[RECIPE] Back to the basics! Make fresh pasta from scratch

There’s nothing quite like making your own fresh egg pasta, at home. We don’t do this for every single meal, but for special occasions or fun family activities, we do! It is not complicated, and you don’t need intricate equipment to create perfect pasta. This recipe is what I use when I make it at home, and all I use is a roller, a seamless surface (like a large wooden board or a marble/tile counter or table top and a knife to make the cuts. Easy!

FRESH HOME MADE EGG PASTA

INGREDIENTS:

80 grams of flour type 00
20 grams of semolina flour
1 large egg
Pinch of salt

PROCEDURE:

• In a large mixing bowl pour the two types of flour and mix with your hand or a fork

• Add a pinch of salt and mix again

• Crack the egg into the bowl in the center of the flour mixture

• Use your hand to mix the egg and flour until incorporated (the mix will remain a bit grainy and will stick to your hands a bit; this is totally ok, simply rub your hands together to loosen the mixture off of your hands and back into the bowl)

• If the mix is too wet (ie: if it sticks to your hands AND the sides of the bowl) add a bit (a teaspoon or so) of extra flour type 00 to the mix until it holds together more (the mix should be a ball of dough with no residue in the bowl at all

• Transfer this ball of dough to a clean flat surface and work it with the palm of your hand until it becomes homogeneous (there should be no lumps and no grain - it could take a good 5 minutes to get it juuuuust right, and if it sticks to the surface, use a pinch of flour type 00 to keep the surface dry, as needed

• Once the dough is a beautiful homogeneous ball, use the rolling pin to flatten it out (press the pin at the center of the dough and push away from you, then put it back at the center of the dough and press towards you)

• Repeat this rolling movement over and over again, making sure you spin the dough 90 degrees every once in a while, to make sure it rolls out evenly

• The dough is ready to be cut, once it is flattened to about 1 millimeter in thickness (just think of any fettuccine you’ve ever had an a restaurant… that thickness is your goal)

• To make fettuccine, use a very sharp knife to slice 1/4 inch thick strips of pasta

• Boil salted water and cook the fresh pasta in it for no more than 3 minutes or so (try it at the 3rd minute to make sure its a perfect al-dente texture)

• Drain the cooked pasta, dress it with your favorite sauce and buon appetito! :)

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