Making your own pasta can be fun for family

Published 9:00 pm Wednesday, May 16, 2007

In 1978, I purchased my first pasta machine at a tag sale in New Canaan, Conn. It was a small, steel, manually operated Atlas machine, the type that clamped onto a breadboard or the edge of a counter. It had a roller for broad noodles and two cutters: one for fettuccine and one for spaghetti. I immediately started rolling and cutting fresh pasta.

It is easy, fast and fun for you and your family. By using a food processor and a pasta-making attachment for a standing mixer, the making of the dough and the cutting of the pasta become remarkably simple. Vegetable purees add colors and flavors to the dough. Once rolled and cut, the long strips of dough can be slightly dried on a wooden rack, or even a broomstick resting on the backs of two chairs.

So get out your old Atlas or Imperia machine, or your new electric version, and start to roll and cut. It is definitely worth it.

Fresh beet pasta dough

Makes about 1 pound

Settings on pasta makers vary. You can use any machine, as long as you change the settings incrementally.

8 ounces red or golden beets (about 2 medium), without greens

2 teaspoons olive oil

Coarse salt

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

21/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

Semolina flour, for storage

Before getting started, be sure to clear ample counter space for kneading, laying and cutting the dough. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss beets with oil and a large pinch of salt. Wrap tightly in a parchment-lined piece of foil, and place on a baking sheet. Roast until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let cool. Rub beets with paper towels to remove skins. Puree in a food processor (you should have 1/2 cup puree).

Add eggs and yolk to puree in food processor, and process until combined. Add flour and 1 heaping teaspoon salt, and process until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds. Be careful not to overprocess.

Transfer dough to a well-floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding up to 2 tablespoons flour if dough is sticky. Place on a piece of parchment and cover with an inverted bowl, or wrap tightly in plastic; let rest for 1 hour to 2 hours.

Cut dough into 8 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep the remaining pieces covered with the inverted bowl), flatten dough into an oblong shape slightly thinner than the pasta machine’s widest setting. Dust dough very lightly with flour and feed through machine in one continuous, fluid motion, supporting both ends of the sheet with your palms to keep it flat. Fold lengthwise into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat twice on same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity.

Turn the dial to next narrower setting. Pass dough through twice, gently supporting it with your palm. Continue to press dough, passing it through ever-finer settings, two passes on each setting, until sheet is almost translucent and very thin, but still intact. The dough will stretch to about 16 inches long. If dough bubbles or tears, pass it through again and dust with flour if the dough is sticking.

For ribbon pastas: Place dough on a drying rack until slightly tacky, 10 to 15 minutes, and then cut into strands using a pasta machine, cutting attachment or by hand. Drape over rack until strands are semidry and don’t stick together, about 20 minutes. Cook immediately or lay in a single layer on a baking sheet dusted with semolina. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

For farfalle, lasagna squares or ravioli: Cut and cook according to recipe of your choosing.

Equipment check

In addition to a food processor and a pasta roller, it’s helpful to designate a soft brush as your “dry” brush, using it only for dusting excess flour off pasta or pastry (be sure this brush hasn’t previously been used with oil or butter). A pastry cutter cuts out shapes quickly, but a knife and ruler will also do the trick.

Beet ravioli stuffed with ricotta, goat cheese and mint

For the filling:

3/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese (about 6 ounces), drained 30 minutes

3/4 cup fresh goat cheese (about 5 ounces), room temperature

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, plus small sprigs for garnish

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

For the ravioli:

1/2 recipe Fresh Beet Pasta Dough

Semolina flour or fine cornmeal, for dusting

2 tablespoons coarse salt

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

Make the filling: Stir together cheeses and herbs; season with salt and pepper.

Make the ravioli: Dust a baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal. Work with each sheet of dough just after it has been rolled. Cut sheet in half crosswise, and trim each half to a 3-inch-wide strip. Space tablespoons of filling 31/2 inches apart along center of 1 strip.

Top with remaining strip, and gently press around filling to seal, working from center out. This forces out any air, which may result in the ravioli bursting during cooking. If the dough isn’t moist enough to adhere, lightly brush the edges with water and press again.

Using a fluted pastry cutter, cut into 3-inch squares. Transfer ravioli to sheet, and cover with a kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining pasta dough and filling.

To store, lightly dust ravioli with semolina, and refrigerate between layers of parchment in an airtight container for up to 4 hours. Alternatively, freeze ravioli in a single layer on a baking sheet, about 15 minutes, and then pack as described above; freeze for up to 1 month. Do not thaw before cooking.

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt and half of the ravioli. Cook, stirring occasionally to separate, until edges are just tender, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a colander to drain. Drizzle with oil, and toss gently to coat. Transfer to a bowl, and loosely cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining ravioli.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook until butter is dark golden brown and has a nutty aroma, about 4 minutes.

Divide ravioli among plates. If first batch has cooled, return them to hot water for 15 seconds, then drain. Spoon brown butter over ravioli. Serve immediately, garnished with mint.

Questions should be addressed to Ask Martha, care of Letters Department, Martha Stewart Living, 11 W. 42nd St., New York, NY 10036. E-mail to mslletters@marthastewart.com.

2007 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc.