Homemade Egg Pasta Dough
2-1/4 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 eggs, lightly beaten
Place the flour in a mound on a clean work surface. Make a well in the center large enough to hold the beaten eggs. Pour the eggs into the well. With a fork, begin gradually incorporating some of the flour from the sides, taking care not to break the flour wall. When the eggs are no longer runny, it is fine to break the wall. Continue working in the rest of the flour until the dough is no longer wet.
Gather the dough into a loose ball and start kneading, dusting with additional flour (if needed), until the dough is smooth and no longer sticky, 2-3 minutes. Wrap tightly in saran wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes before rolling out. Makes 1 lb. (it should feed 4 people but my husband and I only have enough leftover for 1 of us to have a small snack)
Once the dough has rested, you are ready to roll it out and feed it through the pasta machine. Lightly flour your work surface. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Take 1 piece to start with and cover the remaining dough with a clean kitchen towel so it doesn’t dry out. Roll the dough out with a rolling pin until it is thin enough to fit through the largest setting of the pasta maker. I have a manual pasta machine and my largest setting starts at 1 and goes to 6.
To get the pasta pliable you will put it through the largest setting approx. 10 times. After the first run through, fold the dough in 3rds, roll out if necessary to get
it thin enough to put in the pasta maker and run it through, repeat this process 9 more times. Once you’ve gotten to this point prepare a cookie sheet with a piece of parchment or wax paper, dust it with flour and have additional flour ready to dust the pasta sheets. Now change the setting on the pasta maker to the second from largest setting and run the dough through. Then go to the 3rd from largest setting and run the pasta sheet through. If the sheet gets too long you can cut it in half. Go to the 4th and 5th from largest setting and stop. Place the pasta sheet on the prepared cookie sheet, dust both sides with flour and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat this process with the remaining 3 sections of dough.
Once you have all of your pasta sheets prepared you can put them through the pasta cutter attachment. If you do not have a pasta cutter attachment you can cut them by hand with a sharp knife. Simply roll up each sheet, starting at the short end, like a tight cigar and cut it into thin slices, appox. 1/4″ wide. Unroll and dust lightly with flour and cover until ready to cook.
My pasta maker was a Christmas gift from my husband a couple of years ago. The brand is Imperia and I believe he bought it at Williams-Sonoma. I really like it and you can’t beat homemade pasta!
Homemade fettucine...
Pasta Sauce Amatriciana
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 slices thick cut lean bacon, cut into 1/4″ strips
1 garlic clove, peeled & mined
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
3/4 c. finely chopped onion
1 lb. cherry tomatoes, chopped (about 3 cups)
3/4 c. grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Heat 1 TBSP of oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add 1/2 of the bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, reserve for garnish.
Pasta nests.
Add another TBSP of oil to the same pan. Turn heat down to medium low. Add onion, garlic, crushed red pepper and the remaining bacon. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer about 6 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Cook fresh pasta in a large pot of salted water until just tender but still firm to the bite, approx. 3-4 minutes. Reserve 1/2 c. pasta water for the sauce. Drain pasta and return to the pot. Add sauce, grated cheese and pasta water, mix well. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. To serve, twirl pasta into a nest in a bowl and garnish with crisp bacon and some additional cheese.
Dinner is served!
MANGIA!
