Fabio Viviani's demo recipes


Fresh egg pasta
SERVES 4 ITALIANS OR 8 REGULAR PEOPLE
I grew up with fresh egg pasta. My great-grandma kept me from destroying the house by having me crack eight eggs on a cutting board and hand mix them with flour for hours. It’s very time-consuming! I am all about preserving tradition, but what about achieving traditional pasta flavor in a tenth of the time? All you need is a food processor and a blade attachment. That’s the way I teach people to make pasta.

TIP: Remember, egg sizes vary. If after you put in the egg yolks, your pasta is sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

10 egg yolks
Pinch of table salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. olive oil

About 2 cups flour

1. Place egg yolks in a food processor with blade attachment. Add salt, pepper, and olive oil, and pulse a few times.
2. Add 1 cup flour and pulse until eggs absorb it and you have a semi-thick paste. Add remaining 1 cup flour and allow blade to rotate continuously. When the dough is ready, you should see a ball-shaped mass bouncing around the canister. If the dough is still too wet to the touch, add an extra tablespoon of flour. If it is a bit dry, add a little water as needed.
3. Remove pasta and roll/shape according to the directions of the recipe you are making. If you’re saving it for later, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 6 days. (But pasta, according to my grandpa, must be consumed right away, or you should just make a risotto instead!)

From Fabio’s Italian Kitchen by Fabio Viviani. © 2013 FV Legacy, LLC. Available wherever books are sold. Used with Permission.

Fabio Viviani’s Lazy Meatballs
SERVES 6  I  30 TO 60 MINUTES
Lose the pasta and serve these small sausage mouthfuls on their own. Simply pair with crusty bread to soak up the savory tomato sauce.

About 3 tbsp. olive oil 
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup beef or chicken stock
2 cups fresh puréed tomato
6 sausage links, cut in to meatball-size pieces
1 wedge parmesan cheese
1 bunch fresh basil


1.  Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat and add oil.
2.  Add onions and garlic to pan when oil shimmers and is hot; toss to coat.
3.  Add fennel seeds. Season with a large pinch of salt. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until onions just begin to soften
6.  Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 5 minutes.
7.  Add sausage and continue to simmer until fully cooked, about another 10 to 12 minutes. Once tomato sauce has reduced and is thick, adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
8.  Top with freshly grated parmesan and a handful of torn basil.

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