INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

If you don't have a pasta machine, roll the dough with a rolling pin on a
large, very smooth work surface. Allow time for the dough to rest while
rolling it. Whenever it springs back, cover it to prevent drying, let it
rest for 10 to 15 minutes, then continue to roll it larger. Your noodles
will probably be thicker than machine-rolled ones but still delicious. For
leaf pastas, the dough should be evenly thick, no more than 1/8 inch,
before you place the herb leaves between the layers. The finished pasta
should be about 1/16 inch thick.
To cut fat and cholesterol from egg pasta, use three egg whites from
extra-large eggs in place of two whole eggs. You may have to sprinkle in a
little water or extra flour.
EGG PASTA
Makes about 2/3 pound, 4 to 6 servings.
The following recipes (starting with "Perfect") are all variations or
elaborations of this basic pasta. The recipe is easily expanded: just keep
the proportion of one extra-large egg to one cup of flour. A one-egg batch
will serve two adults as a main course or three as a first course or side
dish. If you are serving ardent pasta lovers or if you want leftovers, add
an extra egg and cup of flour to the batch. We are quite fond of leftover
pasta for breakfast.
2 cups unbleached flour 2 extra-large eggs
Mixing by hand:
Heap the flour and make a well in it. Break the eggs into the well and beat
them together with a fork, then stir the eggs into the flour from the
bottom of the well until the dough in the center is smooth and shiny. With
your hands, incorporate the flour from the outside into the center,
kneading gently until the mass of dough is consistent but still soft.
Continue to knead until the dough is smooth and resilient. You may need to
add more flour if the dough is sticky or very pliable, or you may not
incorporate all of the flour. Divide the dough into two portions and cover
it with plastic wrap or an overturned bowl. Let it rest for at least 30
minutes before putting it through a pasta machine.
Mixing with a food processor:
Place the flour in the work bowl fitted with the steel blade and pulse. Add
the eggs and process 30 seconds. The dough should just turn over itself at
the top of the bowl. Test by stopping the machine and pinching a bit of the
dough together. It should cohere readily. If it doesn't, add water, a
teaspoonful at a time, and process; add only as much water as necessary.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead for a few minutes.
Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes before rolling.
Rolling and cutting:
Begin rolling one portion of the dough through the machine at the widest
setting of the rollers (usually "1"). Fold it and run it through the widest
setting another time or two. Always put an open side into the machine when
adding folded dough. If the dough feels wet or sticky, dust it lightly with
flour before running it through the machine.
Advance the rullers a notch and put the dough through the machine with-out
folding. Continue rolling the dough once through each setting without
folding. The final setting of pasta machines varies; the ideal thickness
for cannelloni, fettuccine, or lasagna is about 1/16 inch (the last setting
on some machines, the next to the last on others). The pasta will be
difficult to handle if it is rolled too thin.
When the pasta is the desired thickness, trim the odd-shaped pieces from
the ends, reserving them for another use (in soup, for example). Cut the
long sheet of dough into lengtlls that will be easy to work with; 12 inches
is about right for many shapes of noodles. Set the pieces of cut pasta on a
smooth, lightly floured surface so that they do not touch. The pasta is
ready to cut into desired shapes, either by rolling it through the cutters
on the machine or by hand. Fettuccine and linguine are easiest to eat if
they are cut finally into 6-inch lengths. Roll and cut the remaining
portion of dough.
Source:  "Pasta & Herbs: A Natural Noodle Connection" by Carolyn Dille &
Susan Belsinger ** The Herb Companion -- April/May 1996 **
Scanned and formatted for you by  The WEE Scot  --  paul macGregor From:
Paul Macgregor                  Date: 05-01-96
Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V4 #063 by BobbieB1@aol.com on Mar 2, 1997.

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