Homemade Pasta

Pasta is delicious in all shapes and sizes, it is the Italians gift to the world. I have never met a person who was not a fan and it is also a crowd pleaser. Yet one type of pasta stands out above all the rest and is hands down the tastiest around. This pasta is homemade pasta. 

I have made pasta multiple times before and whether it be spaghetti, fettucini, or even ravioli (stuffed with an incredible roasted mushroom mixture and topped with a mushroom cream sauce), it is always heaven upon my taste buds. Last night I made some pasta and went the fettucini route. When it was ready, I then topped it with a delicious bolognese sauce, recipe courtesy of Ina Garten. While the sauce was incredibly wonderful, the real show stopper here was still the pasta, so here is how you make the dough...

The general rule of thumb when figuring out how much to make is one egg per person and then one cup of flour for every two eggs. So basically since I was feeding six people including myself, I used six eggs and three cups of flour. 

The flour, that has been seasoned with salt, goes into either the bowl of the stand mixer so you can use the dough hook attachment or onto the counter so you can knead by hand. When you have chosen your method, make a well in the center and crack in your eggs.

I also add in a splash of olive oil for flavor. 

Now the old-school Italians do this next step, well actually this whole process, by hand. I have done it this way but I have gradually learned that the less pasta dough stuck on my fingers, the more I enjoy my pasta.

Using a fork or your hands, begin incorporating the flour into the eggs. 

If it seems too dry, add a little bit of water at a time until moistened.

I start my dough in the stand mixer and once it's combined I bring in the dough hook to knead it a little. Then I scoop it all out onto a floured surface and do the rest by hand. 

This is a super important step and quite a great stress reducer. Knead the dough until you merely cannot knead anymore! 

Then when it is no longer sticky and has a smooth surface, spray some plastic wrap with non-stick spray (I use the olive oil kind) and throw it in the fridge to rest for a few hours. 

When you're ready to cook, cut the dough into at least four sections and begin rolling it out with either a pasta roller or a rolling pin. I happen to have the luxury of a pasta roller stand mixer attachment and it is quite helpful with this task.

When the pasta is all rolled out you have the freedom to go whichever route you want! I suggest ravioli, it's my personal favorite. Keep in mind when cooking it in a pot of boiling salted water, fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried and will probably be ready in about two minutes. Enjoy!

-Madison