Yield: 1 pound of pasta
Materials/Ingredients:
· Mixing bowl
· Rolling pin (or wine bottle)
· Knife or pizza/pasta cutter
· Optional: mixer with dough hook
· 3 large eggs
· 2 cups flour
· 2 tsp. olive oil
· Water as needed
· 1/4 tsp. salt
Preparation:
Mix the flour and salt together. Make a mound of these ingredients on a clean countertop or in a bowl and then hollow out the top, like a volcano. Put the eggs and oil into the hollow and then mix them into the flour mixture; it is best to do this with your hands, but you can also use a mixer with a dough hook. Keep mixing until a ball develops and all of the dry crumbs on your fingers are incorporated into the dough. If the dough gets too dry, sprinkle it with a bit of water. Knead the dough for five to ten minutes. Shape it into a ball again and let it sit for ten to thirty minutes, covered or wrapped in plastic, to allow the glutens to relax (which will help the dough roll out more easily). Roll out the dough on the countertop to an even thickness, as flat and thin as possible, and then fold it over and over onto itself (alternating top to bottom and side to side) until it looks like a nifty little folded handkerchief. Roll the dough out again and then fold it again in the same way; repeat this process several times until the pasta dough appears to be an even color and consistency. Roll out the dough one more time, but do not fold it; leave it very thin and flat. Use a knife or a pasta or pizza cutter to cut the dough into noodles of your desired size and shape (I used to use our kids’ Play-Doh cutters with curvy edges). Set the noodles aside after you cut them. When we make long, thin noodles, we drape them carefully across the backs of our kitchen chairs—and the banisters, and towel bars, and counter edges!
Either use the pasta noodles right away by cooking them rapidly in boiling water or leave them out to dry completely (they will be very brittle) and store them in a plastic bag or container.Eccolo—homemade pasta! Enjoy!
This article was excerpted with permission from the book Urban Farm Projects: Making the Most of Your Money, Space, and Stuff, copyright 2014, I-5 Publishing, LLC. For more budget-friendly and environmentally conscience projects and recipes, pick up a copy today!
