Recipe(tried): Farmhouse Egg Pasta (rolled by hand or pasta machine)

My latest project!

FARMHOUSE EGG PASTA

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon fine kosher or sea salt
3 large eggs, beaten

On a flat surface or in the work bowl of a food processor*, combine the flour and salt. By hand, make a well in the center and add the beaten eggs. With a fork, start stirring the egg mixture, mixing in a little bit of the flour as you go. Using your hands and a dough scraper or pancake turner, squeeze the dough together, scraping up flour bits to add to the dough, until you have a smooth ball of dough.

* In the food processor, add the beaten eggs and pulse to combine, then process until the dough forms a mass, about 1 minute.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Cut the dough in half. Form it into 2 disks, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To roll by hand, dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Sprinkle the dough with flour and brush off excess with a pastry brush. The pasta dough should feel soft and elastic, but not sticky. Roll out each disk until the pasta is so thin you can almost see through it, about 1/16".

Or, to use a pasta machine, cut the disk into 4 pieces, and flatten each piece. Sprinkle with flour and brush off excess with a pastry brush. Feed each piece into the pasta machine set at the thickest setting. When all the pieces have been rolled through, adjust the machine and roll through again. Sprinkle with flour and brush off excess with a pastry brush as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Keep rolling the pasta at thinner and thiner settings until you can almost see through it, about 1/16-inch. If necessary, cut the sheets in half for a more managable process.

Then cut into the desired shapes. Use right away, freeze, or dry.

To freeze, lay the pieces, side by side, on parchment paper. Starting with a short side, roll the parchment paper and noodles up into a cylinder. Place the cylinder in a plastic freezer bag, seal, and freeze for up to 3 months.

To dry, lay the pieces on wire racks for several hours, until dry. Pack dried pasta into plastic storage bags and keep for up to 1 month at room temperature.

Makes 1 pound

Note: Use it fresh or dry for egg noodles. Fresh pasta will cook to al dente in a few minutes, while dried noodles will take 12 to 15 minutes.

Source: Heartland, The Cookbook by Judith Fertig