Homemade pasta

I’ve been wanting to try this for a long time, but never had the nerve. I also thought I couldn’t really do it that well, as I don’t own a pasta maker. But after our recent trip to Italy this past April, my eyes were opened up to a whole new way of looking at pasta. Many homemade pastas in Bella Italia use hand-techniques for making the strands. This is actually neither a hard nor time-consuming process. In fact, it made me feel quite creative, and the results were both attractive and delicious. My pasta strands are quite irregularly shaped, and thicker than what we are normally accustomed to eating, but I think that’s actually an endearing quality, and I am quite sure that I will be making my own pasta again. Soon. The recipe couldn’t be easier.

Homemade pasta

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons water

several shakes of dried oregano

In your food processor, blend flour eggs, salt, and water until the mixture just begins to form a ball (add more water by the dropful if the dough is too dry). The dough should be firm, not sticky. Process the dough for 15 seconds more to knead it. Transfer to a floured surface and let it stand, covered with an inverted bowl, for about an hour.

Then, on your floured surface, roll out your dough into a large rectangle, adding more flour to the surface and top as needed to avoid sticking. The dough should be as thin as you can make it, as the pasta will plump up when it cooks. Using a pizza wheel or a large bread cutter knife, slice the pasta in thin straight lines. But don’t worry if they’re not that straight, it will still turn out alright. Imperfections simply add to the homemade, more artisan look and feel of the pasta.

To cook the pasta, boil them in salted water for about 2 minutes. Yep, that’s all you need. Drain them, then toss them with a few dried oregano sprinkles. This is enough for 2 – 3 servings.

I served these babies with an authentic Calabrese sauce, below. Recipe to follow tomorrow.