Techniques » Squid Ink Pasta Dough
Ingredients
- 3 cups flour
- 4 eggs
- pinch of salt
- ¼ - ⅓ cup squid ink
- if dough feels dry, add another egg white, egg yolk or 2-4 tbsp water
Special Equipment
- disposable food service gloves
- bench knife/pastry scraper
- plastic wrap
How-to
Note: Squid ink is very staining; it is suggested to work with gloves
- Place flour in a mound atop work surface. Make a well in the center of the flour for the eggs and squid ink
- Add eggs into the flour well and sprinkle a pinch of salt around the flour
- Add squid ink on top of the eggs and with a fork or pastry scraper, slowly work the flour around the walls of the well into the liquid until all of the ink and eggs have been worked into the flour
- Start to gather the dough together with hands, working the excess flour in slowly
- Knead dough with hands about 10 minutes, or until "smooth as a baby's bum." One test to see if the dough has been kneaded properly is to slice the dough in half with a sharp knife. If the dough does not have air pockets, it is ready to rest
- Wrap with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before use
- Remove pasta from refrigerator and work in batches, always keeping pasta that's not in use well wrapped in plastic
- Use a pasta machine or rolling pin to roll pasta into desired thickness, dusting with flour along the way to keep from sticking. Slice into noodles or add fillings. (If adding fillings, seal edges of pasta with an egg-white egg wash.) Freeze, refrigerate or cook immediately
To Cook the Pasta
- Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil
- Add pasta and cook 5-7 minutes if cooking immediately, 15 minutes if refrigerated and 20 minutes if frozen
- Serve with favorite sauce
Roberta Dowling
Roberta Dowling's fascination with food can be traced back to her great-grandmother where everybody in the kitchen had a job to do and Roberta's favorite task was making pasta. Her parents favored a European type of education and as a young girl Roberta and her family lived in Rome, experiencing the culture of Italy, and then traveling throughout Europe. Roberta's cooking career is extensive. She began teaching for Madeleine Kamman at Modern Gourmet from l968-l969. While with Ms. Kamman, she received both the Teaching and Professional Chef's Diplomas, taught non-professional classes and the Professional Chef's Program, and was named the Senior Teacher of Italian Cuisine. After leaving Modern Gourmet in l974, she opened her own cooking school, The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and catering business, DeGustibus Catering. After 25 years, she has focused her attention on the school where she continues to inspire culinary students with her energy, enthusiasm and - of course - her pasta!
Adding color to fresh pasta opens up a world of ideas for sauce, meat, herb or cheese pairings. Roberta Dowling, the creative force behind The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, shares her technique for fresh pasta dough with squid ink. The transformation of flour, eggs and salt into a smooth jet-black ball of dough with just a small amount of the ink is fascinating. After a brief rest in the refrigerator, you're free to roll and shape the dough any way you like.
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