Making fresh pasta is alot like making fresh bread. It feels good man…feels good. Eating it feels good and making it feels great. Two ingredients, a little kneading and roll it out. The machine is a fun option if you want something more refined then grandma’s noodles. You know what I mean; those short, thick, chicken soup noodles that took up the entire kitchen table every other Sunday.
4 eggs and about 3 1/2 cups of flour is all ya need. Don’t over think it, just do it; if you fail, you’ll only fail once because you’ll learn from your mistakes and you’ll learn “feel”. I like using the table-top “well method” as opposed to a standing mixer or food processor. Yes it’s more physical labor and takes longer, but as I said before; “feels good man.” Make a well/volcano with the flour and crack the eggs into the center. Scramble ’em with a fork and start scraping the inside base of the flour into the eggs. Bring it all together and don’t break your levee while the eggs are still runny.
–You can’t really over knead the dough. If you can knead for 10 minutes then great, but you really only knead long enough that the dough is a homogeneous ball that is not sticky, tough or crumbly. Knead by pulling the dough toward you and over itself; then push it away and into itself with the heel of your hand. Use your body weight not your arms. After you are done or bored, wrap it tight in plastic and let is rest for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling.
–Resting is important so don’t skip it. Pour a glass of wine and get the sauce components ready.
–If the 4 eggs and 3 1/2 cups flour was too dry, add an egg yolk or a tablespoon of olive oil next time. Too wet…add a little more flour. If at any time the dough is sticky when your working with it, add a little flour. If you have a scale, a more appropriate recipe is about 100g flour per large or extra large egg.
–I don’t salt my dough just the pasta water. Enough to taste like sea water.
