Makes 1 pound
4 cups semolina flour 1 teaspoon salt
3 whole eggs 2 tablespoons water (less if you use "wet"
6 egg yolks additions)
1. Mound the flour in the middle of your work table. Make a well in the center of the mound.
2. In a large bowl beat together eggs, yolks, salt, water, and any additional ingredients (e.g., saffron, herbs, minced chiles, poppy seeds, pureed cooked vegetables, and so on).
3. Pour egg mixture into the well and whisk flour from the interior of the ring of flour into the eggs. When this is no longer practical use your fingers to mix the dough. Use strength and bear down with the heels of your hands.
4. Do your best to form the dough into a ball. Wrap with plastic film and refrigerate at least 45 minutes, or overnight.
5. Now for the fraisage method. Work on a surface lightly dusted with semolina. Pull off a piece of the dough about the size of a walnut. Take another piece the same size and work them together, pressing them along the floured surface with the heels of your hands. Continue to do this until you have worked the whole ball. The pasta is now ready to be rolled and cut.
WORKING, ROLLING, AND CUTTING PASTA
I use a hand-cranked rolling machine. Mine is larger than the average household variety, but the technique is the same. Follow the manufacturer's instructions if there are any, but if not, here are some pointers:
• Pasta dough loves to be worked. I've taken the most seemingly incohesive mass of dough and worked it into smooth, compact, shimmering sheets of pasta by just rolling and rerolling it over and over again. It may need more flour, but eventually it will work.
• Begin by cutting the ball of dough with a knife into 4 manageable sections. While you work with one, cover the others with a clean, dry towel. Rub some flour on your hands and sprinkle some on the machine and the table the machine is clamped to. Now, form the dough into a rectangle with a rolling pin. (I've used a wine bottle in a pinch.) Set the machine for the widest setting and begin rolling the dough. You may need to sprinkle on more flour if the dough seems wet. It is a textural consistency that you are looking for. As you make the pasta thinner by turning the knob to tighter settings, you will soon be able to hold the ribbon of pasta up to the light and see the shadow of your hand through it.
(recipe continues)
• Hang the uncut sheets of pasta over a broomstick balanced on 2 chairs, or something similar. The sheets must not be too long or their own weight wih cause them to rip and fall to the floor. Allow them to dry a little; it will help the cutting process.
If you are planning to make ravioli or a similar filled pasta, your dough would now be ready for doing so. It is important to remember that you should have your filling already prepared, and that it not be too wet or too texturally rough. It is also wise not to make too much dough ahead of time or you will be racing to fill the pasta before it dries out.
There are a number of possible shapes and methods to consider for ravioli or other filled pastas, but for the sake of simplicity I'll discuss a square one. Cut the pasta into sections ("ribbons") approximately 24 inches long and 4 inches wide, and place on a lightly floured work table. Place small mounds of filling (approximately one teaspoon per mound) across the lower half of the ribbon, leaving about 2 inches between mounds. Beat together in a small bowl one egg and one tablespoon of water; take a small brush and lightly brush this egg wash between the mounds of filling and around the edges of the ribbon.