Fresh pasta

[jeanette1976]

What is the recipe for making pasta? I was thinking of adding sun-dried tomato paste or basil infused oil in the mixture.... X

[BBWCHATT]

Fresh Pasta Dough
1/4 lb. flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
Chilled water
Making the pasta dough by hand: Mound the flour on a work surface or in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork, incorporating the flour as you whisk. You may need to add a little chilled water; � tsp at the time, to make loosely massed dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; it should be soft, pliable and dry to the touch. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic with a slightly glossy appearance. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave for 30 minutes. It is then ready to roll out.
Making the pasta dough using a food processor: Mix the four for 3 seconds, and then add the eggs with motor running. Mix again for 5 seconds, or until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Mix until a loose ball forms. If the dough seems too sticky to form a smooth ball, add some flour, mix briefly and continue adding flour until the ball forms. If the mixture is too dry, add chilled water, a tsp at the time. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. It is then ready to roll out.
To roll out the pasta dough by hand: Divide the dough into 2 or 3 manageable portions. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others refrigerated, wrapped in plastic. Flatten the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out from the centre to the outer edge, rotating the dough often to the same side. When you have a � inch thick circle of dough, fold it in half and roll it out again. Do this eight times to give a smooth circle of pasta, and then roll to a thickness of 1 inch. Keep it covered and don�t allow to dry out.
If you have pasta machine work the dough through the rollers, making the setting smaller each time until the dough is the correct thickness.

[BBWCHATT]

Part One:

FOR A SCANT 1 1/2 POUNDS (SERVES 6):
3 to 3 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs or 3 large eggs and 3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
3 to 4 tablespoons water, or as needed

FOR I POUND (SERVES 4):
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons water, or as needed

FOR 1/2 POUND (SERVES 2):
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 to 2 tablespoons water, or as needed

Directions:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Make a well in the center and add the eggs. Beat the eggs and flour together lightly with a fork, then gradually pull the flour into the well until all of it is incorporated and a supple dough has formed. If it seems too dry, add a bit of water. If it is too wet, add a bit more flour. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 10 to 15 minutes. Pat into a flattened disk and slip into a plastic bag. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

You may also assemble the pasta dough in a food processor. Put in the flour and salt. Pulse in the eggs, and then the water if needed. (Resist the temptation to add too much water or the dough will be too soft and sticky to roll out after it rests.) Gather the dough into a rough ball. The dough will be crumbly, so you will need to knead it on a lightly floured surfacc until it is smooth, 10 to 15 minutes. Pat into a flattened disk, slip into a plastic bag, and let rest at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes.

[BBWCHATT]

Part Two:

Fresh egg pasta is an essential part of the Italian Jewish culinary repertoire. It is easy to make at home with a small, hand-cranked pasta machine, not an extruder that produces an elastic and often rather tough dough. For a tender noodle, use unbleached all-purpose flour, not the coarser semolina flour that is meant for commercially made extruded pasta. This recipe makes a rather stiff and dry-feeling dough, but ultimately will yield a lighter pasta. It is essential to let the dough rest before rolling it out, giving the gluten in the flour time to relax. A drier dough produces a pasta that will not be gummy when cooked. So take the time to knead it well and you will be rewarded with a silky, light, and tender noodle. Measure flour by spooning it into a measuring cup and leveling it with a knife. Weather affects pasta, so if the day is damp you may need a bit less flour. For the richest pasta, use more egg yolks than whole eggs. Three large egg yolks are the equivalent of a single large egg in moisture content. Note: If you use extra-large eggs you will not need any water. But since most of us have large eggs on hand, I have used them in the basic recipe.

[jeanette1976]

Oooooooooooooh, thank you very much BB, much appreciated!!! X