homemade pasta

When I was in college and my husband was working in Manhattan as a bar tender, he told me something I never forgot. "Once you make your own pasta, you will always feel cheated when you buy it at the store because it is so simple." I wanted to believe him, but I was very skeptical. Well, we got a pasta maker for Christmas and finally my procrastinating self decided to try it out. We made pasta and ravioli. Both were delicious!

The only real thing to consider when making pasta is the flour to egg ratio, which is approximately .75 to 1, or one egg for every 3/4 cup of flour. You just make a well in the flour and mix the two together. You will need to add some salt and and water as well. Knead until it is a solid ball and then let it rest for about 30 min. Then run it through the machine. Start on the widest section and work you way to thinner. Then cut it in the shape you want.
It will only take a few minutes in boiling water to cook, about 4-6 min. Serve like regular pasta.

For ravioli, make a filling, usually it will be ricotta based, which is what I did. We also added some finely chopped roasted peppers and cooked mushrooms. Then we took sheets and laid it out on the counter. Placed dolups of fillling in a pattern and covered it with another sheet of pasta. We brushed the in-between sections with egg wash and cut them apart. Boil and serve! Delicious!