Stuck in a dinner rut? Give fresh pasta a try. This homemade black pepper pasta pairs up with spicy arugula and just enough creamy lemon ricotta to cool it off. Perfect summertime meal.
From AnkarsrumUSA recipe developer, Carmi Adams:
When it comes to homemade pasta, I find that spending a little extra money on a specialty flour makes all the difference. I prefer using only finely ground semolina/durum flour. It’s high gluten content and distinct flavor give me the texture and taste that I want out of a pasta. If you mill your flour at home, give durum or kamut wheat a try for pasta.
Using the pasta attachments is pretty straightforward. Check it this video for more detailed instructions. Just a quick note: Do not submerge these attachments in water to clean! Read the user’s manual on how best to care for them.
Making pasta dough in a machine is a little different than making it by hand, and the ingredients in the recipe reflect that. Mixing up the dough in the stainless steel bowl requires a little patience at first to wait for all the flour to incorporate.
If you are looking to invest in the pasta attachments, I always recommend starting with the lasagna one first. This will give you large sheets of fresh pasta dough to make lasagna or filled pasta such as ravioli or tortellini. These large sheets can then be run through the other attachments to make different size noodles, or if you can only invest in one at a time, use a sharp knife to cut the sheets into strands of noodles.
If cooking the pasta the same day it is made, generously dust each portion of noodles with flour and create a little nest out of them until ready to cook. If not cooking for several days, I recommend draping over a pasta drying rack or laying out flat so they don’t start to clump and stick together.
I like no-cook or minimally cooked sauces/toppings for my pasta when the weather is hot. This one is a simple mixture of ricotta, salt and lemon zest that gets tossed with the freshly cooked pasta and a little pasta water to turn it into a sauce. Add in some fresh arugula and toasted pine nuts and cook just until the arugula begins to wilt.
This recipe makes just over 1 1/2 pounds of pasta. You can half all measurements if you prefer a smaller batch. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. Enjoy!
Black Pepper Pasta with Arugula and Lemon Ricotta
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3-4 minutes
Pasta Dough:
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
180 g. (3/4 cup) water
3 g. (1/2 tsp.) kosher salt
0.5 g. (1/4 tsp.) freshly ground black pepper
602 g. (3 1/2 cups) finely ground semolina/durum/pasta flour (for whole grain/home milling use durum flour/grain, decrease water by 1-2 tablespoons)
Sauce:
850 g. (30 oz.) whole milk ricotta
2 g. (1 heaping tsp.) fresh lemon zest
6 g. (1 tsp.) kosher salt
85 g. (3 cups loosely packed) fresh baby arugula
160 g. (1 cup) toasted pine nuts
Additional ingredients:
semolina flour for dusting noodles
salt for pasta water
lemon wedges and olive oil for garnishing pasta, if desired
Set up the Ankarsrum mixer with the stainless steel bowl and the roller/scraper. Add the first 5 ingredients of the pasta dough and mix on medium speed (3 o’clock) until thoroughly combined. Add in the semolina flour and mix on low speed (1 o’clock) until the mixture begins to come together and form large clumps, approximately 1 minute, scraping the dough off the roller as needed. Adjust roller about 1/2 inch from side of bowl and lock in place and continue kneading on medium speed (3 o’clock) until flour is fully incorporated. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes.
For Lasagna Roller:
Attach roller to Ankarsrum base. Divide dough into 6 portions. Make sure to keep the dough covered when you are not working with it. Take one portion and flatten with your hands. Set attachment on the widest setting, turn speed on low (1 o’clock) and roll dough through. Fold in half and roll through again. Adjust roller to the next setting down and roll dough through. Continue to adjust setting and roll portions of dough through until desired thickness is achieved. For a slightly thicker rustic noodle cut into strands with a knife, take it down to setting number 4. For a thinner noodle, or to run through the other attachments, take it down to setting number 5.
For Spaghetti and Fettuccine Roller:
Attach tagliatelle or fettuccine roller to Ankarsrum base. Take dough that was rolled through the lasagna roller and gently feed through the attachment. Lightly dust and toss fresh noodles with semolina flour to keep them from sticking together.
If you do not have the lasagna roller, take dough portions, gently knead and then roll to about 1/8 inch thickness with a rolling pin. Run through tagliatelle and/or fettuccine roller and lightly dust and toss fresh noodles with semolina flour to keep them from sticking together.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
While water comes to a boil, whisk together the ricotta, lemon zest and salt in a medium bowl.
Cook pasta for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the rest. Add pasta and reserved water back to the pot along with the ricotta mixture. Cook over medium low heat for 1 minutes, until ricotta mixture becomes a sauce that coats the noodles. Add in the arugula and pine nuts and cook just until arugula begins to wilt.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges to squeeze over pasta, if desired.
Yield: 8 servings (pasta dough yields 1 pound 9 oz. pasta)
