Fresh Pasta Tutorial!

I have always loved fresh pasta!!! And after living in Italy, and eating it all the time, going back to the boxed stuff was a real let-down! I always thought making pasta was "hard" and "messy" and "time consuming". It's NOT!!!! It's so easy! And to prove it to you, I made this little tutorial. So if I can do this in less than ten minutes, while stopping to take photos, then you can too!

Basic Pasta Recipe:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1-2 Tbsp water/olive oil as needed

When I make pasta I make a double batch, unless I'm making ravioli and then I triple it. Traditionalists would have you believe that the mixing needs to be on the countertop or a cutting board. Now that is messy! So seeing how I'm neither a fan of making or cleaning up messes, I do my mixing in a large mixing bowl!

Step One: Measure flour into bowl, then add salt. Mix well with a fork.

Step Two: Using your fork, push flour up against the sides of the bowl, making a well in the middle, but not all the way down to the bottom. It should be an indentation! Crack open your eggs and fill the well.

Step Three: Using your fork, gently beat your eggs in the middle, like you're making scrambled eggs.

Step Four: Gradually incorporate the flour as you continue to beat the eggs.

Step Five: Keep going until your dough looks like this. Now you can knead it, INSIDE your bowl! Add water or olive oil as needed if your dough is dry. I like to keep the water/olive oil ratio 50:50.

Step Six: Once your dough can form a ball, you are ready to knead on the counter.

Step Seven: Lightly flour your countertop. This is the only amount of space you will need!

Step Eight: Place dough on floured surface and begin kneading with the heels of your hands.

Knead till you push it flat,

fold in half, turn 90*,

repeat to work your dough. Keep going for about 8 minutes.

Step Nine: Roll dough into an even shaped log.

Step Ten: Place dough on one end of a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll, tucking in sides, and completely wrap up your dough.

Wasn't that EASY?!?!?

Place dough in refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the gluten to relax. This step is important for really great tasting pasta, and it will make shaping and cutting it a breeze!!! This batch of pasta will be used for making Crab Ravioli, so check back later for photos of that!!