making pasta at home

Theres nothing like home made pasta.. i agree!!!... eventhough i had tried doin ths long long time back minus a pasta machine..  it tasted nothin lik wat i made a few days ago.. with a pasta machine.. ths time around.. (mayb the last time i didnt have a recipe .. just made sm random dough!!) nw i knw that random most often than not.. Does NOT work..

i ws lucky to find a pasta machine on specials recently .. it ws somethin i ve been wanting to have for sometime but thought that the price didnt match my inexperience in making pasta.. hence i didnt want to gamble on it.. then finally since i got it .. i read a bit about different ways and recipes of making the dough .. and settled with a basic recipe .

200g plain flour

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 tsp salt

2 tsp olive oil

water as needed ...but be very careful when adding it..

• mix the salt with the flour and mount it up in a flat surface that would allow you to knead it later on
• at the top of the peak make a hole as in a volcano...
• add the oil and eggs and slowly mix the flour from around it..
• once the flour is completely mixed if hard to knead add very little water..
• knead for about 10 mins.. till the dough turns rather pliable..(ths process is very important wen makin bread/rotis etc)
• wrap it up with cling film and let it rest for half hour.. and then let the pasta machine do the talkin..
• before boilin the pasta you need let the cut pasta dry for at least 10 mins..
• once dried, boil the pasta in salted water with a few drops of olive oil..

The taste and texture of this pasta is soooo very different from what you buy from the shops.. eventhough most of us keep lookin for quick fixes due to the lack of time to spend in the kitchen.. i bet you will find a way of making this ahead of time or even as a special treat on and off.. if you dont have a pasta machine.. you could always do it the old fashion way by rolling it out very very thin and then cutting it into strips..

check out my recipe for the sauce that goes sooo very well with ths pasta. which i made for the first time for my first batch of home made pasta.....

The very reason i really wanted to learn making my own pasta was because i wanted to learn how to vary it by making it with wholmeal flour or even add greens like parsley or spinach into the dough.. which would make it soooo much more healthier and also at the same time would ensure that my son gets all the greens in ..  i would write more about it the coming weeks as and when i make them...