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The Story
Farfalle are a much maligned pasta. I suppose that they’re easy to dismiss as a bit of a novelty, little butterflies that are stocked in most supermarkets, beloved to children, comfort food to adults. Often featuring in horrid cold salads. But when I look at farfalle I see textures: smooth expanses with ruffled edges, ridged hollows that hold sauce, an extra firm pinch in the middle to contrast with the softer bite of the flat sides. Their small size also makes them great for using up odd-shaped dough scraps. If you’ve made any of our other hand-rolled pasta and have leftover dough, they’re perfect to cut out and store away for a small serve or two, or to add into a broth or soup. In fact, farfalle are one of those awesome pastas originally made with scraps from other pasta, so you’ll be keeping it authentic.
If, like us, you are big on limiting kitchen waste (and you should be) then remember to collect up scraps as they fall, and seal them back in whatever you rested your dough in. Depending on the type and amount of pasta you’re making, there’s often enough to reform into a whole extra sheet or two. Squish them together by hand and then, as you would if starting with a fresh ball of dough, begin passing it through the smallest roller setting a few times. Once it looks like a fresh thick sheet, begin stepping it up to your desired thickness. Just be sure to not reuse dough that’s collected filling (eg. ravioli offcuts that have been smeared with cheese) as they may clog up your pasta roller. Of course, you can also recombine scraps entirely by hand, rolled and cut. And for the ultimate efficiency indulgence, just chop them as they lay! Maltagliati! It literally means ‘badly cut’, but is a perfectly honourable way to consume your offcuts.
The Pasta
I need to stop making excuses for non-standard flour choices. It’s all pasta! It’s all good! There are some things that will work better than others (and it’s true, some that won’t work at all) but for the most part it’s your choice. One of our hopes in writing this blog is that we can provide you with the confidence to feel your way through to a good dough. And if you can do that, you can start experimenting with pasta.
For this pasta, I felt like adding some rye. I wanted a little hint of that malty earthiness. I also decided to go heavy on the semolina. We never used semolina when I was younger, but ever since I introduced it into my dough recipes I’ve been addicted to the bite and the taste. I swear you can even smell the difference in a fresh ball of dough. I guess I tend to think about what texture I want in the pasta, but also what flavours and textures I’ll be pairing that with in the final dish. That’s one of the main reasons why we decided, after much deliberation, to present our pasta recipes alongside the recipes of the sauces that we paired them with on that particular Sunday.
Once you’ve rolled your dough out (we went to a 7 on the hand machine), spread it out on a nice big, lightly floured surface. If you don’t have a heap of room, you’ll want to prepare your baking-tray lined sheets in advance, as these little guys multiply fast and quickly get out of hand. To make my farfalle, I use the fluted roller cutter to form little rectangles of about one thumb width wide, and two finger widths long. It’s quickest to cut them as big grids, and I’d recommend only cutting about one ‘standard’ size sheet of pasta (14x30cm) at a time unless you’re confident in working quickly. Keep the rest of your pasta either unrolled or covered well until you’re ready for it.
There’s no right or wrong way to form the butterflies – you just pinch the sides together from the long edges – but I like to do it in three stages. First, pull one side about a third of the way into the centre, forming a pleat. Keep the outer edge of the dough tucked downwards as you pull it in. Repeat that on the other side, and then pinch the two pleats firmly together in the centre.
This pasta benefits particularly well from a bit of drying out, so if you have the time, stick them in the fridge uncovered overnight.
If you’re after a great pairing for your farfalle, check out our white bean and chorizo sauce! It’s just the ticket.
Have fun in the kitchen, and always cook with love.
– Al & Al.
Equipment
- Pasta roller and cutter (if not using a rolling pin and knife)
- Pastry/pasta cutting wheel
- Air tight container for resting
Ingredients
- 200 g 00 flour
- 50 g durum semolina flour
- 50 g rye flour
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp of olive oil
Instructions
- Mix the flours and the salt together, and form into a well on a large flat surface. You can also use a large bowl, just make sure that you have enough room to knead.
- To the well, add the oil and eggs. To easily separate the yolk, crack the egg in half and then pass the yolk back and forth between the shell halves, allowing the white to fall away.
- Use a fork or your hand to gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet, in the centre of the well. If you've formed a ball of dough but it still feels sticky, gradually add flour (no more than a tablespoon at a time).
- Once the dough can be handled without sticking to your fingers or the work surface, begin kneading. You may have to keep adding some flour if it you notice it getting sticky during kneading.
- To knead, put your weight down and forwards into the dough using the heel of your hand. You are trying to roll it forwards and fold it over at the same time, so the motion is down, forwards, and then up at the end of the push. Fold the flattened dough back towards you and over itself as you repeat. You want 10 minutes of hard kneading to really develop the gluten.
- After 10 minutes, if you've balanced your moisture correctly you should be left with a smooth, shiny ball of dough that requires no additional flouring. Don't give up in the first few minutes when it seems like a lot of work for not much progress – it gets easier.
- Store it in a freezer bag or similar to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Keep it out of direct sunlight or heat, as they will cause the dough to sweat.
- Cut your dough into four pieces, and roll it out. If you're using a machine, you'll want to go to around 7 (a little thinner than I usually would go, as the pinch in the middle of the farfalle will already be quite thick). I recommend cutting to lengths of around 30cm for ease of working. If you're using a rolling pin, cut the sheets to whichever width you like; I prefer to work at around 14cm (by 30cm).
- Arrange your sheets on a floured surface, and then use a fluted pasta cutting wheel to cut small rectangles of about one thumb width wide by two finger widths long.
- To form the pasta, make three pinches, similar to pleating, in the centre. First pinch is from one side to about a third of the way in, then the same on the other side, before drawing those two pleats together firmly in the centre. Give it a good squeeze to seal.
- Transfer to baking paper lined trays, and refrigerate uncovered. They'll keep for up to a week in the fridge, and will gain a great bit of chewiness as they dry out.
- To cook, as always, use plenty of water. Be sure to bite or cut across the middle of the pasta (at its thickest) when checking whether it's cooked. And if you're after the perfect dish to pair it with, try our white bean and chorizo sauce!
Hai un blog fantastico, ti faccio i miei complimenti!
Grazie mille! 😊❤️