Fresh Homemade Pasta

Do you prefer pasta from an exquisite Italian restaurant or the dried, boxed pasta that you use at home?  Chances are, you prefer the pasta from the restaurant.  While not all restaurants make their own pasta, it is actually more economical in large batches; it also tastes one-hundred times better than boxed.  It's quite simple to make a delicious pasta from only four ingredients and about 45 minutes of work.  Before we get into the creation of pasta, let's talk about gluten, which occurs naturally in pasta and breads.

What is gluten?

Most people have no real clue as to what gluten is, but still preach that gluten-free diets are superior to any other.  This is not only wrong, but also shows that people are willing to believe anything that is shoved down their throats by the media and tabloids.  But I'm not here to get into a debate over how much gluten is in your diet; I'm here to simplify and explain the mysterious protein.

Gluten is a protein formed in doughs, breads, and most flour containing foods.  It's formed by glutenin bonding with gliadin in doughs.  Gluten is what gives dough its elasticity and stretchability, as well as giving breads their web-like form when you break them open.  It is essential in breads, pastas, and cakes to give them form and structure.  When a dough is kneaded, glutenin is moved around in the dough and "finds" gliadin, bonding with it.  When working with pastries, cupcakes, and other desserts, it is essential to not overwork your dough as to form too much gluten.  Pastries are supposed to be flaky and delectable, and forming a lot of gluten will make the pastry hard, brittle, and tough.

Pasta Dough

Pasta dough is EXTREMELY simple to make, once you get the (pretty easy) technique down.

Pasta Dough: makes about 2 cups of pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• a pinch of salt

1. Pour your 2 cups of flour onto a cutting board or onto a counter top.   Make a well in the middle.
2. Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk them with the olive oil and salt.  (Alternatively, you could crack the eggs directly into the well.  Messier and more difficult, however.)
3. Pour the egg mixture into the well formed by the flour.
4. Using a fork, take some of the flour from the sides of the well and whisk with some of the egg mixture.  Continue this until you have a smooth dough that isn't sticky and workable by hand.
5. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes, or until the dough is extremely smooth and springy.  Knead into a ball.
6. Rub some olive oil all over the ball and cover it with saran wrap and let sit for 40 minutes.  This will allow the gluten to relax and make the dough easier to work with and cut.
7. Roll dough into a 1/16 inch flat piece.  Cut linguini, or cut circles and fold into little shells.  The possibilities are endless!
8. Let the cut pasta dry for two hours, uncovered.  
9. To cook, boil pasta for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

And you're done!  I hope you enjoy your new-found ability to make great, homemade pasta!