All in the Family

Elena Faita's Basic Pasta Dough

3 cups semolina
4 extra-large eggs
2 tbsp olive oil + a little additional oil
4–5 tbsp water, as needed

Make a well with the semolina flour on your working surface. Crack eggs into the center of the well. Using one hand, beat the eggs with your fingers so that they’re thoroughly mixed. Add olive oil and water to the egg mixture. Mix again. Start pulling some of the flour from the well into the centre, mixing it with the egg-oil-water mixture, using a circular mixing motion all the while, until a ball of dough is formed. Kneed for a few moments and add water if the dough feels dry. Coat the ball lightly with some olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Cut the dough into 4 to 6 pieces. Take one piece, flatten it out to 1/2 inch thickness, sprinkle lightly with flour. Set the pasta machine to the “1” setting (or the widest setting) and roll the dough through. Sprinkle with a little more flour, fold in two and pass again, at the same setting. Repeat another 5 or so times until the dough is rectangular and the same width as the rollers. Narrow the setting on the pasta machine and pass the dough through. Repeat this operation through each setting on the machine until the last setting. The sheet of dough will be very thin. Repeat as above with the remaining portions of dough.Cut each strip of dough to fit the lasagne dish. Spread out on clean tea towels sprinkled with flour until use. Do not let the pasta sheets overlap.

We can’t guarantee their mothers will be in the house, but here’s where you can enjoy a meal or a cooking lesson with the star Montreal chefs in this story.

Au Pied de Cochon 536, av. Duluth E., 514-281-1114, restaurantaupieddecochon.ca
Brontë 1800, rue Sherbrooke O., 514-934-1801, bronterestaurant.com
École de cuisine Mezza Luna 57, rue Dante, 514-272-5299, mezzaluna@chezdante.com
Tapeo 511, rue Villeray, 514-495-1999, restotapeo.com
Fleuriste Raymond Thérien 257, av. Laurier O., 514-272-6395
LCC Vins 1751, rue Richardson, n^o 4.119, 514-985-0647, lccvins.com
Liverpool House 2501, rue Notre-Dame O., 514-313-6049, liverpoolhouse.ca 
Quincaillerie Dante 6851, rue Saint-Dominique, 514-271-2057, dantesports.com

Special thanks to writer, editor and consummate foodie Meredith Erickson who produced the event, Elena Faita and Stefano Faita for the generous use of the Mezza Luna Cooking School premises, Kendra McKnight for her enthusiasm in the kitchen, Paul Coffin from LCC Vins, sommelier Ryan Gray from Liverpool House and florist Raymond Thérien.

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