Hand Made Pasta
Fresh egg pasta noodles... I was always scared to make these, I though that they would be hard or you needed a pasta machine to get it right. I was wrong.
After watching chef Gianni from Sola in Hong Kong make these while I was interviewing him, I decided that it really wasn't so hard and all I needed was a rolling pin -of which I have several.
This recipe makes about 1-1/4lbs of pasta and you can easily double it for a larger crowd.
Remember to have an extra egg handy, just in case that the dough doesn't come together; add the yolk first, if that isn't enough then add the white.
I would highly recommend that you try this with our Braised Beef Pasta Sauce recipe.
Ingredients:
3 large eggs (+ another on hand if needed)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tblsp olive oil
Method:
Place the flour on your countertop, and make a well in the centre.
Add the three eggs and olive oil to the well.
Break up eggs with your fingers and slowly mix flour into centre of well.
Bring ingredients together into a ball - if too dry add extra egg.
Once you have a ball that isn't too sticky or too dry... (I know kind of vague, but it'll make sense) Knead ball until dough is smooth.
If using a pasta machine - roll as per directions with machine.
If rolling and cutting by hand; cut dough into 4 pieces to make it easier to handle.
Roll out dough into rectangular-ish shape about 1/8" thick. Flour both sides and then roll into a tube.
Using a very sharp knife cut into desired widths.
Unroll pasta, dust with flour to prevent sticking and then allow to dry for an hour before cooking.
While drying toss the pasta a bit, so it dries evenly.
Too cook:
Fresh pasta takes no time at all to cook; 30-40 seconds, and then move it to your pasta sauce for the last 10-15 seconds of cooking so it will soak up some flavour.
It's also a good idea to put a little oil in the cooking water to prevent sticking - though I don't do this with dry pasta.