Pasta – Basic Recipe for Homemade

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Ricetta Base Per Pasta in Casa (Basic Recipe for Homemade Pasta)
HAND ROLLED: Mound part of the flour in a large board or other working
surface and make a well at center. Pour in eggs. With the aid of a fork,
mix eggs and flour very gradually until a soft paste forms. With your
finger mix in enough flour to make a firm but not too hard, dough. Knead
for about 5 minutes, till dough is smooth. Place in an unfloured dish;
cover with an inverted dish and let it rest in the refrigerator for about
1/2    hour.
Take half of the dough, knead it lightly, and shape into a ball. Place on
a well floured board. With the palms of your hands, flatten the ball,
keeping the round shape, and sprinkle with flour. With the rolling pin,
begin to thin the disk out in all directions, trying not to lose the round
shape. Continue to sprinkle with flour as it becomes necessary, so that the
dough does not stick to the pin. As soon as the disk of dough is thin
enough to be rolled AROUND the rolling pin do so.* Starting from the end
farthest from you, begin to roll the dough toward you, using small, even
strokes back and forth, at the same time you swiftly slide your hands
inward to the centre and outward to the edges of the pin. When the sheet is
all rolled around the pin, PUSH the pin away from you at arm's length; then
vigorously ROLL it back towards you, so that one side of the sheet flaps
several times over the board. Turn the pin 90 degrees and unroll the sheet
from it. Repeat from * as many times as needed for the desired thinness.
Repeat with the other half of the dough and use as directed in each
individual recipe. SERVES: 6 to 16, depending on the different uses made of
it WITH A HAND OPERATED MACHINE: Make a dough, using the method described
above or by mixing eggs and flour in bowl. Knead over a well-floured board,
mixing until they have a very firm dough. There is no need to make it
smooth because the machine will take care of that. Place in an unfloured
dish; cover with an inverted dish and let it rest in the refrigerator for
about 1/2 hour.
Take 1/4th of the dough at a time and begin the thinning. With the rollers
set at the first slot (farthest apart), feed the dough between the rollers
while turning the crank. If some of the dough sticks to the rollers or to
the machine, that means the dough is too soft and more flour must be added.
Fold and feed with the rollers set at the same slot 3 or 4 times, until the
sheet comes out in one piece (but not too smooth). Move on to the second
slot and feed the sheet only once. Keeping on moving till the desired
thinness is achieved. For lasagna or fettucini you stop at the next to last
slot. For taglierini or calzonicchi, go through the last slot once, wait a
few seconds, then feed the sheet into the last slot again. (Pasta made with
only eggs and flour tends to be very elastic and it tends to shrink.
However, the second time through it keeps the shape better.)
Repeat with the remaining pasta, using 1/4th of the original quantity
each time. Use as directed in the individual recipe.
*for electric pasta makers, follow the manufacturer's directions, but most
machines will not provide sheet pasta for lasagna, ravoli, etc.
SERVES: 6 to 16, depending on the different uses made of it.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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