Homemade Pasta!

So the other day, I decided I needed to tackle one of my big culinary goals: to try to make homemade pasta by hand.  I enlisted the help of Teags (btw have you read her blog yet?) to create our delish dinner.  We followed this basic recipe.  Here's the shorthand version:

1. Clean off a good countertop space.  You will be making your pasta here, so get it nice and clean!
2. Mix together 2 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt on counter, then make into a big mound.
3. Create a well or little hole in the center of your flour mound.  Fill this mound with 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon milk, 1 teaspoon oil.

4. Mix together ingredients by slowly bringing flour into the mound.  Work those hands.  FYI it's going to get messy.  Just go with it.

5. Add a little more milk or egg if your dough is still too dry (aka not all flour is incorporated)
6. Kneed dough and cover with a damp towel for at least 30 minutes.  This is the time for the dough to 'relax'
7. Roll out dough with rolling pin.  If you are classy like us and can't find your rolling pin, you can use a wine bottle to double as your roller.  And yes, you should have already finished all of the wine out of that bottle during steps 1-6.
8. Get the dough nice and thin! Then cut out the shapes you want!....

-make 'spaghetti' by cutting nice long, thin strips
-make fusilli by taking those strips and rolling them, creating a spiral shape
-make bowties by cutting out rectangles, then squeeze the center together!

9. Let dry for 15 minutes
10. Drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes.  These cook quickly, so keep your eyes on them!

Then enjoy!
JAS