always, happy cooking and I’ll see you all next week!