www.bestpastarecipes.com has added a few more recipes since the last
post. Here's one of them. We have a spinach one on the website that
sounds even better, but here goes for a good basic one to start with.
If I get a lot of replies to this I'll post the other one as well.

RECIPE FOR FRESH PASTA

2 Large Eggs
1-1/4 Cups of all-purpose flour
Pinch of Salt

A simple recipe for fresh pasta calls for two large eggs and about
1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour with a pinch of salt. To make the dough
by hand, make a well in the flour on a clean, flat surface. Break the
eggs into the well and add the salt. Working with a fork, begin
incorporating flour into the eggs at the center. You may need to shore
up the flour walls as you work, pushing more flour toward the middle,
and keeping the eggs from running out. When it becomes too difficult to
keep mixing with the fork, start using your hands. Before long you'll
have a workable dough, which should be kneaded for several minutes.
Because of variations in humidity and flour, you may need more or less
flour, but the goal at the end of the kneading is to have a
well-formed, elastic dough that is as smooth as a baby's skin.

The dough can also be made in a food processor, a mixer with a dough
hook or even a bread machine. This much dough makes four modest
servings. You can make proportionately larger batches, but don't want
to wear yourself out on your first effort.

*****************************
(If you have a pasta machine)
Once the dough has been made, cut it into six parts, flatten each
section, and begin running them through the widest setting of your
pasta machine. Fold each piece in thirds after each pass through the
machine at this setting, and roll them several times, until they are
very smooth. Then set the rollers one notch closer together and roll
each strip of dough through them once. Continue to move the rollers
closer together and roll the pasta through until your reach the
thickness you desire. We find the next-to-last setting on our machine
to be thin enough - the thinnest setting produces sheets of pasta
that are hard to cut. After each rolling, lay the dough on clean
towels, and don't let the edges overlap, or they may stick together.
Once you've finished rolling the strips, let them rest on the towels
for 10 minutes or so to dry, turning them once or twice. Now you're
ready to use the cutting blades of your pasta machine.

The only problem you may run into in the entire pasta-making process is
trying to cut the dough before it's sufficiently dry or after it has
dried too much. In the first case, the strands stick together, and need
a bit more drying. In the second case, it is hard to feed the pasta
into the cutting rollers and the edges may crack. If it's on the dry
side, we cut the end with a knife so that it is straight and feeds into
the machine more easily. A hint of water may also be necessary to get
it started in the cutter, but the best solution is not to let it get
too dry. Once the pasta is cut, lay the noodles on the towels until
you're ready to cook them.
*****************************

(If you do not have a pasta machine)
And, of course, you don't really need the machine at all -
generations of Italian women stretched their pasta with wooden dowels
and cut it with knives.

(Cooking Instructions)
The only consideration in cooking is to remember that fresh pasta cooks
much, much faster than dried. As soon as it floats to the top of your
boiling water, it's done.

Submitted by Anonymous Female in Wembley - Alberta - Canada

We've added a few more recipes since the last post. Here's one of them.
Mike
www

"Mike - Still Learning" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> www.bestpastarecipes.com has added a few more recipes since the last
> post. Here's one of them. We have a spinach one on the website that
> sounds even better, but here goes for a good basic one to start with.
> If I get a lot of replies to this I'll post the other one as well.

That is a good simple recipe, although I'd probably want to add
a couple of addition comments to it.

First, you may also want to try semolina flour for a bit of a different
(some would say more "authentic" or "traditional") texture. It makes
for a "harder," stronger dough, though it is also going to be more
difficult to handle for the beginner. I really like the results, though.
And I would want to encourage people to experiment with the addition
of herb and seasonings to the dough - after all, it IS just some flour
and a couple of eggs; if it doesn't turn out to your liking, toss it
and start over. No big deal.

I'd also definitely want to caution people about thinking that the
quantities involved here are cast in stone, esp. when you're giving
the flour as a volume measure rather than by weight (lots more
variation that way) and making such a small batch. "2 large eggs"
might be too much or two little for a "1-1/4 cup" pile of flour.
It should be noted that this is a good starting point, but you might
want to have another egg whisked in a bowl (so that you don't have
to add the whole thing all at once) and additional flour, and add
either as you're doing the mixing to get the right consistency in
the dough. This stuff will all be old news to the more experienced
cooks in the audience, but it sure looks like you're aiming at
a mostly-newbie sort of cook with this one.


Bob M.

Bob Myers, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
2006, typed out:

> This stuff will all be old news to the more experienced
> cooks in the audience, but it sure looks like you're aiming at
> a mostly-newbie sort of cook with this one.
>
>
> Bob M.


Bob M.,

Allow me to add more old news for newbies. Regardless of the dough yield
and regardless of the roller being manual or electric, dividing into 6
pieces yields unwieldly lengths of flat rolled pasta, before passing
through the cutter. Especially with a hand cranked rolling machine,
unless you have helping hands.

Start with a golf ball hunk. Roll it and fold a little of the result back
over to square the leading edge. Do this as you narrow the roller
thickness until the pasta has reached the width of the roller, then just
continue tightening up the roller gap until you get the thickness you
want. A golf ball hunk of dough can yield 2-feet of finely rolled pasta,
which is much more managable in the rolling and cutting stages than a 10
foot length!!! Even though the 10 foot length is more comical, imho,

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> Bob Myers, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
> 2006, typed out:
>
>
> Start with a golf ball hunk. Roll it and fold a little of the result back
> over to square the leading edge. Do this as you narrow the roller
> thickness until the pasta has reached the width of the roller, then just
> continue tightening up the roller gap until you get the thickness you
> want. A golf ball hunk of dough can yield 2-feet of finely rolled pasta,
> which is much more managable in the rolling and cutting stages than a 10
> foot length!!! Even though the 10 foot length is more comical, imho,
>
> Andy
>
>

Andy, my aunt just got us a pasta maker, not the extruder machine kind, but
the one with all the "frilly" attachments, hand-cranked, stainless thingy.
May I hire you to show us how to use it? We're at a loss! :~)

kili

kilikini, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
2006, typed out:

> Andy, my aunt just got us a pasta maker, not the extruder machine
> kind, but the one with all the "frilly" attachments, hand-cranked,
> stainless thingy. May I hire you to show us how to use it? We're at a
> loss! :~)
>
> kili


kili,

I remember, you got that kit before the summer, sometime.

Between you and TFM® you two can't figure it out?!?

Google brand + model + instructions

Newbies!!!



Google brand + model + manual for instructions?!?

First, start your water boiling! Start your sauce on a low simmer.

My explaination was fairly universal. You start with the dial at #1, sit
the gob of doh over the opening and crank it through. Repeat 2 times
folding back 1/3 of the leading edge back to square off the leading edge.
Then dial the knob to #2 and fit the leading edge of the sheet into the
opening and crank it through. Shift into 3rd and repeat, shift into 4th
and repeat, shift to six or seven and repeat. Take the long flat sheet of
pasta and dust it with flour and drap it over the straight of a plastic
coat hanger half and half and hang the hanger on the string from one
kitchen cabinet to another while you dial the roller back to #1 and
repeat those processes.

When you've rolled out all the sheets, replace the roller with the cutter
attachment and feed each sheet back into the cutter and crank, gathering
up the spaghetti back so it hangs half and half onto the straight of the
coat hanger and hang it back up. Repeat with other sheets.

When the water is boiling, round up one end of the spaghetti on a hanger
in your hand and drag it off the hanger. Holding it over the pot, take a
scissor and cut the bottom 1/3 of the length, repeat with the 2nd 1/3 and
drop the final 1/3 left in your hand into the water. Repeat with
remaining sheets in quick succession and don't forget to keep laughing!

It only takes a minute or two to cook. Drain, pour into serving bowl, add
sauce, toss and serve and mangi!

That's how I do it, anyway.

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> kilikini, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
> 2006, typed out:
>
> > Andy, my aunt just got us a pasta maker, not the extruder machine
> > kind, but the one with all the "frilly" attachments, hand-cranked,
> > stainless thingy. May I hire you to show us how to use it? We're at a
> > loss! :~)
> >
> > kili
>
>
> kili,
>
> I remember, you got that kit before the summer, sometime.
>
> Between you and TFM® you two can't figure it out?!?
>

We're really looking for some good flour, *and*, my aunt was just here two
weeks ago, so :-P. <g>

On a serious note, I'd just like to see someone use it so I have an idea.
Once we find good flour, I'll experiment, but it's kind of like bread or
pizza crust making to me; it's intimidating!

kili

kilikini, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
2006, typed out:

> We're really looking for some good flour, *and*, my aunt was just here
> two weeks ago, so :-P. <g>
>
> On a serious note, I'd just like to see someone use it so I have an
> idea. Once we find good flour, I'll experiment, but it's kind of like
> bread or pizza crust making to me; it's intimidating!
>
> kili


kili,

It IS intimidating. No matter how many times you see it done on TV,
there's just NO WAY this powdery all purpose flour and eggs and salt is
gonna turn into pasta. It's a trick of the camera behind the scenes!!!
That is until you try it and it WORKS!!!

I had my doubts, too!

Just be sure to make a mess and have fun!

My very first few gobs of dough went back through the roller attachment
after I ran out of arm reach and the sheets folded and glued together.
Just keep the sheets short (2'-3') and lightly dusted with flour if they
get tacky as you roll out the sheets.

If I can do it, Kili, that speaks volumes for the rest of humankind.

The only hardship is TFM® having to do all that cranking and gathering
and shifting "gap gears" while you feed the dough in a straight line.

Andy

"Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> kilikini, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
> 2006, typed out:
>
> > We're really looking for some good flour, *and*, my aunt was just here
> > two weeks ago, so :-P. <g>
> >
> > On a serious note, I'd just like to see someone use it so I have an
> > idea. Once we find good flour, I'll experiment, but it's kind of like
> > bread or pizza crust making to me; it's intimidating!
> >
> > kili
>
>
> kili,
>
> It IS intimidating. No matter how many times you see it done on TV,
> there's just NO WAY this powdery all purpose flour and eggs and salt is
> gonna turn into pasta. It's a trick of the camera behind the scenes!!!
> That is until you try it and it WORKS!!!
>
> I had my doubts, too!
>
> Just be sure to make a mess and have fun!
>
> My very first few gobs of dough went back through the roller attachment
> after I ran out of arm reach and the sheets folded and glued together.
> Just keep the sheets short (2'-3') and lightly dusted with flour if they
> get tacky as you roll out the sheets.
>
> If I can do it, Kili, that speaks volumes for the rest of humankind.
>
> The only hardship is TFM® having to do all that cranking and gathering
> and shifting "gap gears" while you feed the dough in a straight line.
>
> Andy

Hah, actually, we have a hand crank AND a motor - a worthy $75 attachment!
I can't wait until I crank out my own ravioli. I have so many ideas for
stuffings!

kili

kilikini, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
2006, typed out:

> Hah, actually, we have a hand crank AND a motor - a worthy $75
> attachment! I can't wait until I crank out my own ravioli. I have so
> many ideas for stuffings!
>
> kili


Ravioli is harder than just making spaghetti for your first time or two.
My ravoli was a deflated disaster. I wish you better luck!!!

Gotta get a feel for dough throughout the process. Heck, I'm not 100% in
that area. Not even close.

The only other thing that comes to mind is something you said. "Waiting
for a good quality flour." ???

Don't procrastinate. So you've got your Aunt's recipe which needs
semolina! Just get a small bag of Gold Medal all purpose flour and make
pasta.

Andy

kilikini wrote:
> "Andy" <q> wrote in message ...
> > kilikini, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
> > 2006, typed out:
> >
> > > We're really looking for some good flour, *and*, my aunt was just here
> > > two weeks ago, so :-P. <g>
> > >
> > > On a serious note, I'd just like to see someone use it so I have an
> > > idea. Once we find good flour, I'll experiment, but it's kind of like
> > > bread or pizza crust making to me; it's intimidating!
> > >
> > > kili
> >
> >
> > kili,
> >
> > It IS intimidating. No matter how many times you see it done on TV,
> > there's just NO WAY this powdery all purpose flour and eggs and salt is
> > gonna turn into pasta. It's a trick of the camera behind the scenes!!!
> > That is until you try it and it WORKS!!!
> >
> > I had my doubts, too!
> >
> > Just be sure to make a mess and have fun!
> >
> > My very first few gobs of dough went back through the roller attachment
> > after I ran out of arm reach and the sheets folded and glued together.
> > Just keep the sheets short (2'-3') and lightly dusted with flour if they
> > get tacky as you roll out the sheets.
> >
> > If I can do it, Kili, that speaks volumes for the rest of humankind.
> >
> > The only hardship is TFM® having to do all that cranking and gathering
> > and shifting "gap gears" while you feed the dough in a straight line.
> >
> > Andy
>
> Hah, actually, we have a hand crank AND a motor - a worthy $75 attachment!
> I can't wait until I crank out my own ravioli. I have so many ideas for
> stuffings!
>
> kili

Kili,

You can do it!

Our camp theme this week was Now That's Italian, and we made homemade
spaghetti. If we can teach 6 year olds how to make pasta, I know we can
teach you!

It's like any other dough....you have to get a feel for it. Making the
well and incorporsting the eggs slowly is important.

And as far as rolling it out, once you've done it a ferw times, you'll
know how to gegt it right every time.

jude

at Thu, 17 Aug 2006 16:24:29 GMT in >,
q (Andy) wrote :

>Bob Myers, after taking an infinite amount of time, finally, on 17 Aug
>2006, typed out:
>
>> This stuff will all be old news to the more experienced
>> cooks in the audience, but it sure looks like you're aiming at
>> a mostly-newbie sort of cook with this one.
>>
>Bob M.,
>
>Allow me to add more old news for newbies. Regardless of the dough yield
>and regardless of the roller being manual or electric, dividing into 6
>pieces yields unwieldly lengths of flat rolled pasta, before passing
>through the cutter. Especially with a hand cranked rolling machine,
>unless you have helping hands.

Part of this, it seems, is because of the width of commonly available
machines. Most pasta machines seem to have very narrow openings. Why aren't
machines made that are, say, 50 cm wide? Yeah, that does take up some
counter space but safe to say that for the time you're making pasta there
isn't going to be much else being done on the counter anyway. Wider sheets
also speed up the cutting process, especially valuable if you are in a low-
humidity environment.

Lack of practical size is one of the main reasons I've never considered
getting a pasta machine. It's easier to roll the dough out by hand on a
large countertop or a board. Then one can create wide, long sheets that are
easily handled. One thing about the manual process - for cutting most
shapes I find it easiest to roll the sheet into a log. Wouldn't that be
easy enough to integrate into a machine, too - something like a set of wide
jaws with blades? Then you wouldn't have to feed the sheets into the
cutters.

--
Alex Rast

(remove d., .7, not, and .NOSPAM to reply)