Many of us will be inspired to try making our own pasta using these instructions; also many will say, "Where's the box of De Cecco?" Either way, we love the idea of this as a family activity and the results are sure to be extraordinary if you want to give the garganelli a try.
Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 eggs
Having a pasta attachment to your electric mixer is certainly helpful, but a manual pasta roller works very well also. However, if you're going to try making this garganelli shape, you'll need a wooden dowel or pencil and a new clean comb.... see below.
Instructions
Heap the flour on a board or counter. Create a hollow round well in the middle (I turn the one cup measure upside down, gently depress). Break the eggs into the well.
Beat the eggs briefly with a fork, then begin to draw some of the flour in a LITTLE at a time, always mixing with the fork. When a soft paste begins to form, switch to a bench scraper.
Push all the remaining flour to one side of the board, while you scrape to the other side pieces and bits attached to the board.
Add to the paste some of the flour you have pushed aside and begin kneading the dough…as you add flour, let your kneading become a little more energetic. Knead the dough, pushing away, turning over, folding…add a bit more flour if it is sticking to the board. Knead for at least 6 minutes, do not skimp on kneading. Place ball of dough on a small clean plate, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
The dough is now ready to be rolled out. (I use the Atlas Pasta attachment for the Kitchen Aid stand mixer. However, in past, I have used the Atlas pasta roller which attaches to a table, or an island or some such).
Here's the tricky part, with thanks to Carole and Marcella Hazan: To make the garganelli, you can use a clean new hair comb with teeth at least 1.5- inches long. You also need a small dowel or a smooth, perfectly round pencil about 6 inches long and ¼-inch in diameter.
Cut the soft fresh dough into 1.5-inch squares. Lay a clean comb flat on the counter, its teeth pointing away from you; lay a pasta square diagonally on the comb so that one corner points toward you, another toward the tips of the comb's teeth. Place a pencil, or dowel if you have one, on the square and parallel to the comb. Curl the corner of the square facing you around the dowel (pencil) and, with gentle downward pressure, push the dowel (pencil) away from you and off the comb. Tip the dowel (pencil) on its end and a small, ridged tube of pasta will slide off. Spread the garganelli on a clean dry, cloth towel, making sure they do not touch each other. Garganelli cannot be made long in advance and dried like other pasta because they will crack while cooking. They are best cooked immediately, but if you cannot do that, plunge them into boiling water for a few seconds, drain immediately, toss with olive oil, and spread on a tray to cool.
Carole did use pencils in lieu of traditional wood dowels, and plastic combs in place of the traditional wooden garganelli paddle.
Let us know if you try this!
Recipe by Food and Friendship at https://www.foodandfriendshipsantabarbara.com/2020/07/21/covid-comfort-food/