homemade pasta

In my past, I have made fresh pasta.  I always thought it was 1 cup of flour 1 egg.  Since I have been doing so much reading I came to find out it is 1 etto (Italian) which is equal to 100 grams to 1 egg.  One good egg which is actually very hard to get in the United States.  An egg from a local farm where the chickens have room to run and are loved.  Not in my neighborhood.

Guess what I am making now.  Fresh pasta.  This is one of those quick meals where quick is relative.  It is faster then going out to eat and so good.  It is a sooth the soul type meal.  I have put red sauce on it.  I have put a leftover type toppings together for it.  It works.

I do not put any salt in this dough so I dough suggest you salt the water when you cook them.

pasta

Note:  This recipe is per serving.  Increase for each person.

100 grams flour

1 good egg

1 to 2 tablespoons water

On a scrubbed counter, put the flour (you can do this in a bowl too if you wish).  Make a deep indentation in the mound of flour and crack the eggs into it.  Beat the eggs just a bit.  Working from the outside in, mix in the flour.  I find I chase the egg back to the center with the flour.  Incorporate all the egg into the flour.

Mound the dough mixture.  At this point it should come together into a ball.  If it does not, add a tablespoon of water.  It might take two.  Start to knead.

A very smooth dough will develop.  I find that the counter is almost clean of all the mixture and there is no leftover flour.  I also do not have to add anymore at this stage.  Cover with cling wrap and let sit at least 20 minutes.

After scrubbing the counter again, flour the counter.  Unwrap the dough and press it into the flour.  Turn it over and press that side in the flour.  Start rolling the pasta dough out.  Keep the dough well floured so it will not stick.  This takes some work but a very thin large sheet of dough will develop.  My counter is not really big enough so I hang about half the dough off the side and work with one half and then turn.  Really.

To cut the pasta (I do not have a pasta maker), flour the dough well.  I was never able to do this next step until using this recipe.  Roll the dough up making sure it is well floured.  Cut in 1/8 inch strips or what width you wish.  Unroll and put into a pile of flour.  Keep doing this and fluffing the pasta pile so it does not stick.

Put the water on to boil.  A large pot.  Much water.  Seasoned with salt to taste like the sea.  When the water is a rolling water, put in the pasta.  Bring the water back up to a boil and cook for two to three minutes.

Drain.  Serve with what you wish.

This dinner I reheated some pot roast in a very hot steel skillet with olive oil.  I sprinkled it with some basil.  That went on top of the pasta with some pine nuts and parmesan.  Yum!

And I cleaned out the refrigerator a bit!