Fresh pasta

I hadn't made fresh pasta in about ten years and finally (after looking
for the past 3 years) have not one but two (don't ask) pasta machines, the
kind you c-clamp to the counter and crank.
I made this last night and my husband (picky eaters have nothing on him!)
actually pronounced it "good." I thought it was stupendous!
It was also very easy and you don't need the pasta machine to make it, you
can roll it out like pastry and cut it in strips or squares, or with
cookie cutters if you want to be a little more creative.

serves 6 as a side dish, four as part of a main course, or 2 in my house.

1-1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs

In a large bowl combine flour, salt and stir with a fork to get it
combined. Make a hole (like you would in mashed potatoes for the gravy)
and break into it the eggs. Some people add a little water as well,
but I have found that this makes the pasta a little mushy. (That's
desirable though if you are making chicken and dumplings. In that case,
use only one egg and use one of the egg shell halves to measure one
"shell half" of water. Add to the middle and continue.)
Using the fork, mix the eggs, gradually getting more and more of the flour
mixed in, until it's too stiff to use the fork, then use your hands.
Grab up every little bit of the dough into the ball that forms, and kneed
it for five or ten minutes, until it gets nice and elastic and stops
sticking to your fingers. It won't get shiny, but it will have the feel
of a stiff bread dough.
Cut it into four pieces, and cover three of them with a piece of plastic
wrap to keep it from drying out (it will, and really fast if you are
working in a breeze as from a ceiling fan). If you are using a pasta
machine, run the dough through it several times to continue the kneeding,
finishing with the shape you want (fettucine, spaghetti, etc.). If by
hand, roll it with a rolling pin on a floured surface until it is as
thin as you want it. Slice it in strips, use a cookie cutter, or
whatever.
Drop the dough into rolling boiling salted water (1-2 tbsp salt in 4-6
quarts of water), the more water the better. Or, you can boil it in
broth. Boil for only 3-5 minutes for al dente. Don't worry if it sticks
together a little bit before boiling, you can get it to loosen up by
stirring the boiling pasta gently.
This pasta will taste like nothing you've had out of a package, and will
be a little more substantive in the chewing.
We finish ours with a spritz of olive oil, a handful of shredded parmesan,
and a couple of snips of parsley or fresh vegetables like broccoli,
chopped raw tomatoes--use your imagination and make it different every
time!

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