Homemade Pasta

Recently (as in four days ago) I purchased a pasta making machine. Before you call me lazy, it doesn't do everything for me, but it does make pasta making a breeze! If you decide to start making your own pasta, I highly recommend a drying rack, otherwise it would take at least double the time to dry your pasta. I've considered making pasta by hand, rolling out the dough and cutting it... then I never did any of that. Perhaps I could have achieved homemade pasta that way, but that left room for lots and lots of error in my eyes. After all, I just learned to can two days ago! One step at a time for this old girl. With this machine of the gods, all I have to do is mix the dough, run it through the machine a few times to get it the thinness I want, then a quick run through the pasta cutter of my choosing. Boom, fresh homemade pasta! If you've never had homemade pasta (first timer over here), or never made homemade pasta yourself, give it a whirl! There are pasta making machines in a range of prices to fit almost every budget, and I highly recommend getting one if you're a pasta fan. My husband could eat a pound a night if I let him. I'm quite a fan myself, just not a-pound-a-night kinda fan. Fresh homemade pasta blows store-bought out of the water!

Pasta Dough

makes one serving of pasta, double or triple as necessary

3/4 c. Flour

1 Egg

Pinch of Salt (optional)

Make a mound with the flour and make a large well in it (big enough for the eggs). Break the eggs into this well. Add a pinch of salt if you wish. Work the eggs and the flour together with a fork, adding the flour from just around the eggs little by little, until you have a smooth dough, adding just a drop of water if necessary. You can add a small amount of flour if the mixture is too sticky. As soon as you can (when the mixture is no longer sticky), use your hands. Knead the dough for ten minutes, until it is smooth, firm, and quite elastic. Divide the dough into two balls. Flatten each ball of dough with your hands. Pass this dough through the rollers of the manual pasta machine starting with the thickest setting, then moving on to the ideal thinness  setting (usually the last but one setting). Then pass through the machine cutter of your choice (I have fettucine noodles pictured). Allow to dry for 1-2 hours, making sure the strands are well separated and not stuck together. Cook for 5 minutes in plenty of boiling water. Enjoy your delicious creation and be proud!

There are tons of variations to homemade pasta, an as long as you end up with solid noodles, you've done great! Spinach, herbs, and tomatoes can be added to the pasta dough for additional flavor once you get the hang of things. Pasta made like this, dried properly and stored in a cool and dry area, should last for months. Next weekend I plan on making several large batches of pasta to store for use over the next couple of months to save time on weeknight meals. Convenient, homemade, and packed full of fresh flavor - you can't buy that!