A Lotta Pasta

Next up on our Italian Feast Dinner was the pasta making, and a lot of it, nine big trays to be exact.  A lot of hard work in hand cranking a pasta machine, but it builds muscle and character as my mother would say.  My girls did a fabulous job, it tasted delicious!  Homemade is always better, the ingredients are fresh, so you know what you are getting, and there is no comparison to boxed pasta in flavor or texture.  To sum it up -  homemade pasta ROCKS!  If you do not have a pasta machine DO NOT let this keep you from making homemade pasta, checkout my note at the end of the Homemade Pasta recipe below.

Mixing the pasta dough

 Forming the ball

 The hand cranked pasta machine, and the fun begins rolling it out.

 The fettuccine and the spaghetti

 A lotta pasta and it was so worth the pain!

Homemade Fresh Pasta 

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of all purpose unbleached white flour, plus more for dusting (we used King Arthur)
1 tablespoon of kosher salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, may need more depending on your dough.

Directions
On a flat surface, combine flour and salt.  Make a well in the center of the mound and add the eggs and oil. use your fingers or a fork to blend the eggs into the flour  mixture, stirring the flour from the sides and working towards the outside of the well.  When the dough is mixed, dust a flat surface with flour and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic but not sticky (add flour as you need to) about 5 to 10 minutes.  Form the dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, cover it with plastic wrap, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes or up to 1 hour at room temperature.  The dough can also be refrigerated until ready to use.  Take it out about 30 minutes before you are ready to roll it.

Secure your pasta machine to a flat surface.  Set out a pasta drying rack or baking sheets lined with waxed paper and dusted with flour.  Using a scraper or a sharp knife, cut dough into thirds.  Keep the extra dough covered, so it does not dry out.  Flatten the first piece of dough into a rectangle, so it will fit into the machine. Set the rollers at the widest or the lowest number setting, usually 0 on the machine.  Roll the dough through, fold the dough in half, turn it to the opposite end and run it through again on the same setting.  Continue rolling the dough through machine, not folding it, to get through all the settings on the machine, adjusting the rollers until the desired thickness is reached.  If the dough becomes to hard to handle because of the length, cut it in half and continue to roll through the settings.

When your sheet of pasta is rolled to your desired thickness, cut your pasta sheet into the desired shapes and sizes by running it through the shape rollers on your machine.  Toss with flour and hang to dry on rack, or toss with the flour and place on the baking sheets.  The pasta can be cooked immediately or refrigerated for up to an hour before use.

Heat a large pot of salted water on high heat until boiling.  Add the pasta and stir immediately to keep pasta from sticking together.  Cook for 3 - 5 minutes.  Drain in a colander and serve with your favorite sauces.
Makes 4 servings

NOTE:  If you do not have a pasta machine, this dough can be hand rolled with a rolling pin and cut into shape with a sharp knife.