Orange Tomato Paste-Colored Fresh Pasta

Ingredients

• 10 ounces all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 5 yolks from 5 large eggs
• 1 whole large egg
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for salting water

Directions

1. To make the dough, tip the flour onto a large clean work surface and shape it into a mound. Use your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to create a center hollow about 4 inches across. Add the whole egg, egg yolks, tomato paste, and salt to that space, then whisk them well with a fork. As the mixture comes together, start drawing in flour little by little until you have a sticky, wet dough.
2. Use a bench knife to clean any clinging dough from the fork and your hands. With the bench knife, keep bringing more flour into the dough, giving it a rough 45 degrees turn as you work, until it becomes firm and dry enough to gather into a shaggy ball, 2 to 5 minutes.
3. Knead by pressing the heel of your hand into the dough and pushing it away from you, downward and forward. Turn the dough 45 degrees, then do it again. Keep going until the dough is smooth, stretchy, and feels like a firm ball of Play-Doh. If it seems too damp, work in flour in 1 teaspoon increments. If it seems too dry, mist in water slowly with a spray bottle.
4. Wrap the dough ball snugly in plastic wrap and leave it on the countertop for 30 minutes.
5. To roll the pasta, set a piece of parchment paper on a tray or cutting board and sprinkle it lightly with flour. Take the rested dough out of the wrap and cut it into quarters. Put one quarter on your work surface, and cover the remaining dough again. Roll that piece into an oblong shape about 1/2 inch thick.
6. Set the pasta machine to its widest setting, then run the dough through 3 times at that width.
7. Move the dough to a lightly floured surface. Bring each end toward the middle so the ends meet, then fold the dough in half at that meeting point, doing your best not to trap extra air inside. Roll it back out to 1/2-inch thick, then send it through the rollers 3 more times.
8. Move the machine 1 notch narrower and repeat the folding and rolling process from the previous step. Do that once more, so the dough has gone through the third widest setting. After that, continue rolling the sheet through the machine, lowering the thickness by 1 setting each time, until it is as thin as you want it. The pasta should feel supple and delicate, with a faint translucence.
9. Lay the rolled sheet on a lightly floured work surface or baking sheet, or on parchment paper. Fold it as needed so it fits, adding flour or parchment between layers so nothing sticks.
10. Cover the dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel so it does not dry out, then roll the remaining quarters the same way. If you are making noodles, divide the sheets into 12- to 14-inch lengths.
11. To cut noodles, set the pasta machine to the noodle width you want. Feed one dough segment at a time through the cutter. Or, fold the dough and slice it by hand with a chef's knife to whatever noodle width you like.
12. Separate the cut noodles into individual portions, flour them lightly, and twist each portion into a nest. Set the nests on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and loosely cover with a kitchen towel until cooking time. You can freeze the pasta right on the baking sheet, then move it to a zipper-lock freezer bag and keep it frozen for up to three weeks before cooking. Cook it straight from the freezer.
13. To cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a full boil. Add the pasta, stir gently with a wooden spoon, chopsticks, or a cooking fork, and cook until the noodles are just set but still have a clear bite, tasting as you go, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Drain, toss with sauce, and serve.