Unfortunately, my Honey has been less happy at work.  He’s been put on a project he’s not thrilled about and has had to do a lot of extra-curricular activities at night (networking happy hours, team meetings, etc).  His work days have been longer this week, which leaves me in an empty apartment with nothing to do but laundry.  So, naturally, I avoid the laundry in favor of doing something I like way better – cooking!

All his work clothes get outsourced to our local dry cleaner’s anyway (A. is fanatical about his shirts and I refuse to touch them for fear of ending our relationship), so the laundry can wait until tomorrow.  Good food, however, is a daily necessity.

Which brings me to the title of today’s post.  Last year, my mom bought me a pasta machine, so I could make homemade pasta, and spoil myself here like I was spoiled in Italy.  At first, it seems intimidating and super-gourmet, but in reality it’s quite the opposite.  My pasta dough contains exactly 2 ingredients: flour, eggs.  I don’t use a fancy flour – I use good ol’ all purpose flour.  And, if you don’t have eggs, you can use water.

In fact, eggs were a relatively recent addition to pasta dough.  In the poorer regions of Italy, water was the norm, because eggs were too expensive.  (According to what I read in this book, which is excellent.)  Anyway, the point it – you don’t really have an excuse not to make fresh dough.  It’s easy, it’s relaxing, it’s dirt cheap, and it’s delicious.

Pasta dough is a recipe that’s very hard to teach over the computer.  Until you’ve made it, you won’t really understand when I say “it feels tacky” or “it stretches easily” or “it feels silky smooth”.  Use this as a general guideline (there are also several great videos on YouTube), and don’t be afraid to try it.  Pasta dough is very forgiving.  If it’s too wet or sticky, add more flour.  Too dry, add water or another egg.  So, here we go!

The Ingredients (per person):

3/4 cup to 1 cup flour (could be all purpose, semolina, bread, whole wheat, or a mix – I mixed bread flour and all purpose), plus more for rolling out the pasta

1 egg

drizzle of olive oil

The Method:

Clean your workspace (counter, kitchen island, etc.); we’re going to be making the pasta dough directly on your counter.  Just like rules were meant to be broken, kitchen counters were meant to get messy.

Measure out flour and dump into a small pile on the counter.  I was making 3 quantities of pasta dough, so I measured out 3/4 cup flour 3 times (equal to 2.25 cups).  Remember, you can always add more flour later, if needed.

Measurements don’t need to be exact

Make a well in the center of the pile of flour.  You want the well big enough to hold the necessary number of eggs (in my case, 3), and the flour should be distributed about evenly on all sides.

The well holds the eggs so they don’t run everywhere

Crack the egg(s) into the center of the well.  If any egg runs over the well, move flour around to plug the leak.

Some of my eggs tried to leak out

Using a fork, gently beat the eggs in the center of the well, moving in a circle to keep the eggs contained within the well.

Move slowly so as not to slosh the eggs

Once the eggs have been beaten so that the yolks and whites combine, begin to slowly incorporate flour from the well, using the fork to scoop in a little flour at a time.

Be careful not the “breach” the walls of the well

Continue this method until most of the flour has been incorporated and stirring with a fork is difficult.  Now it’s time to use your hands!

Your hands will be sticky messes – it’s fine!

You’ll probably want to wash your hands to keep your sticky fingers from sticking to the sticky dough.  Continue incorporating flour and kneading the pasta dough until it no longer feels wet/sticky/tacky.  Think about how it feels when you remove the price tag sticker off of something – that residual goop that sticks to everything?  Not what we want out of our pasta dough.  This process could take as long as 5 minutes – be patient.  Once you can knead the dough without that tacky feeling, the dough is done!

Ready to rest!

Well, your work with the dough is done.  Now it’s time to let the little guy rest.  Spread out some plastic wrap, drizzle the dough with a touch of olive oil to keep it moist, wrap it up, and leave it out on the counter to rest, for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Use this time to do the dishes, paint your nails, watch an episode of your favorite really bad TV show, or clean your counter, which is probably quite a mess.

Let him rest for about an hour

So…how to clean your kitchen counter so guests aren’t shocked and dismayed by your unsanitary living conditions?  Well, I usually make A. do this part (he’s getting to eat my wonderful, home cooked, made with love food!  It’s the least he could do!), but since the whole point of this meal is to make him UNgrumpy, I figured that would be counter-productive.

It’s not as bad as it looks

Try to scrape as much as you can off the counter before wetting it.  I use a dry paper towel, followed by a pastry scraper or a fork.  For the stubborn, really stuck on bits, take a damp paper towel, place it over the stubborn area, and spray the top of the paper towel with kitchen counter cleaner.  Wait a few minutes, then wipe away.  You’ll probably have to wipe a few times, but it does come off, I promise!

Whew, almost there!

After your pasta dough is done resting, it’s time to roll it out.  Smaller sized balls of dough are easier to manage, so you may want to break this up.  Keep any dough you’re not working with covered in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Start by lightly dusting your work surface and the pasta ball with flour.  The pasta dough should feel pretty silky-smooth at this point, and should stretch fairly easily.

If using a pasta machine, begin with the machine at the lowest (thickest) setting.  (For me, this is 0.)

My baby

(You can also roll out the pasta dough, just like any other dough, with a rolling pin.  Make sure your working surface and your rolling pin are dusted with flour.)

Slightly flatten the dough into a roughly rectangular shape with your hands, and run through the pasta machine.

Rectangle of pasta going through at the lowest setting

Fold dough over itself into a roughly rectangular shape, flatten with your hands, sprinkle with flour, and run through again.  Repeat this process until your dough stretches easily, is the desired shape (resembling a rectangle – mine never come out perfectly shaped), and comes out of the pasta machine completely smooth, not wrinkly.

Then increase the machine setting to the next level (one level thinner).  Run through the machine, and lightly dust with flour if needed (I pretty much always dust mine to keep the dough from sticking to itself).

Thickness of the dough at setting 5 (out of 9)

Repeat this process until you’ve achieved the desired thickness.  This is where the “therapy” part comes in.  Rolling out pasta is so methodical and soothing.  I could do it for hours.

Although my pasta machine goes up to a level 9, that is really, really thin pasta.  Since I actually like my dough a little thicker and with more bite to it, I stop at a level 7, just when you can start to see through the dough.

All done!

And that’s it!  Now you’re ready to cut into the desired shape.  My pasta machine comes with a cutting attachment, so you just roll the sheet through and out comes spaghetti or fettuccine.  If you aren’t using a machine or don’t have the cutter attachment, just sprinkle the pasta sheet with flour, cut the sheet to your desired length, roll up, and slice into noodles.

Fresh pasta cooks in mere minutes, so be careful not to over-do it.  My general rule of thumb is that when it floats in boiling water, it’s ready.  Serve with your favorite sauce, or just sauteed garlic in olive oil with a liberal sprinkling of cheese and fresh cracked black pepper.  These pasta sheets were used to make ravioli (more on that later).

Time consuming, sure, but just like everything else, the more you do it, the quicker you become.  Total time for me (making the dough, letting it rest, cleaning up, rolling it out) was about an hour and fifteen minutes.  I let my dough rest for 50 minutes, which means I had less than 30 minutes of hands-on time.

Sorry for the extra-long post, but I hope you enjoyed it!

There’s nothing like homemade pasta. I’ve made it a few times (as in twice: once was ravioli with sage butter, another was fettuccine with marinara), but I’ve never purchased my own pasta machine…until today! I can’t wait to use it and write all about everything I make, but for today’s Saturday Short List, I’m highlighting some delicious-sounding recipes that are on my list to check out.

• Leite’s Culinaria has a great homemade pasta dough guide with a variety of shapes and flavors
• Michael Natkin’s Turmeric Bucatini with Garlic Chives on Herbivoracious sounds delicious. I love turmeric - and it’s so good for you – so I’m always looking for new ways to use it.
• When it comes to pasta, I trust Emeril Lagasse. Here’s Emeril’s Spinach Pasta Dough recipe. It uses 6 egg yolks, so you can make a nice egg white omelet the morning after.
• If you don’t want to use a million eggs, you can make Lidia Bastianich’s Poor Man’s Two Egg Pasta Dough. I also trust Lidia with Italian food, probably with my life as well. That woman is amazing.
• Acorn Squash Ravioli with Chanterelles from Woodfired Kitchen. Seriously, I want to eat that right now.

• And this has nothing to do with pasta, but don’t forget to enter my Panera gift card contest!

Have a great weekend!

HEALTH: fresh made pasta benefits from additional moisture, protein (from the egg whites) and fat (from the egg yolk) that helps to absorb any fat soluble vitamins, like A, D and E.

MACHINERY: There are three options with selecting the completely homemade route. 1. rolling pin and sharp knife/pasta cutter (the most traditional approach) 2. Manual hand crank and cutter 3. The automatic attachment to a machine- I have a kitchen aide, but I believe cuisinart mixers have a similar model.

METHODS: Many places worldwide have stuffed things into pasta shells; Italy alone has three regional varieties. The most common is from Genovese- ravioli, another is from Emilia and called tortellini and finally another is from Piedmont and is called agnolotti. There’s also Poland’s creation –pierogi- Turkey’s manti, China’s Gao gai, or wonton, Japan’s gyoza, Ukraine’s Varenyky, the Jewish Kreplach, Korean Mandu and Siberia’s pelmeny. The U.S.A. has a similar mock-up too called hot pockets.

NUGGETS: The word ‘macaroni’ stems from the Greek makar-, meaning blessing.

TIPS: If you’re making ravioli, using wonton wrappers is the simplest way that I know to get perfect sized pasta bites. Also, don’t use an egg wash on your ravs to seal them shut, instead, get a little spray bottle and fill it with water. It’s much simple and the water doesn’t toughen the edge of the ravioli like egg wash does.

USEAGE: Dry noodles are the norm in most American households, but pre-made pasta sheets are now widely available in supermarkets. Of course, there’s always the option of making your own, which I am a fan of because it is the most cost effective method and the most delicious.

Fresh Pasta Dough*: Total Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes: Active Time: 20 minutes: Makes about 1 pound of pasta

Ingredients:

• 10 oz. flour
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp. water

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a large food processor add the measured out flour and salt. Pulse a few times to combine.**
2. In a small bowl, add water and oil, then add the eggs and whisk to combine.
3. With the food processor running slowly and steadily pour the egg mixture in through the top and allow the dough to form a ball. Stop the food processor when the ball is formed. Remove the ball and wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Refrigeration must be a minimum of 1 hour but can be up to three days.
4. Once the refrigeration period has passed, allow the dough to warm at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
5. Use one of the above mentioned methods for rolling out your dough. The type of pasta that you cut will determine how long that pasta is to cook. Taste is a better test than time, but I typically allow 3-4 minutes and you want the pasta a little under done if you are going to put it over heat with a sauce. 

Notes:

*Thank you to Alton Brown for this wonderful recipe and method.

**The making of the dough can be done on a counter top by hand, but I prefer the less mess approach.

The dough in the photo was cut and used in the application for Pappardelle topped with Sweet Corn!

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

I feel like most lists I make are incomplete. Sorry about that. My mind wanders and I get distracted. I start out thinking about things that make a date go smoothly and then I think about making noodles and finishing homework and procrastinating on cleaning my room. Here is yet another impromptu, incomplete list. Today’s topic: things to keep in mind when you’re going on a date!

How to have an awesome date:

(Side note: these are things you can control. You can’t control other people, and I’m sorry if your date doesn’t work out. At least you had fun, right?)

• Shower. Duh.

• Have a scent. Mine is Possibilities by Ann Taylor (a gift from my best friend on my favorite birthday). If you don’t have one, start the search. SO WORTH IT.

• Have two stories to tell in your back pocket: one that’s really funny that shows you know how to use self-deprecating humor (or at the very least shows you’re comfortable with yourself) and one that emphasizes (but not too overtly) how awesome you are.

• Be honest. Don’t lie to seem cool. Don’t pretend you like sports if you don’t. Don’t lie about hating McDonald’s if it’s your favorite restaurant. You don’t have to tell all your deepest, darkest secrets or anything like that, but please tell the truth. It gets you farther in the long run.

• Make these homemade noodles for dinner. This is SO IMPRESSIVE. Your date will love you and they will automatically wonder what else you can cook/bake. Making noodles (or really anything!) is a labor of love. It isn’t difficult at all, but making noodles shows you care and you put time into your meal. So hop to!

Homemade noodles

Recipe from Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman

You’ll need:

• Eggs
• Flour
• Salt (optional)

The most important thing I learned from her recipe: the ratio.

Use 1 cup of flour for every 2 eggs

A good rule of thumb: 1 egg per person. So if you’re making noodles for two, you’ll use 2 eggs and 1 cup of flour. If you’re making noodles for 4 people, you’ll use 4 eggs and 2 cups of flour. If you’re a single guy or gal (like yours truly) and you’re making noodles for just yourself, you’ll be happy using 1 egg and ½ cup of flour.

Put your flour in a bowl and whisk in salt (optional). Make a little well and add in the eggs.

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Photo credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Whisk together. I started with a fork, but it’s easier to use your hands. You’ll swirl it around until the egg is totally incorporated into the flour.

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

From here, I take the dough out of the bowl and work it for a while on a floured surface. We need to activate the gluten! We also don’t want our dough to be tacky. Once it’s smooth (kind of like a Play-Doh consistency), we know we’re doing the right thing.

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Let’s let the dough rest for a few minutes. It just worked really hard. (Think of yourself at the gym, and you work out really hard on the cardio machine, and then you need to rest for a moment before you do your weight exercises. You don’t want to sit for too long, because you’ll lose your momentum, but just to catch your breath.)

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

When you’re ready, roll out the pasta dough on a lightly floured surface. You want it REEEEEEAL thin, as thin as you can get it, and then you can slice the dough into thin strips to make noodles!

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

The noodles puff up a lot in the water, so you want to cut these pretty thin too. I used a pizza cutter, but you could use a sharp knife too.

Photo Credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Photo credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

After cutting the noodles, let them sit while the water comes to a boil. [Note: if you didn’t add salt when you were making the pasta dough, you’ll want to thoroughly salt your water.] Once the water is boiling, pour in the noodles. They’ll cook up pretty quick (5 minutes or less) depending on how thick you sliced them, so don’t wander too far away from the stove.

Photo credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Oh hey computer. You’re just blasting the new Jason Mraz album. [He's the best to listen to when you're in the kitchen.]

Photo credit--Tiffany Zimmerman

Look at how good these look! I tossed mine with a little butter and some dried herbs (all I had on hand), but any kind of sauce would be really good on here too. And even if the date didn’t go so hot, at least you can say you made homemade noodles. How many people can say that? Answer: not many. Take pride in your accomplishments!

Yes, I know, pasta is readily available and can be purchased at your local supermarket either dry or fresh.  But there is something to be said for making your own pasta.  First off, in my option, store made pasta does not taste as good as homemade fresh pasta.  Second, I think making your own pasta is not only rewarding, but it can be fun.  All you need are some simple ingredients and a rolling-pin.  You can use a food processor to mix the ingredients if you have one, but you can mix the pasta dough by hand.  And yes, if you are going to make homemade pasta on a regular basis, a pasta machine is a great tool to have.  But, you don’t need these to get started on making homemade pasta, but these tools can make things simpler.

I am including two recipes for homemade pasta.  If you have never made homemade pasta, I would recommend that you start with the first recipe that is made out of regular flour.  The dough in this recipe is easier to work with.  Pasta dough made with semolina flour is harder to work with than dough made with regular flour so you might want to try this one after you have gotten used to making pasta dough.

If you are not using a pasta machine to roll out the dough, you have to let the dough rest for 15 minutes before rolling out the dough.  Just wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let the dough rest and then roll out the dough.

Basic Pasta Dough

Ingredients

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1-tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

To mix by hand

Add the flour into a medium mixing bowl and make a well (a hole) in the center of the flour.  Add the eggs and olive into the well.

Gradually stir the flour into the eggs and olive oil using a fork until the mixture comes together and comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl (comes together to make a ball).  Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for a few minutes.  If the dough is too wet or sticky, add a little flour, a tablespoon at a time until the dough is not sticky.  If the dough is too dry or crumbly, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together, but is not sticky.  Knead the dough until it is smooth and flexible. For about 10 minutes.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.  After the dough has rested, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick and using a knife, cut the dough into strips.

(If you are using a pasta machine to knead the dough, skip these steps and run the dough through the pasta machine until the dough is smooth and flexible, You can also use the pasta machine to cut the dough.)
After cutting the pasta dough and before you cook the pasta, the pasta needs to dry for 15 minutes or so. Dry fresh pasta by hanging the pasta on a dowel or other object (a clothes drying rack works wonderful). You can also lay the pasta flat on a kitchen towel to dry.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.  Fresh pasta cooks very quickly so it only takes a few minutes to cook.  I like to start testing the pasta for doneness after 2 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce.

Semolina Pasta Dough

Ingredients

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1-cup semolina flour
½ cup water

Add the flour into a medium mixing bowl and make a well (a hole) in the center of the flour.  Using a fork Gradually stir the water into the flour a little at a time until the flour mixture comes together and comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl (comes together to make a ball).  Move the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for a few minutes.  If the dough is too wet or sticky, add a little flour, a tablespoon at a time until the dough is not sticky.  If the dough is too dry or crumbly, add a little water, a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together, but is not sticky.  Knead the dough until it is smooth and flexible. For about 10 minutes.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.  After the dough has rested, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick and using a knife, cut the dough into strips.
(If you are using a pasta machine to knead the dough, skip these steps and run the dough through the pasta machine until the dough is smooth and flexible. You can also use the pasta machine to cut the dough)
After cutting the pasta dough and before you cook the pasta, the pasta needs to dry for 15 minutes or so.  Dry fresh pasta by hanging the pasta on a dowel or other object (a clothes drying rack works wonderful). You can also lay the pasta flat on a kitchen towel to dry.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water.  Fresh pasta cooks very quickly so it only takes a few minutes to cook.  I like to start testing the pasta for doneness after 2 minutes.  Serve with your favorite sauce.
I hope you enjoy making your own homemade pasta. Once you get the hang of it-the possibilities are endless.

Con tanto amore

Maria

Now isn’t this the most scrumptious skillet of homemade pasta you’ve ever seen?  Well, it was to us!  My first attempt at homemade pasta – I believe I would consider a success!  Nothing like the pasta from those who have done this for years, but for a first try I was pleased!  I used John’s recipe at from the Bartolini kitchens.  It was so easy!  Ritchey bought a pasta attachment for my KitchenAid mixer – it was a birthday present a year and a half ago!  Daunting is not even the word to use when I thought about making pasta!  But after last night’s homemade pizza I thought why not give it a try?

The dough came together beautifully – making it in the food processor was so easy!  The hardest part was kneading for 5 minutes!

The first time I put the dough through the rollers I danced!  I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread!  You’ll have to forgive me, but I do get excited about the simplest things!  Ritchey was snapping pictures and I was making pasta!

Look at these beautiful thin pieces of pasta!

Then it was time to turn those beautiful pieces of pasta into spaghetti!  What can I say?  It was so much fun!

Now, what sauce or dressing for the lovely spaghetti?  I turned to another of John’s recipes – a simple but lovely Spaghetti Aglio e Olio – spaghetti with garlic and oil – with a touch of red pepper flakes, topped with a bit of parsley and pecorino romano cheese.

With the spaghetti boiling away in a large pot it wasn’t long before we sat down to a lovely bowl of fresh spaghetti and a good chianti.  Thank you, John!  I raise my glass to you!  Salute!

Fresh linguini - the flour lightly dusts the pasta, keeping it from sticking together.

Have you ever had it? I mean fresh pasta. The kind someone has just made right there in the room. Not the stuff you buy in the refrigerated section of your local grocer. Okay, so that’s not dry pasta—but it’s not fresh fresh either.

What? Are you saying, “I don’t have time for that … “? Or, “Oh, that’s soooo complicated …”? It’s not. If you liked to make mud pies as a kid (and who didn’t?), then you can make fresh pasta.

Of course, I say this not having made fresh pasta myself. Jennifer is the pasta maker in our household. And she makes it look easy. She says it’s because it is easy. She first made it in a cooking class last year, and the technique below is from that class. The recipe comes from The Food Network’s Anne Burrell.

Try it. The only way you can screw it up is by making a horrible sauce.

Homemade Pasta Dough (from Anne Burrell)

• 1 pound all-purpose flour (get yourself a kitchen scale!)
• 4 whole eggs plus 1 yolk
• 1/4 cup evoo
• kosher salt – about 1 Tbs
• 1-2 Tbs water or more

-Set yourself up on a clean and dry work surface with plenty of room. Pile the dry ingredients (flour and salt) right on the work surface, and create a hole or well in the flour, making a doughnut-shaped ring about 8 inches wide.

-Crack all of the eggs and the individual yolk (I always do this in a separate bowl to catch the occasional shell) and add these to the well along with the wet ingredients—olive oil and water.

-Use a fork to beat the wet ingredients together. Then, you’re going to pull in the flour bit by bit into the egg mixture. I say bit by bit because you don’t want to pull too much of the flour into the center and break the ring’s side walls. Then your egg leaks out and it’s a big mess. As soon as the egg mixture has enough flour in it is no longer runny, you can put aside the fork and get your hands in there. Your hands are the best tools to combine everything completely.

Incorporating the flour into the egg mixture

-When the mixture is completely combined, it’s time to start kneading the dough. Use your muscles! Get the heels of your palms in there push the dough away from you, stretching it but not tearing it. Push, fold, turn. Push, fold, turn. Put your weight into it, girl! Your goal is to create a dough that feels smooth and looks smooth. Warning: Eat an energy bar beforehand because you’re going to be kneading for 15-20 minutes. No kidding. But doing this by hand is the best way.

Knead it, girl!

-When you start thinking that perhaps you’re done, take a knife and slice the dough in half. Look at the inside of the dough—does it have small bubbles in it? Yes? Then keep kneading. You want the dough to be smooth throughout.

-Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour. Put it in the fridge until you’re ready to use, or use it right away.

What next? Get rolling! Usually this is done with a pasta roller. There are ones you can attach to your counter and crank by hand. We have one that fits on our Kitchen-Aid and turns automatically—so much easier. Either way, what you want to do is cut that ball of dough into quarters or eighths, pat it into a bit of a square shape of even thickness, add a touch of flour to make it less sticky, and run it through the pasta roller starting on the thickest setting—usually the number 7. Roll it through twice, then take it down one thickness, and so on, patting it with flour now and then. We usually go down pretty thin, usually to a number 2. As it gets thinner, it gets looonger. We usually cut it in half to make it more manageable, especially if you are cranking the roller by hand.

Going through the roller you end up with a flat sheet. Perfect for making lasagna or raviolis. Or, take that sheet and run it through the spaghetti or linguini cutter (an add-on that usually comes with the roller). Separate the noodles, lay them on a platter, sprinkle with dusting of flour, and toss to prevent sticking. Do one flat sheet at a time this way, each time dusting with flour.

And to cook, all you have to do is drop that pasta in boiling water for 2 minutes, max.

Now, that’s great pasta.

Pasta Dough

For Ravioli and Noodles

Ingredients:

Eggs  – 2

Flour – 1 1/2 cup

Salt  – 3/4 tsp

Eggshell of warm water.

Method:

Place the sifted flour, mixed with salt on a pastry board.

Make a depression in the centre and add 2 unbeaten eggs.

Mix with the hands moistening with warm water, until the dough can be gathered into a ball.

It should be a hard dough. Knead to a smooth consistency.

Divide the dough in three parts for easy rolling.

Roll each paper-thin. For ravioli, cut in strips 8 cm. Wide.

To be used freshly made. For noodles, cut  1/2 cm  strips or as desired.

Lay out to dry well. Store until required.

]]>