Handmade Pasta As Estimated By Tina Caputo Recipes

HANDMADE PASTA (AS ESTIMATED BY TINA CAPUTO)

Steps:

• Mound flour on a cutting board or clean work surface and make a hole/well in the center of the flour. Crack the eggs into the well and add water and salt. Use a fork to break the yolks and slowly begin scooping flour into the well, a little at a time, until all the flour is incorporated into the liquid.
• Knead dough until smooth. If the dough feels sticky it is too wet; add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it feels smooth and doesn't stick to your hands. Form dough into a log shape.
• Cover dough with plastic wrap and let it rest 10-15 minutes. While you're waiting, you can relax and drink some wine (this also applies to steps 4 and 7).
• Knead again for a few more minutes until dough is smooth, adding a bit more flour if needed. Again, form it into a log shape, cover and let rest another 10-15 minutes.
• Slice log into five pieces of equal size. Dip each slice in flour to coat it, and brush off any extra flour. Roll each slice with a rolling pin to flatten into small ovals and sprinkle with flour.
• Run dough slices through a hand-crank pasta machine or KitchenAid mixer roller attachment at the 1, 4 and 6 (wide, medium, and small) thickness settings. (Run all the sheets through on the wide setting, then roll al of the sheets on medium, etc. That allows the sheets to rest for a few minutes between rollings.) Skip the smallest setting if sheets have reached the desired thickness after two trips through the roller. You should be able to see the outline of your hand through the sheet. When dough is coming out of the roller, pull on it gently to stretch it out. Sheets should be smooth and elastic.
• Cut sheets in half so they are each about 12 inches long. Lay sheets on a tablecloth, dust with a little flour and turn them over. When edges begin to dry (in 20-30 minutes), the pasta is ready to cut. Don't let it dry too much, or sheets will buckle and caught in the roller.
• Run pasta sheets through cutter and arrange noodles in loose nests on a tablecloth. Sprinkle with a little flour to keep strands from sticking together.
• Cook in boiling salted water until al dente (2-3 minutes). If you're not planning to eat the pasta that day, leave it to dry completely, turning nests over after an hour or so. Dried pasta will keep in the pantry for a few months.