How to Make Fresh Pasta
It's easy to make the pasta. It's also fun and meditative. I use what I have. AP flour, eggs and salt. If you want to buy fancy pasta flour, go for it!
Equipment
2 mixing bowls
2 Cookie sheets
Pasta Machine
Knife
Ingredients
2 cups AP flour
4 egg yolks
2 eggs
Directions
Sprinkle flour on both cookie sheets. Mix the flour and salt together and make a well. Add two eggs. Crack the other 4 eggs in a separate bowl. Separate the egg yolks and add to the bowl of flour. Save egg whites for another dish another time.
Stir the eggs together and gently add the flour into the mixture. Once the flour comes together, start to knead the dough. Add more flour if needed. Continue to knead until you have a nice dough ball. About 3-5 minutes. It doesn’t have to be perfect as you will continue to knead the dough in the pasta roller. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
Cut the dough into quarters. Wrap the other three quarters while you work on the first quarter. Sprinkle with flour and make it into a disc shape. Set your pasta machine to setting #1. Roll it out. Fold one side of the dough two thirds of the way. Fold the opposite side over the first third. Roll it out. Repeat 2-3 more times until your dough is smooth. Sprinkle flour when necessary.
Set your pasta machine to #2, roll the dough through. Continue through each setting until you reach #8 or the thickness you prefer. I like thin pasta.
Lay your pasta out and cut the length of pasta you would like to eat. Then roll each piece through the fettuccine setting and set on cookie sheets in small piles.
Cook pasta for 2-3 minutes in boiling salted water (like the sea), strain and drizzle with olive oil. Add to your favorite pasta sauce with lots of butter and cheese (optional).
Notes
You can also freeze the pasta to cook later that week. Make sure your piles are small and/or flat like the size of your freezer container. Put the tray of pasta in the freezer for 15 minutes, then take out of the freezer and put the pasta in a container and keep in the freezer. I wouldn’t keep it in there for more than a week as it may start to get freezer burn. Plus, it’s delicious! Egg whites can be used for an egg white scramble or a lemon meringue. More recipes to come!