Homemade Pasta

METHOD

Just dough it. Pour the flour onto your work surface (marble or wooden is best).

Just beat it. Make a "volcano" out of your flour using 2 fingers. Crack the eggs into the the well of the "volcano". Using a fork, beat the egg, taking care to keep all of the egg inside of your "volcano".

Combine. Once the egg is beaten well, use your fork to incorporate small amounts of flour. Keep incorporating more and more flour and when it becomes too difficult to work with a fork, switch to using your hands.

Knead, I ask?! Chill out and give it a rest. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Cut it out. Run through a pasta machine a couple of times on the thickest setting, then start rolling through on smaller and smaller settings. Be sure to handle the dough as little as possible, and when not in use, be sure to cover with plastic wrap.

Cook or store. To cook the pasta immediately, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and cook the pasta until "al dente", 4-5 minutes. To dry, lay the pasta over something like a clothes drying rack, coat hanger, or the back of a chair, and let air dry until completely brittle. To freeze, either freeze flat in long noodles or in the basket-shape on a baking sheet until completely frozen.

Notes: You can roll and cut pasta by hand. Divide the dough into four pieces and mimic the action of a pasta roller with a rolling pin. Roll as thin as possible, lifting and moving the dough constantly to make sure it doesn't stick. Sprinkle the dough generously with flour and then gently roll it up. Use a very sharp chef knife to cut the roll cross-wise into equal-sized noodles. Shake out the coils, toss with flour, and proceed with cooking.

*Adapted from Cook with us in Rome - Pasta All'uovo

Photos by Klaus Nielsen and Anton