I'm curious how to make pasta (and in this case I'm talking about say, spaghetti, angel hair, shells or lasagna noodles, no filling) and store it dry like I would find in a box at a store. I would try to take a day where I have not much to do and make ~25 pounds of pasta for the year (or every six months, happy to keep food fresh) Should there be adaptations of a recipe? Or would any do?
How would I go about storing pasta (without filling) without a freezer for long periods of time?
Best Answer
Any standard pasta recipe (basically flour, salt, water or egg) should do.
Unless stated otherwise, fresh pasta can be cooked right away or dried and stored for months. Cooking time will vary, of course, with fresh pasta done in a few minutes, dried in roughly the same range as store bought.
When drying pasta, use the same aproach as for laundry: Separation, dry conditions, slight air flow if possible. For long pasta, it's usually hung to dry, e.g. on (clean) broomsticks or poles, smaller shapes can be put in a thin layer on dish towels or table cloths, pro's use wodden frames with thin mesh, like one would for drying fruit. Tagliatelle are sometimes gathered into little nests (= 1 serving), then dried.
For pictures, search for "pasta drying rack". Usually you'll need about 2-3 days for pasta to dry thoroughly.
Your estimated storage time of six months should be fine, even up to a year, but only for basic recipes with white flour. If you like to try whole grain, other grains (buckwheat, spelt) or more exotic flavours/colours (tomato, beets, spinach, curry...), I'd aim for three months just to be sure nothing goes rancid or looses colour. Paper bags (food grade) are ok, as is cellophane or plastic, but make sure the pasta is really, really dry, when packing in plastic. Store in a cool, dry , possibly dark (for coloured pasta) place.
side note:
Have fun and remember to take pictures once you've flooded your house with drying pasta ;-)