Home Made Pasta Recipe
February 11, 2014
Home Made Pasta Recipe
Spinach Thyme Fettuccine
Making pasta from scratch makes me feel like I am part of an ancient club. I imagine Nonnas standing at their long, cool stone benches kneading the dough and skillfully working it into the type of pasta they prefer. It takes some time to create this basic staple food, it is a special meal for the family. It is a meal made with love.
If you are after a quick dinner option, this is not it. It is something to make in an unrushed, relaxed manner. It is not a great idea to try to make pasta from scratch if you have very young children in need of your constant attention. It is a little messy (when I make it). Above all, it is therapeutic, almost hypnotic, to gently feed the dough through the rollers time and time again to obtain a nice silky texture.
I adore a good pasta, and more so since I went to cooking school on the Amalfi Coast in Italy last year. If you do not have pasta making tools don’t stress. You can still give this recipe a try. Follow the previous (cooking school) link. It will take you to the Ravioli recipe that I learned there. You can use that process instead of the one below and and make ravioli or lasagna sheets.
This recipe is made from fresh spinach and thyme from my garden. The spinach was starting to go a little nuts so I have been adding it to many family meals in the last few weeks to get it back under control. I was gifted a food dehydrator from my parents for Christmas. The instruction manual includes timing to dry pasta. As soon as I saw that I had an uncontrollable urge to get out my pasta making attachments from the back of the cupboard and get covered in flour.
Put on an apron and some music, give the kids something to do for a couple of hours and get started. I can’t wait to do it again!
Home Made Pasta Recipe
Prep Time
1 hr 30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Spinach and Thyme Fettuccine. Made with fresh ingredients from the garden and then dehydrated. Discover the hypnotic process of pasta making and fall in love with fresh home made food.
Course:
Main
Cuisine:
Italian
Servings: 700 grams
Ingredients
- 100 grams fresh spinach
- 10 grams fresh thyme leaves
- 755 grams of 00 Flour -plus extra for dusting pasta when it is being rolled
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- generous pinch of salt
- 6 eggs small 55 grams
Instructions
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Put the spinach and thyme into a processor and pulse until it forms a thick paste
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Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the oil and salt
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Add the eggs to the well in the middle of the flour and use a fork to bring the flour into the middle and continue mixing until well combined.
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Tip the mix onto a very well floured board and knead until soft and springy
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Return the dough to the bowl and rest, covered with a clean tea towel for 30 minutes
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Use a pasta machine or attachments (for your mixer) if you have and roll the dough into long thin strips. I rolled to the thickness of number 4 - starting at number 1.
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Use a fettuccine attachment (cutter) to cut the pasta strips into fettuccine.
Cook Fresh
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Add the pasta to boiling water for a few minutes until it floats to the top of the water. Drain and serve with desired sauce.
OR Dry
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You may dry the pasta in a dehydrator, or just air dry it. This is a good option if you are making it to be stored.
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Lay out the fettuccine onto the trays and set the dehydrator as per instructions for the required duration.
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Cooking dried pasta will take approximately 7-9 minutes to cook, depending on the thickness of the pasta you have created.
Recipe Notes
Roll pasta thinly. On my machine I roll it to number 4
To avoid the dough sticking and clogging the rollers of a pasta machine it must be covered in flour. Continue to add flour as you roll it if it is becoming sticky.
If you are drying pasta in a dehydrator ensure that all pieces are separated.
If you are not drying the pasta it may be frozen for use later
The serving size that this recipe makes is - 700 grams of dried pasta.
Make sure that you return here on Friday for the sauce recipe that I made for this pasta.
If you check the Recipe List on this site you will find many of our favorite family pasta recipes.
Have you tried making your own flavored pasta?
Inspiring families to grow at least one fresh food item at home to experience the benefits of fresh food.
This looks amazing!!!!
I have had a few goes at making pasta but my machine (given to me by a friend from the back of her cupboard) isn’t great and it drove me bonkers and since I can buy pasta cheap I kinda gave up… but I’ve always had a hankering to give it another go, and you may just have inspired me!
That is great Kate. I am sure you could come up with some amazing varieties from your extensive garden 🙂
Hi Kyrstie. This looks delicious, I love the colour. Making pasta certainly is a wonderful thing…but just as you said it is not to be rushed. Much better to plan ahead and make it when you can enjoy the whole process.
The food dehydrator is a great idea too! x
Thanks Jane for stopping by. K x
I love this idea. I have never added anything to pasta but have pressed big parsley leaves between thin sheets for effect. This is flavoursome and very welcome reading that you made the time to attend a cooking class in Amalfi (plus shared the results) 😀
Thanks so much Merryn. Parsley between pasta would look lovely.
I love making pasta but have never made spinach pasta before. Thanks for the recipe. This is on the list for the next spinach harvest.
You are very welcome Tania. I hope that you enjoy it.
How fun to go to a class on the Amalfi Coast. 🙂 That must’ve been inspiring AND instructive. Your pasta is beautiful. 🙂
Krista, I have been dreaming of Italy since! I could be called obsessed! It was an experience of a life time.