Garganelli are a hand-rolled tubular pasta that are shaped by rolling a small square of pasta dough on a small ridged wooden board called a pettine (comb) or a gnocchi board with a miniature rolling pin. They are quite easy to make. It will probably take you more time to cut the little squares rather than shaping the final garganelli but it worth the effort. Garganelli go very well with a tomato ragú sauce, creamy mushroom sauce or just a traditional basilico sauce.
The little squares are ideally cut using a square cookie cutter. I didn’t have this so I used a ruler and… patience 😊.
Recipe
How much time do you need?
Preparation time: 2 hours
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Total time: 2 hrs 10 minutes
Material:
Pasta rolling pin or pasta maker
Bowls
Bench scraper
Gnocchi paddle (Garganelli board)
3.5-4cm square cookie cutter (or a ruler and pasta cuter, or a knife)
Kitchen scale
Ingredients (2 serves)
200 gr all purpose flour
200 gr semolina flour
4 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt
More flour for dusting
Method:
Pasta dough:
Form a crown with the flour, arrange eggs and the olive oil in the centre, add a pinch of salt. Start taking the wet ingredients from dough from the centre to the edges until the ingredients are joined. Knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth. Let the covered dough rest for 20 minutes. Cover in plastic wrap to it does not dry out. This step is essential and will make the rolling and stretching process much easier.
Divide the dough in 4 or 6 small balls. Roll out each small ball until thin sheets are obtained, approx 1-millimetre thick sheet. If you are using an automatic pasta maker, start with the widest setting (0) and continue until you reach 6 or 7. Repeat the process with all small balls. Arrange ready sheet on a lightly floured work surface.
Cut each sheet into 3.5-4cms squares and let dry for 20 minutes. This step is important as it will prevent garganelli from flattening when they’re ready.
Garganelli:
To shape the garganelli, place a pasta square on a well-floured gnocchi board. Fold a corner of the square over the garganelli pin and roll it towards you. Apply pressure to imprint the ridges on the garganelli board and seal it at the same time. Careful not to press too hard to avoid the dough sticking to the board but apply enough pressure to seal and imprint the ridges. If you find this tricky, try flouring the garganelli board after every other garganelli. Repeat the process with remaining squares. See video in the highlights on my Instagram account.
Let the shaped garganelli dry for about 30 minutes before cooking or let them dry completely overnight and store in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container. They are better eaten within one week.
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