If they can do it, you can do it.

Making fresh pasta is child’s play, especially if you have a pasta machine to do the rolling. The instructions for making the dough and using the machine may sound complicated at first, but after a little practice, nothing could be easier. So why are you waiting?  Set up the machine and let the good times roll.

HOW TO MAKE BASIC PASTA DOUGH

The following recipe will make about two servings of pasta. The recipe may be doubled or tripled.

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1 extra large egg

1 teaspoon olive oil

Pinch of salt

Mound flour on a wooden pasta board or other flat surface. Make hollow in flour so it looks like a volcano.Break egg into the hollow. Top with oil. Sprinkle with salt.

(Now comes the hard part: you need to keep the egg inside the flour mound when you mix the dough and not let the egg escape through the sides of the flour and run over the flat surface. The way you hold the fork isimportant.) Pick up a fork and hold it with the tines parallel with the flat surface, not pointing down. Keeping the fork flat (parallel to the surface), begin making circles inside the mound and gently whip the eggs and oil until white and yolk are blended. (You could support the side of the flour mound with your free hand to help keep the egg in the mound.) With the same flat circular motion, very slowly start bringing flour from the side of the mound into the egg mixture. Continue slowly and carefully incorporating flour from sides and bottom of mound into the eggs until you have a sticky dough. Then put the fork down and gently knead the dough with your hand, incorporating enough flour to make a soft, but not sticky dough. Gather dough into a ball. You will probably not have used all of the flour in the mound. Pass remaining flour through a strainer to remove all lumps (throw lumps away). Use strained flour for rolling dough.

TO ROLL PASTA DOUGH ON A MACHINE

(Cut dough in half. If the dough has been made with more than one egg, cut it into as many portions as eggs used. Roll each portion of dough separately.)

A little wheel at the side of the machine adjusts the roller size. Put rollers on the most open setting. Turning handle of machine, pass lump of dough through rollers.

Fold rolled dough into thirds (like a letter). Press gently to flatten the dough rectangle. Lightly sprinkle dough rectangle with flour. Put one of the narrow ends of the folded rectangle into the machine and repeat the rolling, folding and flouring.  Repeat about eight more times, or until dough is very smooth.

Move the roller wheel notch one  number, putting the rollers a little closer together. Roll dough without folding. Sprinkle rolled dough with a little flour.

Repeat rolling the dough, moving the rollers one number closer after each rolling, and not folding, until the dough is as thin as you want it. (The sheet of dough will get longer and longer as you roll and you may need some help handling it. I don’t know if a purist would ever do this, but beginners can cut the long sheet in sections to make handling a little easier. It is important to remember to never squeeze a long sheet of dough in your fist, but let it hang over your open hand or on the back of your hand to move it.) After the last rolling, gently pull the pasta to its full length and set on lightly floured dishtowels to “dry” for about 10 minutes before cutting.

TO CUT FRESH PASTA

Pass the dough through the pasta machine’s cutting “teeth” to cut into shapes offered by the machine, or cut with a sharp knife into shapes not available on the machine. Put the cut pasta on floured dishtowels and set aside for about 10 minutes before cooking.

TO COOK FRESH PASTA

Put a lot of water into a large pot. Set the pot over high heat. Bring the water to a full boil. Put the pasta in the boiling water and cook until tender, 15 to 30 seconds for very thin fresh pasta and up to a minute for thicker. Drain pasta in a colander. The pasta is ready to add sauce and eat.