Pasta & Egg Noodles the Old Fashioned Way

If you have two eggs, two cups of flour a little olive oil, salt and water you can be eating homemade pasta in no time at all!

Today I used my Pasta Queen hand crank pasta machine and my trusty knife to make fettuccine and tagliatelle noodles. It's not really too old fashioned compared to some methods, but it is old fashioned compared to my Kitchenaid pasta rollers.

With this small recipe you could really go old fashioned by using your trusty rolling pin to roll out your dough.

I used the ingredients from the pasta recipe below. I was able to use my food processor as well as the hand crank pasta machine. I varied from the "feed through the rollers 6 - 8 times".  You'll see my less time consuming method outlined in photos and captions below.
See my archived post for wheat pasta using the Kitchenaid pasta attachments & Kitchenaid pasta drying rack.

Taken from foodtv.com:
 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/michele-urvater/fresh-egg-pasta-dough-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

In a food processor combine the flour, salt, eggs, oil and 4 tablespoons water and process until the mixture begins to form a ball, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the dough is too dry. Process 30 seconds more to knead it. Remove the dough from the processor and let it rest, covered with an inverted bowl, at room temperature for 1 hour. (Side Note: Mario Batali says 20 min. is enough time to rest the dough.)

Set the smooth rollers of a pasta machine at the highest number. (The rollers will be wide apart.) Divide the dough into 4 pieces, flatten 1 piece into a rectangle, and cover the remaining pieces with an inverted bowl. Dust the rectangle with flour and feed it through the rollers. Fold the rectangle in half and feed it through the rollers 6-8 more times, folding in half each time and dusting with flour if necessary to keep it from sticking. Turn the dial down one notch and feed the dough through the rollers without folding. Continue to feed the dough through the rollers without folding, turning the dial lower one notch each time, until the lowest notch is reached. Roll the remaining pieces of pasta dough in the same manner.

Use the blades of a pasta machine that will cut 1/4-inch wide strips. Feed one end of a sheet of pasta dough through the blades, holding the other end straight up from the machine. Catch the strips from underneath the machine before the sheet goes completely through the rollers and put the cut strips lightly across floured jelly-roll pans or let them hang over the top of straight-backed chairs or on hangars. Let the pasta dry for 5 minutes, before cooking.

Combine the two eggs, oil and flour into your food processor . You can use the regular or the dough  hook.
As it is processing add cold water until flour starts making a ball like the one above.
(Tip: Measure out 5 Tbsp. cold water and put it into a measuring cup for easy pouring.
You may need more or less water depending on the day .)

                                                                    

Take dough from food processor, knead until it forms a ball.
Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 20 minutes.

After the dough has rested, put it on a lightly floured surface.
(too much flour will make dough tough)

Cut a small piece of dough. Press down one end and
feed it through the rollers set on #1.

The pasta will be thick.

Fold it in three and feed it through again on #1.

Twice through on #3
If pasta is getting sticky, lightly dust
with flour before rolling it through.

Twice through on #5

Once through on #6

Dough will be nice and thin, almost see through.

Cut a strip this length in two.
Feed cut side down into noodle cutters.

Machine noodles are on the left.
If you don't have a machine with a noodle attachment,
roll the dough and cut strips.

Cut to whatever thickness you desire. I did wide noodles.

                                                                     

When you unroll them, you will have nice long wide noodles.
Tagliatelle 

I sauteed a clove of garlic in good olive oil.

Brought some well salted water to a boil, dropped in my noodles
and in three minutes, lifted them out of the water and into
the oil and garlic.  If some of the pasta water goes
into the pan, that's a good thing, not to worry.

My friend happened to pop in and we ate these noodles right up!
She was amazed at how easy, light and delicious they were.
They disappeared before I had a chance
to take pictures of the plated pasta!