Let’s learn how to make homemade pappardelle pasta from scratch! This is the perfect way to spend the time in a cold winter day, especially if you plan to pair it with ragu’, as I usually do. Your house will smell divine and all the family will gather around the kitchen!
But first..what is pappardelle? Pappardelle is a long-shape pasta that is wider than tagliolini or fettuccine. Usually, it is between 3/4 of an inch and 1 inch wide and it is originated from Tuscany but is very popular along the entire Italian peninsula. Homemade Pappardelle can have fluted or zig-zag edges, or can have straight/linear edges. There is another shape of pasta that has fluted edges but it has a smaller width and it is called reginette or mafaldine. Pappardelle comes from the Italian word “pappare” which means eat hungrily, and definitely, that is what you will do with this rich and delicious recipe.
If you want to discover more about all the different kinds of fresh homemade pasta recipes, read my post.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
– This is one the classic homemade pasta recipe that is not over complicated and requires only a few tools.
– This homemade pappardelle recipe It is a fun weekend project and your kids can help you! Or you can invite some friends over and cook altogether!
– You will require a few simple and fresh ingredients.
PAPPARDELLE PASTA RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Making Pappardelle pasta is less daunting than it seems and once you will take the habit, you will love making homemade pasta, I can guarantee you! I must confess that it is exciting to see how few basic ingredients, when combined, give life to such a mouthwatering meal.
Let’s first consider the choice of flour:
To make homemade pappardelle I used semolina or durum wheat flour as the final result is more rustic and it better holds a rich sauce like ragu’. In general, when you serve homemade pasta with a rich sauce, using semolina flour will give a full sensation of roundness in your palate.
Eggs: this recipe calls for 3 eggs, possibly at room temperature. You will use both the yolk and the white.
EVOO: it adds moisture to the dough and eases the kneading. You can also add a few tablespoons of water at room temperature.
Salt: please remember to add salt to the dough and of course to the cooking water.
TOOLS TO USE
- Wood cutting board or counter top
- Fork
- Rolling pin OR pasta machine
- Sharp Knife
- Plastic wrap
- Tea towel (lightweight towel) or bowl
- Bench scraper (optional)
- Kitchen scale (recommended)
HOW TO MAKE PAPPARDELLE
This recipe will make 1 pound of fresh pasta, which is enough for 4 servings as a main course, or for 6 servings as a primo. What are the Primi (plural noun of Primo)? Primi is how in Italy we call a dish of rice or pasta, that is usually served after the appetizer or antipasti and before the secondi, which is a fish or meat dish.
Make the homemade pasta dough
Form a wheel with the flour, previously sifted. Add the salt, the EVOO, and break the eggs into the wheel, whisking them with a fork. Incorporate the flour as you whisk. You might need to add a bit of chilled water to make the dough more loosely, but add a bit at a time, otherwise, you will have a mushy dough that will not be easy to adjust to maintain the ratio of flour to eggs.
Alternatively you can use the dough in a stand mixer, even if doing it by end will allow you to feel the dough. Feeling the dough is important to understand the right level of elasticity that will result in a much better quality of fresh pappardelle.
Knead the dough on a floured work surface, until you have a final dough that is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough in a plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minute.
Rest the dough
This is a very important step: Resting the dough will allow the pasta to fully absorb the eggs, giving the dough the right consisentcy for you to be able to shape it. Make sure you do not skip this step!
Cover the dough in a plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Alternatively you can cover it with a tea towel or an upside down bowl and live it at room temperature, away from any source of heat or cold air.
Roll out the dough
After you rested the dough for 30 minutes, divide it into 4 parts and cover them with a linen towel to prevent your dough to dry. With a rolling pin well-floured, start by rolling each piece from the center to the outer part on a floured countertop. When it reaches around 1/8 inch of thickness, the you are ready to use a pasta machine.
At this point I use a pasta machine and pass the dough through its rollers. I use the thickness of 0 at first, then I pass it to more times into thinner thickness. I usually proceed from 0 to 2, then 3, then 4 and then 6. By doing this, you will obtain the lasagna, which is a wide stripe of pasta. You will know it is the right thickness when you will see clearly the shadow of your hands if you will elevate your sheet against the window.
Cutting the rolled pasta dough into Pappardelle
Pappardelle is cut by hands. Ensure your counter is well floured as well as the pasta sheet. This will avoid the pasta to stick. Lay your pasta sheet and fold it in half.
Then fold it over in half another time and then one more last time. Proceed to cut it into 1 inch thick pieces. You have obtained pappardelle.
Once you have cut the sheet, you will need to separate each one of the pappardelle individually and place them on a floured wooden-board. I insist on the importance of a well-floured counter-top, rolling pin and wooden board to avoid the pasta to stick to any of these surfaces.
COOKING PAPPARDELLE
Bring to boil a pot of water. When the water boils, add rock salt. Then add the pappardelle and cook it for 8 minutes. Using a pasta fork, drain the pasta and add it the pot where you have your pappardelle sauce. Add a splash of pasta cooking water, and toss for a few minutes. Plate it and toss it with a bit of parsley, black pepper and Parmigiano Reggiano. Enjoy it!
BEST PAPPARDELLE SAUCE RECIPES.
How to serve Pappardelle
Pappardelle can be a complete meal if you serve this recipe among 4 people and dress it with a meat sauce such as ragu’.
As alternative, if you want a lighter meal, you can start with an appetizer of Bruschetta, or an Italian Little Green Salad, followed by the Pappardelle noodles as a main.
WHICH WINE TO PAIR WITH PAPPARDELLE AL RAGU’
I recommend to pair pappardelle with ragu’ or a red sauce base withe a medium body wine. A Chianti Sangiovese or a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo are both valuable choice.
Chianti is a popular choice. Its notes of tomato leaf match well with the ragu’ and overall it is a medium body wine, paired with a good level of acidity, balances well the beef ragu’ and the pasta.
Montepulciano has notes of oregano and plum, it pairs great with rich food with a moderate to high amount of fat.
If you are going for a non meat based sauce ( creamy or with fish) I recommend a Pinot Grigio or a Vermentino, to bring up some acidity.
Equipment
- Roll-pin
- Pasta Machine
Ingredients
- 1 cups flour 00 flour
- 2 tbsp flour 00 flour
- 2 tbsp flour durum wheat flour
- 4 eggs
- 3 tbsp water (see notes)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tbsp rock salt
Instructions
STEP 1: MAKE THE HOMEMADE PASTA DOUGH
- Form a wheel with the flour, previously sifted. Add the salt, the EVOO, and break the eggs into the wheel, whisking them with a fork. Incorporate the flour as you whisk. You might need to add a bit of chilled water to make the dough more loosely, but add a bit at a time, otherwise, you will have a mushy dough that will not be easy to adjust to maintain the ratio of flour to eggs.
- Alternatively you can use the dough in a stand mixer, even if doing it by end will allow you to feel the dough. Feeling the dough is important to understand the right level of elasticity that will result in a much better quality of fresh pappardelle.
- Knead the dough on a floured work surface, until you have a final dough that is smooth and elastic. Cover the dough in a plastic wrap, place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
STEP 2: ROLL OUT THE DOUGH
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, divide it into 4 parts and cover them with a linen towel to prevent your dough to dry.
- With a rolling pin well-floured, start by rolling each piece from the center to the outer part on a floured countertop. When it reaches around 1/8 inch of thickness, you are then ready to roll the cut the pasta sheet you just obtained into pappardelle.
STEP 3: CUTTING THE ROLLED PASTA DOUGH INTO PAPPARDELLE
- At this point I use a pasta machine and pass the dough through its rollers. I use the thickness of 0 at first, then I pass it to more times into thinner thickness. I usually proceed from 0 to 2, then 3, then 4 and then 6. By doing this, you will obtain the lasagna, which is a wide stripe of pasta. You will know it is the right thickness when you will see clearly the shadow of your hands if you will elevate your sheet against the window.
- Do not cover the long sheet, so that the moist surface will dry slightly before cutting it, resulting in a neat cut. Now you can cut the pappardelle. Fold the dough into half, by rolling the dough from the longest side. Then fold it in half again. At this point with a sharp knife cut the fettuccine 3/4 to 1 inch wide.
- Once you have cut the sheet, you will need to open the pappardelle and make some nice nest. Place them on a lightly floured surface, better if it is a wooden-board. I insist on the importance of a well-floured counter-top, rolling pin and wooden board to avoid the pasta to stick to any of these surfaces.
STEP 4: COOK THE PAPPARDELLE PASTA
- Bring to boil a pot of water. Add salt when the pasta is at roaring boil. Add the pasta and cook it for 5 minutes. Using a pasta drainer, drain the fresh homemade pappardelle pasta into the pot where you have your favorite sauce.
Notes
- You can use all-purpose flour. Durum-wheat flour gives a better tenure during the cooking.
- Add the water carefully, otherwise, you will have to review the ratio of flour to eggs.
- Use a wooden rolling pin, well-floured, it will prevent the dough to stick to it while you are rolling it out.
- This recipe yields 1 pound of pasta, ideal for 4 servings as a main course or for 6 serving as first serving.
Nutrition
