Recipe Name: Egg Pasta
ingredients
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(Parenthesis are optional sections)
- 31/2 cups flour (any kind of wheat flour will do. Semolina is best.)
- 4 eggs
- (1-2 tablespoons olive oil)
- (Fresh or dried herbs)
- (Pinch of salt)
Instructions
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1. On your counter top or on a cooking sheet, cutting board, or other large, flat and clean surface, pour out all 31/2 cups of your flour in a doughnut shape or mound it up and make a well in the center.
2. Crack all 4 eggs(, along with olive oil, fresh or dried herbs, salt, or any other ingredients you wish to add) into the hole in the center and, with a fork, beat them gently together. Incorporate some of the surrounding flour into the mass of egg as you beat it.
3. With your hands [I hope you've washed your hands!] incorporate the flour into the egg until you get a consistent, smooth dough. If there does not seem to be enough hydration, add water by the drop until it's the right consistency.
4. knead for at least 10 minutes. Dust with flour if it's too sticky.
5. divide the dough into 2-4 pieces. Allow to rest, covered, for 20 minutes.
Now comes rolling out the pasta. There are two ways to do this; with a rolling pin, or with a pasta machine.
A note about both methods; flour your work surface! The dough quickly becomes quite delicate, and trying to peel raw pasta the thickness of a dime from a counter top will only end in disaster.
With a rolling pin:
1. Roll out the dough, rolling from the center outward, until the dough is about 1/4 inch thick. I'm not actually sure if it's better to roll the dough out into a circle or a rectangle, though I've only tried the circle and know it works well enough.
2. Roll the dough around the rolling pin toward you until you've about reached the center. Gently stretch out the dough as you unroll it forward, stretching it thinner and thinner until it's slightly transparent, at least the thickness of a dime. The pasta will about double in thickness while cooking.
3. Cut the pasta however you wish. You can even opt to not cut it at all if you choose and have a big enough pot.
The pasta machine should come with instructions, though here is the process if it didn't:
1. Roll or press the dough out flat. Thickness doesn't matter much, that's what the pasta machine's for.
2. With the machine on its widest setting, dust with flour and roll the dough through the machine. Pull on it gently as it comes out, using your finger tips to prevent puncturing it.
3. Turn the roller down a notch and send it through again. Dust with flour if it so much as THINKS about sticking.
4. Repeat until the pasta is the desired thickness.
The pasta is best prepared right after it's made, though it can be dried, refrigerated for a few days, or frozen for a month or two.
To prepare the pasta:
1. Bring salted water to a rolling boil. Use about 6 quarts of water and around 3 tablespoons of salt for a pound of pasta, though exactness doesn't matter much at this stage.
2. Dump in the pasta. Stir occasionally.
If the pasta's fresh, it will cook in about 3-5 minutes. To check for doneness, take out a noodle or cut a piece off one and eat it. If it's firm and substantial and has no raw flour taste, it's done. Dried or thicker pasta will take longer, about 7-10 or even 15 minutes.
3. Dump out the pasta into a strainer or colander, removing as much water from the pasta as you can quickly.
4. If you'll be adding anything else, add it immediately. It will stick to the pasta better the faster you apply it.
prepare time: I'm being generous with these times.
5-10 minutes mixing, 10 minutes kneading, 20 minute rest; rolled with a rolling pin about 20-30 minutes, 10-20 with a pasta machine, 3-5 minutes boiling = 58-75 minutes using a rolling pin, 48-65 minutes with a pasta machine.
And if you don't like it because it's not Asian;
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