Today is a return to the cuisines of the sun for me. I spent the weekend outside by the grill dreaming and soaking up the sun. This kind of simple cooking with spring ingredients inspires the art of good living. It makes me want to put new clothes on ancient recipes. When the weather warms up, fresh ingredients reflect the joie de vivre that blooms with the trees. I read a version of this recipe last summer in a Richard Olney’s Provence the Beautiful and it has stayed with me for a full year. The fresh pasta requires nothing more than your hands, a rolling pin and some basic ingredients (eggs, flour, salt and maybe olive oil). The proportions in which to use these ingredients were the daunting part for me and for some reason I also believed this would take forever. Alas, it did not take any longer than most dinners I make. You just can’t be afraid to throw your body weight into the rolling, as you must get these squares very thin for the recipe to succeed.
The basic pasta rule of thumb is to use one egg for every 100 grams of flour. But the exact proportions of ingredients will vary depending upon the humidity in the room, the age of the flour and the time of year. If you just pay attention to the dough and let your instincts guide you, you’ll know when you have a good pasta. The more you do it, the more instinctive it becomes.
An alpine bouquet of green things, wild and cultivated, this pasta is never the same twice. That’s what I love about it. As a new season arrives, I know I’m not the same as I was at this time last spring. The differences are subtle and some are perceptible only to me. Certain recipes, people and goals have loosened their grip over me, while others have captured my attention in full. The weather reminds me of things I’ve forgotten and my gaze has shifted on some things from oblong to direct casting different shadows and bringing new things to light. Like me, this is a recipe that moves with the seasons. It depends upon what is available at the moment. It’s physical. It’s as old as time. And yet, young dandelions, purslane and any other nascent, wild salad greens bring fresh life to it. In spring when the shoots are young and tender, a discreet amount of winter savory is good here. Basil, arugula, parsley, cilantro, celery leaves and green onions can be filled out with spinach or Swiss chard. Take your pick. Next time I’m going to try cranking these out with an old school machine to see if I can get them longer and thinner, as is my preference, though thicker squares are satisfying too. You can adjust every part of this recipe to your liking if you keep the ratios in mind. The possibilities are endless, but the base is tried and true. Old methods, new spring greens and good old fashioned force. This is the stuff of life.
Happy Thursday!
HERB PASTA ~ PATES AUX HERBES
Ingredients:
- large pinch of coarse salt
- 4-5 oz mixed fresh herbs and salad greens chopped
- about 3 cups all purpose flour, (2 for the pasta and 1 for rolling)
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 tablespoons warm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Parmesan cheese, grated
- butter
- pepper to taste
Directions:
In a mortar pound together the salt, herbs and greens to form a paste. Put 2 cups of the flour into a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the contents of the mortar and the eggs to the well and stir with a fork, moving outward to absorb the flour. Add water if necessary or more flour to form a soft but coherent, sticky dough.
Thickly flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Knead repeatedly, pushing with the heel of your hand, folding and pushing. The greens progressively release their liquid, absorbing more flour. When the dough is silken and no longer sticky but still supple (it must be soft enough to be easily rolled out by hand) form into a ball cover it with plastic wrap or a towel and rest for an hour. You can put it in the fridge for a few hours.
Scrape the work surface clean, flour it again and roll out the dough about 1/8 inch thick, turning it over (flip it or roll itup on the rolling pin) on the floured surface two or three times as you work. Cut it into strips about 1 1/2 inches wide and cut across the strips into squares.
Bring a large pot filled with salted water to a boil. Add the oil. Toss the squares loosely in your hands to rid them of excess flour and drop them in the boiling water. When the water returns to a boil, adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon, until tender, about 6 minutes.
Drain and serve in plates. Top with cheese, butter or pepper to your liking.
I love making pasta!I mostly use parsley, but your variety of seasonal green dots in them really make them extra special. I recently got my mum´s old pasta machine, and I have to say: It´s fun! Much more fun than rolling by hand because it does all the hard work for you. I highly recommend it! Have a wonderful remaining week, Amanda!
Sabine.
Thanks, Sabine. I recently got a roller too and i really need to try it. This was a serious effort. But i do live the way the green does the pasta. Enjoy your week too! Xo
Beautiful pasta – and well done to you for doing it all by hand!
Thank you, Chica! I hope you’re doing well. This was my first time doing it and it was kind of fun. I can see the joys of a roller though. 😉 xo
I love the idea of putting herbs in the pasta dough. Not only does it look pretty but adds great flavor to the pasta. I opt for the pasta machine. Pasta making is hard work without it.
Beautiful finished dish.
Thanks, Jovina. It really does add flavor to add the greens directly to the dough. I hear you about a pasta machine. I think it would have made the process a lot easier. I had to go old school first. I now have an old school roller so I’ll figure out how to put it together and use it next time. This was a fun experiment.
Wow – that sounds like bio dynamic dough! It looks absolutely beautiful and I bet it tastes good 😉
Haha! Thanks, MD. It was certainly infused with good stuff. It makes it really pretty. Though I really do like plain pasta mixed with greens that haven’t been crushed too. Totally different experiment and taste. This was fun…and a lot of hard work. You really have to throw yourself into the rolling and even still these were thicker than I prefer. I hope you’re well!
Wow, Amanda, you are brave. I would never find the courage roll out pasta on my own without a machine. It is so easy with it, and yields a much thinner dough. I love the idea of using fresh herbs in the dough, and just butter for seasoning once they are cooked. So simple, so elegant. And delicious, of course!
I actually laughed when you wrote (good luck!) on your last post about rolling out your own pasta because I knew I’d be experimenting with this. I actually have a machine now, but I haven’t quite figured out how to put it together. It’s the old kind where you crank it. After all of the elaborate fusions and Mexican I’ve been experimenting with, something in me craved a return to simple and fresh. Thanks for your comment as always. i look forward to hearing from you.
Amanda, I’ve also got an old crank machine; it is fun to use, easy, pretty, and IT WORKS so well! It’s the best kind. I’ve got more projects for it, after years or using it only once or twice a year… I want to try egg-less pasta dough, and more-yolks pasta dough, and different flours, and adding herbs like you did, and spices…..
That sounds amazing. We’ll have to experiment together because I’m all about this now! There was an article in the NYTimes recently all about the various pastas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/13/dining/fresh-pasta-made-simply.html?_r=0
Nice video! I love how she makes it look and sound so easy (which it is, really).
I just disagree with the last phrase: to me, fresh pasta and boxed pasta really just can’t be compared, and I love them both for different reasons. 🙂
Now, there’s spring! Beautiful! I have a confession, though. I’ve pulled too much purslane—the bane of my summer existence—out of my gardens to ever want to eat it. Steve says I’m crazy. I think he sometimes eats it right out of the yard. (Which is probably the closest he ever comes to weeding.)
I am so jealous. What i wouldn’t give for you to overnight that to me. I really should have used your roller here, but I had to try the old way first. After doing it once in all about (old) technology 😉 Thanks, Michelle
wos, stunning and really original pasta recipe,gonna try this a.s.a.p
Thanks, Dedy. I really would love to cook my way through your while blog. 😉
Wow!! The pasta is so gorgeous! It must be so flavorful with all the herbs.
Thanks, Mary Frances. The herbs really made it feel like I was sitting outside in Provence 🙂
Pasta is one of my weaknesses, I like this recipe of yours. It looks so full of flavor. Yummy!
Thank you, Anna. I too have a weakness for fresh pasta. The herbs throw it over the edge. It makes me think of dining al fresco with a glass of white wine. Sigh.