Makes about 3 to 4 servings   Making your own fresh pasta is really quite easy, and better than that, with relatively little work you will absolutely amaze your guests.    2 cup flour 1 egg 1 tablespoon olive oil   Enough cold water to make a pliable dough.

Put first 3 ingredients into a bowl, blend with a fork while adding as much cold water as is necessary to form a soft, pliable dough.  Knead until smooth.  Proceed as you wish to make what ever shape and size pasta you wish. You may cut your pasta with a pasta machine or by hand. 

 

No Egg Pasta:

 

Follow the recipe above but eliminate the egg and increase the olive oil to 2 tablespoons.

 

Pasta Machine:

 

When using a pasta machine, divide the dough into 4 to 6 equal pieces.  Knead each piece again and with a rolling pin, flatten a piece into an oblong that is about ¼ inch thick.  Flour is lightly on both sides.  Set the dial on the pasta machine to 1.  Put the piece of dough through the rollers two or three times.  Then set the dial to 3 and again, run the piece of dough through 2 or 3 times, folding it in half after each rolling.  This conditions the dough.  Proceed with each piece of dough.  Now select number 4, 5, or 6, depending on the type of pasta you wish.  Put whichever size cutter attachment you wish on the pasta machine and proceed to slowly run the dough through it, thus cutting the pasta.  Place the resulting pasta on a flat surface and sprinkle lightly with flour and toss about gently to coat all evenly.  This will keep the pasta from sticking together while you cut the remaining dough.  Proceed with the remaining dough.   

Hand Cut Pasta:

 

To make hand cut pasta, divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces.  Roll one out to be between ¼ and 1/8 inch thick.  Coat liberally with flour on both sides and roll up loosely.  With a very sharp, but not serrated,  knife cut into noodles of desired width.  Shake gently to unroll and set aside.  Proceed with remaining dough.

To Cook Pasta:

 

Bring a large pot of water to the boil.  Shake the pasta gently to remove any excess flour and drop into the boiling water.  Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle rolling boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes only.  Fresh homemade pasta cooks a lot faster than dry commercial pasta.  With pasta, always test a piece to be sure of the donen-ess.

Place a colander in your sink and turn on the cold water tap.  This will prevent the boiling water from cracking the seals on our pipes from cracking.  Pour the pasta into the colander to drain but do not rinse.  Put back into the pot or on a serving plate to await it’s sauce.  You may at this point add a few drops of olive oil to prevent sticking.  Italians don’t like to do this because they think it prevents the sauce from sticking to the pasta.  It’s your call.  Remember, Italian pasta and American egg noodles are basically the same thing.  You may use this recipe wherever egg noodles are called for.