Fresh egg pasta (pasta all'uovo)

Method

1. 1

   Step 1

   Heap the flour on a clean worktop and make a wide well in the middle. Crack the eggs (opens in a new tab) into the well and beat them with a fork, gradually drawing in flour from the inside walls until you have a thick paste.

   • 5 min
   • Kitchen scale (opens in a new tab)
2. 2

   Step 2

   Use a bench scraper (opens in a new tab) to fold in the remaining flour, then knead with the heel of your hand for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic and slightly tacky but not sticky. Add a teaspoon of water if it stays crumbly, or a little flour if it sticks.

   • 10 min
   • Bench scraper (opens in a new tab)

   The dough should feel like firm playdough; it softens as it rests.

   

3. 3

   Step 3

   Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes and it rolls out easily.
4. 4

   Step 4

   Cut the dough into 4 pieces and keep the rest covered. Roll one piece on a lightly floured surface with a long rolling pin (opens in a new tab) (or pass it through a pasta machine) until it is about 1 mm thick — you should just see your hand through it.

   • 15 min
   • Rolling pin (opens in a new tab)

   

5. 5

   Step 5

   Let each sheet dry for 5–10 minutes until leathery but still flexible. Dust with semolina (opens in a new tab), roll up loosely and cut across: 6–7 mm for tagliatelle, 1 cm for fettuccine, 2–3 cm for pappardelle. Shake the strands loose and coil them into nests.

   • 10 min
   • Chef's knife (opens in a new tab)
6. 6

   Step 6

   Cook in plenty of boiling salted water for 2–3 minutes, until tender with a slight bite. Lift out with tongs straight into the sauce, with a splash of the cooking water.

   • 3 min
   • high heat
   • Stockpot / large pot (opens in a new tab)

   Food safety: Drain boiling pasta water away from you and keep children clear of the stove.

   Salt the pasta water at about 10 g per litre — it should taste pleasantly seasoned, not like the sea.