How to Make Angel Hair Pasta
A post by Cid….
Here’s a post written by the evergreen Cid 
she has very kindly donated a recipe and photograph for all of you to share, thanks Cid and over to you…..
Recipe for Saffron Angel Hair Pasta
500 gr organic strong plain flour or 00 pasta flour
4 or 5 or possibly 6 free range eggs preferably organic
About a cup of organic semolina
a large pinch saffron soaked in about a tablespoon hot water (optional)
Pasta rolling machine (mine was second hand and cheap)
Designer Italian pasta drying rack (hugely expensive and completely
unnecessary but I thought I was worth it )
“First off, I never usually weigh my pasta ingredients so the above is
just a guide. Combine flour and semolina in a large mixing bowl with
your hands. Add three eggs and begin to bring the dough together. At
this point you’ll probably need to add at least a couple more eggs to
make a dry, firm but smooth dough which will pass through a rolling
machine without sticking. Did I mention you need a pasta rolling
machine, well you do really because it can roll pasta thin enough to
read a newspaper through… mine has two other settings, one for
tagliatelle and one for very fine spaghetti. Keep a little extra flour
at hand to sprinkle over the sheets of rolled pasta and onto the
finished spaghetti before sliding on the rack, which helps to keep it
from clumping together. Semolina helps to hold the dough together and
makes a better texture when cooked. You could add juiced raw beetroot
for pink or juiced spinach for green. I intend to try dried porcini
mushroom to the basic recipe to see if that tastes good. For those of
you without a fancy Italian drying rack (I weep for you ) use a
couple of cereal boxes and wooden spoon handles across the top. Fresh,
fine pasta like this takes only 2 to 3 minutes to cook in a large pan
of rapidly boiling water…. if using dried pasta, add an extra minute
or so. Drain and serve. The drying process takes between 24 to 48
hours then store in
an appropriate air tight container. This quantity should feed six to
nine people and that my friends, is a wild guess but you be the judge.
You could make a smaller quantity and cook straight away but due to the
time and effort involved in rolling and cutting, it’s worth making a
bit extra
for another day”.
Cid
Cid’s Angel Hair Pasta
Cid,
I am hugely impressed! The stand appears to be worth the investment if one is a regular pasta maker. I have never made any myself but admire those who make the effort.
Well done, Cid.
Anne
July 16, 2009 @ 7:39 pm
Anne,
Thank you for your kind words. My efforts at pasta making are largely due to a child-like affinity with Playdoh and generally making a mess in the kitchen
In truth the whole affair wouldn’t appeal nearly so much without my shiny new rack, to which I am stangely drawn despite it’s singular use. I don’t know anyone else who makes their own pasta and there’s probably good reason for that since the high end shop bought variety is also very good and not particularly expensive.
Everyone knows my penchant for glamorous and functional things…. that’s why I like Miles for instance
although did you happen to notice I’m now being referred to as evergreen Cid ….. more Norwegian shrub than pasta’s answer to Sofia Loren I’d say 
Cid
July 16, 2009 @ 8:53 pm
Go Cid!!
I’ve been wanting to see your pasta drying rack for ages. Needless to say it doesn’t disappoint. My pasta rolling machine hasn’t seen the light of day all year which is something that desperately needs to change. Can you tell me; is there a purpose other than storage that warrants drying pasta? I tend to cook my fresh pasta straight away but should I be leaving it to rest?
Smashing post, Cid! and thanks to Miles for giving up his time and bandwidth once again.
GDave
July 16, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
GDave,
I’m glad you liked the post and yes, isn’t it great that Miles allows us to do this from time to time. Hopefully it means he’ll get a night off although I suspect he’s far too busy for that. I could write reams on this site but if I had my own, bet I’d get writers block…. mind you Miles has said that I can do my memoirs on here if I like, interspersed with eccentric recipes
Getting back to pasta Dave, I don’t know of any reason why dried pasta is better, it’s just that I seem to always go mad and make far too much then have to dry it. That rack and I were destined to be together and after admiring it for a year in a shop window, you can’t really call it a spontaneous purchase…. I’m a great dweller on things and like to take my time. Don’t know about you but it never fails to amaze me how much pasta can be made from a modest quantity of flour and a few eggs, perhaps that’s why I do it. It should also be noted that you are the only other person I know with a pasta rolling machine, or at least who will admit it!
I’m having the kitchen remodelled so that my pasta rolling machine is more easily accessible. Cupboards that can only be accessed via contortionist methods are top of my list for demolition, although my design for a push button, electric, wall mounted 007 pasta drying rack is surely obsolete now the Italian and I have found each other
Cid
July 17, 2009 @ 3:30 pm
Cid,
Thanks for the advice. Storage makes perfect sense as a reason for drying. I had just a little paranoia that there was something no-one was telling me.
You’re so right, you do a great quantity out of your flour and eggs, plus there’s just something so satisfying in making your own. You should have seen my beaming face when I made my first tortellini.
Staying on the dried pasta theme and you know that I’m a wannabe Harold McGee disciple. He wrote an interesting article in the NY Times, primarily dealing with the application of heat in cooking, in which he speculated that we should be treating dried pasta just like dried beans, mushrooms, etc and rehydrating it by soaking it in water. I’ve no idea why that stuck in my head but I’d be fascinated to give it a side-by-side test. All opinions/scorn welcome!
Good luck with the kitchen remodelling!!
GDave
July 19, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
GDave,
You always bring an interesting observation to the table….. if you had the misfortune to be a neighbour of mine, we’d be rehydrating and experimenting with all sorts of things, enough to worry Heston I dare say
Back to the pasta…. question is do freshly made pasta sheets require blanching before they go into the lasagne… the dried shop bought stuff used to but there are some that don’t. Confused? I know I am
Problem used to be trying to stop the stuff sticking together in the pan…. seem to remember adding a little olive oil to stop that. The last thing we want is a rubbery tortellini 
so we ought to put this to the test once and for all.
Drifting away from flour and eggs and fabulous pasta devices…. I’ve been up a ladder picking wild cherries in my garden. It’s a fairly young tree but this year produced an enormous amount of fruit. I de-pipped 4 lb of cherries armed only with a Ray Mears pen knife then added sufficient sugar to make a compote, laced with a little Kirsch and a few cherry kernals to give extra flavour. It’s very nice with Greek yoghurt and anything that requires a real cherry flavour. Must remember to skewer a few for my Pimms
Cid
July 20, 2009 @ 6:14 pm