Homemade Spaghetti

Ingredients

Pasta: 

• 350 grams all-purpose flour
• 50 grams semola rimacinata or semolina flour (plus more for dusting)
• 1 egg
• 90 ml water

Tomato Sauce: 

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 1/2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use 1/2 teaspoon for a milder version)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1-28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes (pureed, for a more homogeneous sauce, or hand-crushed for a more rustic sauce)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 pound fresh spaghetti

To serve: 

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (plus more if needed)
• Olive oil (for drizzling)

Directions

Spaghetti: 

1. Assemble all required parts for the pasta maker (refer to the instruction manual for more details). Affix the ‘Thick Spaghetti’ shaping disc to the extruder.
2. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Plug in the electric pasta maker. Tap ‘Zero scale’ to tare the scale. Slowly pour in the dry ingredients towards the back of the pasta maker’s mixing bowl (this prevents any flour from getting stuck in the front extruder area). As you add the ingredients, the display screen will note the weight; you should have added 400 grams total.
4. Beat the egg until homogenous in the pasta maker’s liquid measuring cup. Pour in water and whisk until combined.
5. Next, lock in the mixing bowl lid. Choose ‘Pasta’ to start the automatic pasta maker. You will see the liquid amount on the screen (note that unlike the dry scale, the listed amount will not change as you add liquid). Press ‘Start/Stop’ to start the pasta making process. You will hear the motor running and the mixing paddle will begin mixing. Slowly pour in the wet ingredients into the liquid well on the lid until fully combined. You may need to use a fork or small spatula to push any remaining bits through.
6. At this point, the pasta maker will continue kneading the dough before allowing it to rest for a few minutes.
7. Meanwhile, sprinkle a bit of semola or semolina flour on a large baking sheet or tray.
8. Once the pasta maker finishes the waiting period, it will begin extruding the dough. For the first minute or so, the dough may extrude very slowly, and appear slightly dry. Eventually, it will begin to speed up and the dough will appear moister. Allow the pasta to extrude until it reaches 12 inches, then use a knife or bench scraper to firmly cut it. Wrap the cut dough in a nest and place on the baking tray. Cover with a kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Repeat, allowing the pasta to extrude to 12 inches, then cutting it and wrapping it in a nest.
9. Cook pasta immediately or store in an airtight container (make sure it's generously dusted with semolina to prevent sticking) in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Tomato Sauce: 

1. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or sauté pan on medium heat.
2. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to brown and oil turns a light orange.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in red pepper flakes. Sauté for 30 seconds until aromatic.
4. Add in the onion, then cook, stirring frequently for 8 to 10 minutes until they are soft and translucent. A bit of browning is okay but reduce the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
5. Stir in the canned tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add a pinch of salt (don’t add too much here, because the sun-dried tomatoes are salty too), black pepper, and the garlic powder. 
6. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce thickens slightly. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

To serve:

• To cook the pasta, set a large pot of water to boil. Generously salt the water, then cook the spaghetti for 4 to 6 minutes, or until it’s floating and just barely al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
• Transfer the spaghetti to the tomato sauce, and add a few tablespoons of pasta water, stirring to coat. Simmer spaghetti in sauce for a minute or two until the sauce clings to the pasta. Taste, and adjust for seasoning. Loosen the sauce if desired with more pasta water.
• Remove from the heat, then stir in the Pecorino Romano cheese until combined.
• Divide pasta amongst serving bowls. Grate with more cheese and drizzle a bit of olive oil on top. Enjoy!

Notes:

Troubleshotting while extruding:

• If the pasta is sticking to itself, it’s too wet and you will need to add 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour and re-knead the dough before extruding again.
• If the pasta is breaking apart very easily, it’s too dry, so you should add about 10 ml of water and re-knead the dough before extruding again.
• If the dough appears to be the right consistency, but is very, very slowly extruding (and the pasta maker keeps starting and stopping), make sure the mixing bowl is fully aligned with the back of the machine and try again.
• Pecorino Romano is necessary to cut the acidity of the tomato, so it’s best not to substitute it with another cheese.

Makes: 4-6 servings