Green Pasta Dough
La pasta verde, or green pasta, is a variation to the classic fresh egg pasta. To naturally color the dough green, spinach is one of the most common ingredients, although Swiss chard and nettle are often used.
To get a homogenous colored green dough, follow this simple trick: toss the cooked spinach and eggs in a blender or food processor and pulse for a few seconds. Simply chopping the cooked spinach sometimes leads to a speckled dough instead of a well-distributed green color. This festive green colored dough can be used for lasagne sheets, fettuccine, ravioli or any cut of pasta.
Servings: 4
Add the eggs and cooked spinach to a blender or food processor and pulse for 10 seconds. Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and add the flour, salt and egg/spinach mixture. Mix for 3-5 minutes until the mixture comes together as a ball. Add a spoonful of water at a time if the dough is too crumbly or a spoonful of flour if the dough is too sticky. When the dough is homogenous and smooth, wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Alternatively you can knead by hand for 10-15 minutes).
Attach the pasta roller accessory to the stand mixer. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, press them into flat rectangles. Be sure to flour each side well. Pass one of the pieces through the machine on speed 1 on no.0. Fold the ends towards each other and pass it through again. Continue to pass the dough through, reducing the thickness from no. 0 to 5. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a well floured surface.
Let the past sheets dry for 10 minutes on a floured work space. Attach the fettuccine accessory and run one sheet through on speed 1. Continue with the rest. Flour the fettuccine ribbons well so they don’t stick together. Alternatively, you can cut the pasta sheet into ribbons by hand in fettuccine, or any shape desired.
To cook: bring a pot of water to boil, add course salt and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain. Serve with your sauce of choice. Buon appetito!
