Basic Recipe for Fresh Pasta

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Anna Welander for this one:

Three wives were bemoaning their husbands' attitudes towards leftovers.
"It gets rough," one said. "My husband is a movie producer and he calls them 'reruns'."

"You think you have it bad," was the reply. "Mine is a quality control
engineer and he calls them 'rejects'!"

"That's nothing compared to me," said the third lady. "My husband is a
mortician. He calls them 'remains'!"

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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The following recipe requires a pasta machine for kneading, rolling, and cutting the pasta.

Basic Recipe for Fresh Pasta

2 1/2 cups (625 ml) all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 tsp (10 ml) olive oil

Place the flour in a large mixing bowl or on a flat work surface and
form a well in the center. Beat the eggs and oil together and pour into
the well. Using a fork, begin mixing the flour and egg mixture in the
center of the well, gradually working towards the outside of the mound
of flour as the ingredients are combined. When the mixture becomes too
stiff to work with the fork, begin incorporating the ingredients with
your hands until a ball of dough is formed. The dough should be firm
enough to handle and not sticky. Adjust the consistency with additional
flour or a few drops of water if necessary. Alternately, the ingredients
may be combined in an electric food processor and processed until a ball
is formed. Knead the dough by running it through the pasta machine set
on its widest setting six or seven times, folding the dough in thirds
after each pass and dusting lightly with flour if the dough becomes
sticky. After kneading the dough should be firm and have the texture of
smooth leather. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30
minutes to 3 hours.

To make noodles, cut the dough into 6 pieces and roll through the pasta
machine set on the widest setting several more times, folding in thirds
and dusting lightly with flour if needed to prevent sticking, then begin
decreasing the width by one notch with each successive pass through the
machine until the dough has reached the desired thickness. Most noodles
require the thinnest setting, but thicker noodles such as spaghetti and
pappardelle require only the next-to-last setting on the machine. Let
the dough dry for about 15 minutes and then pass through the cutting
mechanism on your machine, or cut by hand. The cut noodles may be cooked
immediately, or may be frozen or dried and stored for several weeks in
an airtight container. To dry, roll the noodles gently into small
"nests" or simply allow to dry flat.

To cook, boil at least 4 quarts (4 L) of salted water for this recipe.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and stir gently. Fresh pasta, even
when dried, cooks much faster than commercial dried pasta. Depending on
the thickness of the noodles, the pasta will be done in as little as 5
seconds, and in no case should it take longer than 1 minute to cook
after the water has returned to the boil. Test the pasta frequently and
drain it in a large colander as soon as it is tender but still firm.
Makes about 1 lb (500 g) to serve 4 to 6.
Received on Sun Sep 28 20:48:36 2008