I love the rustic look and feel of homemade pasta. Especially these shapes, which are perfectly imperfect! Each piece is different and I find that charming. This pasta dough is firmer than our Homemade Pasta recipe. I think it is ideal for orecchiette and cavatelli. There is an Eggless Pasta dough recipe too, which has a very rustic texture, but I prefer the mouthfeel of this dough best. Try both and you decide.

Tips:

• This is a great recipe to make with the kids. Both shapes are fun and don’t require any fancy equipment.

• When making pasta dough, it is best to work on a wooden board. The texture and warmth of the wood are superior to marble or granite.

Egg Pasta Dough

Makes 3/4 lb of pasta

PREP 35 minutes

COOK 3 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1 egg

pinch of Kosher salt

1-3 tablespoons of warm water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place the flour on a clean surface. Add salt and combine. Make a well in the center of flour.

2. Crack and egg into the well and using a fork, start to combine the egg with flour.

3. Add one tablespoon of warm water at a time until the flour is coming together. The type of flour and how dry your home is will play a role in how much water you will need. It may be different every time you make the pasta dough.

4. If you have added 3 tablespoons of water and it seems too dry still, try wetting your hands and working the water into the dough that way.

5. Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes until you get a smooth surface and the dough is a pale yellow. Dough is ready if you poke it and the dimple is elastic. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 15 minutes.

6. Divide the dough into four pieces, keeping dough that you are not using wrapped.

7. Roll one piece of dough at a time into a log about 1” thick. Slice the log into 1/8”-1/4” disks. I like to roll the log as I slice so I can maintain that round shape. It doesn’t matter how thick you make the pasta, as long as you are consistent.

8. Orecchiette- Dig your thumb into some flour and press into the center of one of those disks, rocking in a circular motion making the center of the disk thinner than the outside edges. Continue until all the disks are shaped then place the pasta on clean dish towels or a pasta drying rack. Repeat with remaining pasta dough.

9. Cavatelli- Using a butter knife, drag the knife over a disk of pasta using force to thin it out and curl the pasta towards you. You should get a channel or curled piece of pasta dough. It takes some practice to apply the right amount of force. Continue until all the disks are shaped then place the pasta on clean dish towels or a pasta drying rack. Repeat with remaining pasta dough. Watch video here.

10. If you are eating the pasta immediately you can boil them in salted water for about 3 minutes or until they float to the surface.

11. If you would like to dry the pasta allow them to dry for at least 24 hours, flipping them over once or twice. Once completely dry they can be stored for months in your pantry. No need to freeze.