Homemade Pasta

If you have ever had homemade fresh pasta, you will never want the hard stuff  from a box.  It's a lot easier to make than you think.  I'm gonna make it even easier.  Instead of a messy pile of flour on your counter top,  we are gonna make it in the food processor.  I know it's not as authentic as getting your hand messy, and I'm sure some old Italian Lady would slap me, but my way tastes the same and takes 1/10 of the time.  Here we go! This is a basic recipe.  I'll let you know later how to make flavored pastas, like spinach, roasted pepper, ect. another time. This is all you will need:

2 cups all purpose flour
2 large eggs
salt
1 tbsp olive oil

OK, combine all the ingredients in your food processor.

Pulse about 10 to 12 Times.  Take a little piece of the dough between your fingers.  If it binds together well, (meaning not to dry that it crumbles apart, and not to soft and moist that it is mushy) you are ready to go.  If its too dry add a couple of tablespoons of warm water, and pulse a few more times, to get the consistency right.  If it's too wet, just add a few more tablespoons of flour.  Once you do it a few times it gets easier.
the dough should look like this.

Sprinkle a little flour on a cutting board.  Then dump to dough on top.

Now knead the dough into a ball.

Cut the ball in half.  Then roll dough out with a rolling pin.  About the width of your pasta machine.

Now it's time for the pasta maker!  Set your machine on the widest setting.  Now feed the dough through.  You may have to run it through the widest setting a few times.

Repeat this process, narrowing the setting each time, until you get the desired thickness of your pasta sheets.  Today I'm making Fettuccine, so I'll stop at the 2nd lowest setting.  By this time you pasta sheet should be smooth and long.

Lightly dust your pasta sheet with flour.  Now cut them into your desired length.   Since I'm making fettuccine noodles, I'll cut them into about 9" sheets.

One at a time, I'll run the sheets through the fettuccine attachment on my pasta machine.

Lay you noodles on a flat surface or if you have a pasta rack, that would be best.  I don't have one, so I lay them out flat and sprinkle them with a little corn meal.  This will prevent the noodles from sticking together.

OK, now that the noodles are done, you can cook them now.  Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.  Put the fresh pasta in.  Remember, IT'S FRESH!  It only has to boil for about 3 min for a nice aldente noodle.  If you don't want to cook the pasta now.  Let it dry for about 25 to 30 min, then roll the pasta into a round nest like shape, put it in tupperware, and freeze it till you are ready to cook the noodles.  It will take an extra minute or two if the pasta is frozen.

Now top with your favorite (homemade!) sauce and enjoy!