This Italian-style pasta dough makes golden noodles that have a great silky texture. It is wonderful cut into noodles or used to make ravioli. A simple pan sauté is all you need to finish the pasta. Who needs bottled pasta sauce? Depending on the season, we like cherry tomatoes with artichoke hearts and basil, wild mushrooms with thyme, zucchini with fresh garlic, or sweet corn with green onions and cayenne. Once the vegetables are cooked, the hot pasta is added to the pan and tossed with a few spoonfuls of the pasta cooking water to make a delicious and flavorful sauce. A little freshly grated cheese and perhaps a touch of freshly ground pepper, and you’re ready to eat.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 as an entrée

　　1 1/2 cups/225 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling the dough

　　8 large egg yolks

　　1 tablespoon/14 grams olive oil

　　2 tablespoons/30 grams whole milk

　　4 tablespoons/56 grams unsalted butter

　　Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Mixing by Hand

Step 1

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and form a well in the center. Put the egg yolks, olive oil, and milk in the center of the well and gently whisk them together with a fork. Once the wet ingredients have been combined, begin stirring from the center outward, gradually incorporating the flour until the mixture forms a soft dough (not all of the flour will be incorporated). Turn the contents of your bowl out onto a work surface and knead the dough with your hands, pulling in more flour from the excess, and adding more as needed, until you have a smooth, silky dough.

　　

Mixing by Machine

Step 2

Combine the flour, egg yolks, olive oil, and milk in a food processor and pulse to blend. Once the mixture comes together into a rough dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and finish it by hand. Knead the dough, adding more flour as needed, until it becomes smooth and silky to the touch.

　　

Resting the Dough

Step 3

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. Alternatively, you can put it in a vacuum bag, seal it, and let it rest for 10 minutes before rolling. (This will leave you with moister dough than resting in plastic wrap.)

　　

Rolling the Dough

Step 4

Uncover the dough and cut it in half. Keep one half of the dough wrapped loosely in the plastic. Lightly flour a work surface and, using a rolling pin, begin to roll out the other half of the dough. Dust the surface of the dough lightly with flour and continue to roll from the middle to the edges, turning the dough a quarter turn and flipping it over every couple of rolls. Continue to roll the dough until it is 1/8 inch (3 millimeters) thick and roughly 10 × 12 inches. Dust the dough generously with flour and fold the top third down and the bottom third up, as you would fold a letter. Dust the dough with flour and, using a sharp knife, cut it crosswise into ribbons 1/4 inch (6 millimeters) wide. Unfold each noodle, and dust with flour. Sprinkle a baking sheet with flour and loosely nest each batch of noodles on the pan in a single layer. Cover them with a kitchen towel and repeat with the other half of dough.

　　

Step 5

Alternatively, you can roll out the dough with a pasta maker following the manufacturer’s instructions, using the cutter of your choice.

　　

Step 6

When all the dough is rolled, refrigerate the noodles until ready to use. If using within a few minutes, simply cover with a kitchen towel.

　　

Cooking the Pasta

Step 7

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water, then add the noodles. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

　　

Step 8

Meanwhile, in a separate pot large enough to hold the noodles, melt the butter over medium heat. Drain the cooked noodles and put them in the pot with the butter. Coat the noodles evenly with the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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