CARAMELIZED ONION PASTA
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INGREDIENTS
250 grams 00 flour
6 large yolks
100 grams of pureed caramelized onions
CARAMELIZED ONION PUREE
You can make your own version of caramelized onions, there’s no one way to do it. We prefer to cook ours in butter and deglaze with beef broth over and over slowly until they’re dark brown and super tender.
Let the onions cool slightly, then blend into a smooth puree with an immersion blender, loosening with broth or water as needed.
PASTA
Let the onion puree cool to room temp and the yolks temper before using. They don’t have to get all the way up to room temp, but less of a chill will make for a better dough.
An extra step to really get great dough is to sift the flour first, then pour the flour onto a clean work surface. Use the bottom of the bowl to form an impression in the pile of flour.
Pour the eggs and puree into the impression in the flour. Using a fork, whisk the eggs and puree together, then start pulling in a tiny bit of flour at a time, gradually working your way around the edges. Once the egg mixture starts to get thick, use a dough scraper to mix the eggs and flour.
Scoop under, then use the edge to chop the mixture up. Scooping and chopping will make the mix come together into a shaggy dough. Once it starts to clump up, use your hands to press it all together and bring it into a rough ball.
Knead the dough for about ten minutes. Depending on temperature and humidity and egg sizes and all kinds of environmental factors, you may need to adjust your dough as you go. If it’s sticking to the surface and is too wet, lightly dust with 00 Flour and knead it in until the dough moves smoothly. If it’s way too stiff and way too dry, sprinkle on a little olive oil and work it in until the dough moves smoothly.
The dough should take some work to knead, but smooth and pliable enough that it shouldn’t feel like a fight.
Shape the dough into a ball. If you gently press a finger into it and the dough bounces back, you’re ready.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for at least half an hour, up to 4-6. After that it’s still edible, but you may see some off putting color changes and it might smell eggier.
Dust your work surface with semolina and have some extra on hand. Think of the semolina as being used to coat the dough so it doesn’t stick to itself or to anything else. The semolina is a barrier, but it does get worked into the pasta as you roll it out. Pasta should have texture. That’s what makes the sauce stick to it and that’s what makes it so delicious.
You can roll this dough out by hand, or put it through hand crank rollers or through a Kitchenaid attachment or equivalent, but don’t use this recipe with an extruder (it’s a mess). When rolling the dough out, follow instructions on your machine for thickness. If you plan to stack the sheets of pasta as you roll them out, dust with more semolina before you lay them on top of each other.
When cutting pasta for fettuccine or spaghetti or similar, be generous with your semolina to keep it from becoming one large clump that sticks to itself. This all takes practice, so if you don’t get it on your first few tries, keep adjusting and you’ll find it!
This dough is a little softer and slightly more damp than our plain pasta recipe. It is easy to work and doesn’t stiffen up. It’s excellent for filled pastas, great for flat shapes, and may take a little more work and patience to make shapes that need to stand up on their own.
