Murder from Scratch
Page 25
Ingredients
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour (called “00” in Italy)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
Directions for Dough
Pour the flour into a mound on a large smooth work surface such as wood (don’t use marble, as you want to keep the dough warm). Make a large well in the center of the flour with your fingers and crack the eggs into the center. With a fork, beat the eggs until the whites and yolks are evenly mixed together. Then start drawing in some flour from the sides of the well as you beat. This mixing needs to happen slowly, to avoid having clumps of flour. (Be careful not to break the wall, lest the eggs escape!) Continue incorporating the flour into the eggs until they are no longer runny—a bit like a thick pancake batter.
Using both hands, quickly bring the rest of the flour over the egg mixture so that it’s completely covered. Then work the mixture with your hands until all the flour is combined with the eggs. The dough should feel moist but not too sticky (if so, add a little more flour; if it’s too dry, add a tiny bit of water). Form it into a ragged ball and wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
Scrape clean your work surface and wash and dry your hands. Then unwrap the dough and begin kneading. Use the palm of your hand to push the dough down and away from you, then fold it back over itself. Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat this process. Continue kneading until the texture of the dough is uniform and smooth, with no specks of unincorporated flour—about 10 minutes. (It should be “smooth and silky as a baby’s butt,” Nonna Sophia would say.)
Wrap the ball of dough in a clean sheet of plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes.
Rolling and Cutting the Pasta
Cut the ball of dough into six pieces and wrap five back up in plastic so they don’t dry out. Flatten the first piece of dough with your hands and feed it through the roller at its widest setting (usually 0). Fold the dough in thirds (like an envelope) and feed it again through the same setting, with the folds at the sides. Do this three more times.
Reduce the roller width one notch and run the piece through one time. Reduce the width another notch and run the piece through one time. Continue reducing the width and running the piece through once until you get to notch number 7. (If the sheet becomes too long to handle easily, cut it in half.)
Lay the rolled sheet of pasta on a clean dish towel or wax paper, and repeat this process for the other five balls of dough, starting each time with the widest setting.
Let the sheets of pasta dry until they feel leathery (so the cut noodles don’t stick to each other), but not so dry as to be brittle and crack. Once leathery, run the sheets through the widest setting of the pasta machine’s cutting mechanism (for fettuccine), and lay the strips out flat to dry.
If you want pasta wider than fettuccine (such as pappardelle), you’ll have to cut it by hand. Dust the sheets of pasta with flour to keep them from sticking, then roll each sheet loosely so it’s about 3 inches wide, cut it into wide ribbons with a large knife, then unroll the ribbons and lay them out flat.
If you’re not going to cook the pasta the same day, you can roll the cut strands into loose nests. (Make sure they’re dried enough not to stick together; dusting them with flour helps.) Let them dry completely, then wrap in plastic and freeze. To cook, simply drop the pasta into salted boiling water (it will take slightly longer to cook if frozen).
Also available by Leslie Karst
Sally Solari Mysteries
Death al Fresco
A Measure of Murder
Dying for a Taste
Author Biography
The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst learned early, during family dinner conversations, the value of both careful analysis and the arts. An ex-lawyer like her sleuth, she also has degrees in English literature and the culinary arts. Leslie now splits her time between Santa Cruz, California, and Hilo, Hawai‘i, passing the days cooking, gardening, cycling, singing alto in the local community chorus, and of course writing.
This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE: The recipes contained in this book are to be followed exactly as written. The publisher is not responsible for your specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision. The publisher is not responsible for any adverse reaction to the recipes contained in this book.
Copyright © 2019 by Leslie Karst
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.
Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-68331-953-5
ISBN (ePub): 978-1-68331-954-2
ISBN (ePDF): 978-1-68331-955-9
Cover illustration by Hiro Kimura
Book design by Jennifer Canzone
Printed in the United States.
www.crookedlanebooks.com
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First Edition: April 2019
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