Fresh Egg Pasta
Submitted by brianjwood on November 08, 2002 at 12:59 pm

DESCRIPTION
Fresh Egg Pasta

SUMMARY
Yield 0 File under Family / Ethnic / Regional

INSTRUCTIONS
Fresh Egg Pasta
Pasta all' Uovo
Because fresh pasta is so readily available almost everywhere, many of us, myself included, have all but abandoned a once-favourite pastime of making our own home made pasta. But there are many dishes - lasagne for one-and many sauces - tangy lemon sauce for another - that cry out for the very best you can give. Here is a simple, traditional recipe that should bring you back into the kitchen (if you ever left!).

9 oz (270 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
By hand: Sift the flour onto a clean work surface and make a well in the centre. Pour the beaten eggs into the well. With a fork, mix the flour and eggs together until the dough is soft and begins to stick together, about 3 minutes. When the dough forms a mass, transfer it to a lightly floured clean surface and knead until satiny and resilient, 10 to 15 minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside for 1 hour.
In a food processor: Sift the flour into the bowl of a food processor. Pulsing the machine, slowly add the beaten eggs (you may not need all the eggs) and pulse until the mixture forms clumps the size of small peas. Do not let the dough form a ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until satiny and resilient, about 10 minutes. Cover with a clean cloth and set aside for 1 hour.
Knead the pasta dough in the pasta machine: divide the dough into 4 equal portions,
Covering the unused portions with a clean cloth. Set the rollers of the pasta machine at the widest setting. Flour the quarter of the dough very lightly, and pass it once through the rollers.
Fold the dough in thirds, like a business letter. Press the dough down with your fingertips, to fuse the layers and push any air from between them. Turn the dough so that an open end feeds into the roller, and repeat the rolling and folding process (lightly flouring only when necessary) 8 more times.
Reset the rollers for the next thinnest setting. Lightly flour the dough but do not fold it.
Pass the dough through the machine again, repeating the process on each remaining setting until the dough is as thin as desired (generally the next-to-last or the last setting on most machines).
Repeat the entire process with the remaining pieces of dough. Let the dough rest on towels until it is taut but not dry, about 15 minutes. Cut into desired lengths by machine or by hand.
Yield: 1 lb ( 500 g) dough