Fresh Pasta... Without Eggs!

I've had an obsession with fresh pasta for years.  But I was pretty content to work on egg pasta... it's really delicious and forgiving to work with, and only needs AP flour, eggs, salt, and maybe a drop of olive oil.  And you can vary the amount of egg, yolk, oil... even types of flour.  But one day, I wanted fresh pasta... and the fridge was eggless!  So I decided to make eggless pasta... but all I had was AP flour... I made a complete gooey mess.  I've discovered you really do need the coarse texture and the heft of the Semolina.  Those Italians know what they're talking about!!  So now an obsession with eggless pasta has started to take over.

This is a very easy fresh pasta, and one that's surprisingly delicate (I somehow expected it to be a bit more dense without the eggs):  1 C of AP flour, 1 C of Semolina flour, a pinch of salt, and between ½ and ¾ C of cold water.  Mix all of these ingredients in a food processor or in a bowl or, if you want to go the traditional route, on the counter.  Let it rest wrapped in the fridge for an hour... or up to 24 hours... after that it gets a little grey.  Then the shaping is up to you... roll it out thin, and cut into long ribbons of any width or make the traditional "little ears."  This is great for either.  Since there is no egg, be aware it gets pretty brittle when it dries.

Next time I shape it into orecchiette, I'll take a picture... but I think these long fettucine/pappardelle/tagliatelle (all depends on the width) are awfully pretty!!!

 

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