Spinach Pasta Dough

Ingredients

For Spinach Purée

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ lb (3 cups) spinach leaves, washed but not dried
  • pinch of salt

For Dough

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • pinch of salt
  • if dough feels dry, add another egg white, egg yolk or  2-4 tbsp water

Special Equipment

  • fine-mesh strainer or tamis
  • blender or food processor
  • tongs
  • plastic bench scraper
  • stainless bench scraper

How-to

Prepare Spinach

  1. Start water simmering in a shallow saucepan. Season water with a pinch of salt
  2. Add spinach with water still clinging to it and and cook until it just starts to wilt but not lose color, about 30 seconds
  3. With tongs, remove spinach only (leaving any water in the pan but reserve water in case you need it if pasta dough feels dry) to a food processor or blender and purée
  4. Transfer mixture to a tamis or fine-mesh strainer that sits over a large bowl, and push spinach  through to remove large particles. Set the bowl aside while making the dough

Make Dough

  1. Place flour in a mound atop work surface. Make a well in the center of the flour for the liquids
  2. Add the eggs into the well and beat with a fork
  3. Sprinkle a pinch of salt around the flourm
  4. Spoon the spinach purée into the flour well and with a fork, slowly work the flour around the walls of the well into the liquid until all of the purée and eggs have been worked into the flour
  5. Start to gather the dough together with hands, working the excess flour in slowly. If dough seems too dry to incorporate all of the flour, lightly beat egg in spinach purée dish (to soak up any extra puree residue left in bowl), then work into the excess flour
  6. 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 enough is to slice the dough in half with a sharp knife. If the dough does not have air pockets, it is ready to rest
  7. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before use

Shape & Cook Pasta

  1. Roll out dough with a rolling pin or pasta machine and cut into desired shapes
  2. Use 1 gallon of water per pound of pasta; adding salt to pasta water is optional
  3. Bring water to rolling boil (covering the pot speeds up this process), add pasta and cook 5-7 minutes (allow different cooking times depending on the thickness of the pasta). Drain and serve with your favorite sauce