Homemade Pasta from scratch

 I am almost embarrassed to admit to  this, my inspiration  to make fresh pasta  came to be because I was watching  "Jersey Shore", I know, don't judge.  They were in Italy and they would not stop talking about how good the food was. I got around to read Jamie Oliver's recipe and he mentioned how old women in Italy get offended by the idea of using a machine to make the pasta. If they can do it, so can I

I can't remember the last time I passed up an  opportunity to eat pasta or make pasta or go out for Italian food. So making fresh pasta was a long time coming. I will polish off a bowl of pasta with no shame what so ever and come back for seconds. I am unapologetic when it comes to pasta. When I  started looking at recipes, I found a million versions to it, but I finally found  one which was not fussy and nonsense-free


I won't lie, it is a little work, but it is worth it.  I cannot begin to tell all of you how good it tasted. It was so good, I stood there and watched over my pasta with such joy. Because, it is that good. Having said that, there is nothing wrong with store bought pasta.




The Verdict : It was unbelievable.


                                                                       Fresh Pasta

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups of all purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt

Method:

• Have clean working area, like your kitchen counter. Make a  well  in the dough and beat the eggs  in the welland slowly whisk them into the dough.
• Combine the eggs with the flour with a fork till the flour is coated and it is good enough to knead with your hands.
• The key is kneading. You have to knead for  at least 5 minutes, till you get a nice soft dough. 
• If your mixture is too wet, add a little flour. If it is too dry, add a little egg mixture. 
• Chill the dough for 45 minutes in a plastic wrap. 
• Here is the little difficult part in the whole process--rolling the dough You need to roll it 1/4th thickness. 
• To cut them into the shape of pasta. You can do it two ways, you can either roll the dough out into a big circle and roll it and cut them out. Open each cut piece and allow it to dry for 10-12 minutes. The other way is to fold it into a square and cut from the open corner. ( I know it looks super complex, but once you start rolling the dough out, it is quite simple, trust me. Like Jamie Oliver says,  "use your head and you'll be fine)
• The drying phase is quite important as it allows the pasta not to stick to each other when it cooks. Allow it to dry separately for 12-15 minutes



• Cook al-dente for 5-6 minutes Use to your preference. I made a quick pasta with red peppers, chilli, basil, pepper, olive oil and parsley.