Coloured Doughs and the Pasta Machine
Cooking Skills: Pasta 2
Chapter 3 · Coloured Doughs and the Pasta Machine
Skill goal
Flavour and colour fresh pasta dough, and roll it thin with or without a machine.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
A plain egg dough can take on other flavours and colours, as long as you remember that anything you add changes the amount of moisture. A dry addition (ground pepper) needs nothing else. A wet one (spinach, tomato purée) needs extra flour. A thirsty one (wholewheat flour) needs extra water and a longer rest.
| Dough | What to add (per 100 g of flour and 1 egg) | What to adjust | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach | 40 g cooked spinach, squeezed dry | Add flour if sticky | Lemon, butter, ricotta, cream |
| Tomato | 1 tbsp tomato purée, plus 10 g flour | Add flour if sticky | Olive oil, garlic, seafood, basil |
| Wholewheat | 60 g wholewheat flour in place of 60 g plain, plus 1 tbsp water | Rest 45 minutes | Mushrooms, beans, strong flavours |
| Black pepper | 1½ tsp coarsely ground pepper | Nothing | Cheese, lemon, butter, ricotta |
The colour fades with cooking, so don't expect the bright green of the raw dough. The flavour is subtle: these doughs are about variety on the plate more than a strong taste.
Rolling by pin or by machine
A pasta machine rolls the dough to an even thickness faster than a pin and with less effort, and cuts it into ribbons. It's a good tool, but it isn't needed: everything in this course can be made with a rolling pin. If you decide to buy one, a hand-crank machine costs a modest amount, and clamps onto the worktop. The steps are:
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Flatten | Press a rested piece of dough into a flat oval about 1 cm thick, dusted with flour | It must fit the rollers |
| 2. Widest setting | Pass it through the widest setting, fold in three like a letter, and pass again. Repeat 3 or 4 times | Kneads the dough smooth and makes a neat rectangle |
| 3. Narrow gradually | Go down one setting at a time, passing the sheet through once at each | Squeezing too fast tears the dough |
| 4. Stop at about 1.5 mm | For most machines this is around setting 5 or 6 (of 7 to 9); check yours | Thin enough to cook in minutes but still strong |
| 5. Dust and cut | Dust lightly, let it dry for 5 minutes, then use the cutter or cut by hand | Stops ribbons sticking |
| 6. Clean it dry | Never wash it. Let leftover dough dry, then brush it out | Water makes the rollers rust and the dough stick |
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Spinach tagliatelle with lemon and parmesan
Spinach adds colour and a mild, fresh taste. The one rule is that it must be squeezed completely dry, because wet spinach makes the dough sticky.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 100 g plain flour (or "00")
- 1 Lion-marked medium egg
- 40 g cooked spinach, squeezed completely dry (from about 120 g fresh leaves or 100 g thawed frozen)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 tbsp fine semolina (or extra flour), for dusting
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lemon, zest and a squeeze of juice
- 15 g parmesan, grated
- Wilt the spinach in a pan with a splash of water for 1 minute (or thaw frozen). Cool, then squeeze it in a clean tea towel, twisting hard, until no more green liquid comes out. Chop it very finely, or blitz it with the egg.
- Beat the egg with the spinach until combined. Make a well in the flour and salt, pour in the green mixture and mix to a dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes. It will be stickier than plain dough: knead in extra flour, a teaspoon at a time, until smooth. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll out to 1.5 mm, dry for 5 minutes, and cut into tagliatelle as in chapter 1.
- Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of water, drain, and toss with the oil, lemon zest and juice, parmesan and 2 tablespoons of the water.
Level 2 · Concentrated
Tomato tagliolini with garlic, basil and cherry tomatoes
Tomato purée is a strong flavour in a small amount, and adds moisture, so there's a little extra flour. The colour is pale orange-pink and the taste mild.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 110 g plain flour (or "00")
- 1 Lion-marked medium egg
- 1 tbsp tomato purée (about 15 g)
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 tbsp fine semolina (or extra flour), for dusting
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
- 6 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 4 basil leaves, torn
- 15 g parmesan, grated
- Beat the egg with the tomato purée. Make a well in the flour and salt, add the mixture and mix to a dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, adding flour a teaspoon at a time if it is sticky. Rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll to 1.5 mm, dry for 5 minutes and cut into thin ribbons 3 to 4 mm wide (tagliolini). Dust with semolina.
- Warm the oil with the garlic in a wide pan over a low heat for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes until they start to collapse.
- Boil the pasta for 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of water, drain and toss in the pan with 3 tablespoons of the water for 1 minute. Add the basil and parmesan.
Level 2 · Healthy
Wholewheat tagliatelle with mushrooms and thyme
Wholewheat flour soaks up more water and has a coarser texture, so the dough needs a little water and a longer rest. It suits earthy sauces.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 40 g plain flour
- 60 g wholewheat flour
- 1 Lion-marked medium egg
- 1 tbsp water, plus a little more if needed
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 tbsp fine semolina (or extra flour), for dusting
- 150 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 thyme sprigs, leaves only
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 15 g parmesan, grated
- Mix the flours and salt, make a well and add the egg and water. Mix and knead for 10 minutes. The dough should feel firm; add a few drops of water if it cracks. Rest for 45 minutes.
- Roll to 1.5 to 2 mm (wholewheat dough tears a little more easily, so be gentle), dry for 5 minutes and cut into tagliatelle.
- Brown the mushrooms in the oil in a hot pan for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the butter, garlic and thyme for the last minute.
- Boil the pasta for 3 to 4 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of water, drain and toss with the mushrooms and 3 tablespoons of the water. Finish with the parsley and parmesan.
Level 3 · Spiced
Black pepper tagliatelle with ricotta and lemon
Crushed pepper in the dough gives a gentle heat all the way through, and speckles the ribbons. Use whole peppercorns that you crush yourself.
Ingredients (1 portion)
- 100 g plain flour (or "00")
- 1 Lion-marked medium egg
- 1½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 tbsp fine semolina (or extra flour), for dusting
- 40 g ricotta
- ½ lemon, zest and a squeeze of juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 15 g parmesan or pecorino, grated
- Mix the pepper into the flour and salt. Add the egg and make the dough as in chapter 1. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes and rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll to 1.5 mm, dry for 5 minutes and cut into tagliatelle.
- Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop out a mugful of water, then drain.
- In the warm pan, mix the ricotta, lemon zest and juice, oil and 3 tablespoons of the water into a loose sauce. Add the pasta and toss for 30 seconds. Finish with the cheese.
Experiments
Experiment
Pin or machine
Is a machine worth buying?
- If you have or can borrow a machine, roll two identical batches of plain egg dough: one with the pin and one with the machine, both to about 1.5 mm.
- Time each and compare how even the sheets are. If you have no machine, roll two batches to 1.5 mm and 2.5 mm by hand instead and cook both.
Look for: The machine is faster and the sheet more even, but the difference in the cooked pasta is small. Many Italian cooks still roll by hand.
Experiment
Wet or dry spinach
Why squeeze it so hard?
- Make two spinach doughs. Squeeze the spinach as dry as you can for one, and squeeze it only lightly for the other.
- Compare how sticky each is to knead and roll.
Look for: The wet spinach dough is sticky and slack, and needs a lot of extra flour, which dulls the colour. The dry spinach dough is much easier.
Experiment
How much spinach
Find the right strength.
- Make three small doughs (50 g of flour and ½ an egg each is enough, or make full batches) with 20 g, 40 g and 80 g of squeezed spinach, adjusting the flour as needed.
- Cook each and compare colour and taste.
Look for: 20 g gives a pale green and almost no spinach taste, 80 g is deep green, slightly bitter and tricky to handle. About 40 g per 100 g flour is usually the sweet spot.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach tagliatelle | ||||
| Tomato tagliolini | ||||
| Wholewheat tagliatelle | ||||
| Black pepper tagliatelle | ||||
| Pin vs machine | ||||
| Wet vs dry spinach | ||||
| 20, 40 and 80 g spinach |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Spinach dough sticky and slack | Spinach not squeezed dry | Knead in flour a teaspoon at a time; squeeze harder next time |
| Tomato dough dull | Too little purée | Use a concentrated purée; don't add water |
| Wholewheat dough cracks | Too dry, or not rested | Add water a few drops at a time; rest 45 minutes |
| Pepper dough bitter | Too much pepper, or pre-ground | Use 1½ tsp coarsely crushed pepper per 100 g flour |
| Machine tears the dough | Too thin too fast, or too wet | Go down one setting at a time; dust with flour |
| Colour fades | Normal | The flavour is the point; add a handful of herbs to the sauce |
Food safety: flavoured doughs and machines
The dough contains raw egg and raw flour. The Food Standards Agency advises against eating or tasting uncooked flour or dough, because raw flour is not treated to kill bacteria such as E. coli. Don't taste the dough or any filling that contains raw egg, wash your hands, the board and your tools after handling raw dough, and use Lion-marked eggs. Cook fresh pasta thoroughly. Pregnant women, children under 5, people aged 65 and over, and anyone with a weakened immune system should be especially careful.Uncooked fresh pasta, which contains raw egg, should be kept in the fridge (0 to 5°C) and cooked within 24 hours, or frozen straight away. (There is no pasta-specific official guidance, so this is a cautious rule based on the Food Standards Agency's general advice on chilling and freezing homemade food.) Freeze it in a single layer on a tray, then bag it, and cook from frozen.
Keep your pasta machine clean and dry: brush out dried dough instead of washing it, and wipe it after use. Cooked pasta is a starchy food, and like rice it can grow bacteria if it is left warm. There is no pasta-specific official guidance, so this course uses the cautious rule: cool it quickly (within about an hour), put it in the fridge, and eat it within 24 hours; freeze it if you won't. Reheat until steaming hot all the way through.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I know how to adjust a dough that has something wet added.
- I can squeeze spinach dry and make a green dough.
- I can make wholewheat, tomato and pepper doughs.
- I know how a pasta machine works, and that I don't need one.
- I know how to clean a pasta machine.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Pasta 2, chapter 4 is Ravioli: making and sealing filled pasta, with spinach and ricotta, butternut squash, and pea and mint fillings.