Homemade Pasta

I bought my Atlas Pasta Maker over 10 years ago and have hardly ever used it. Yes, it's sad...isn't it? I remember using it with my nephew when he was little. We made (or tried to) make ravioli. As I recall it didn't turn out so great but we had a good time anyway.

Flash forward about 10 years and the pasta maker is still with me. It's been sitting on my bakers rack patiently waiting for me. And it's wait was over today.

First I placed 2 cups of flour (all-purpose) on the counter and formed a well in the center.
And as you can see in this picture, Sophie is my Sous-Chef. Always standing by to lend a paw or clean up anything that hits the floor.
In the center of the flour well add two beaten eggs, 1 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp water to start.
Slowly begin to incorporate the flour with the wet ingredients. Once they are mixed fairly well, get in there with your hands and finish combining everything. If the dough is too dry, sprinkle some water on it a little at a time.

Form the dough into a ball , wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge for at least an hour.
Once it's been chilled, you can begin to roll it through the pasta maker. I usually divide the dough into about three sections and work with one section at a time. Starting at the lowest number on the pasta maker, roll the dough through the press. Fold it in half and repeat. Do this about 3-4 times then turn the dial one notch to the next number and repeat.

Do this until you get to the desired thickness of your pasta.
Now it's time to cut the pasta. I chose the linguini setting. This in the one step that having an extra set of hands is needed. One hand to turn the crank, one hand to feed the pasta through the slicer and one to two hands to hold the pasta as it comes out of the slicer. Once it's been cut you can throw it into a pot of boiling water for about a minute or two. Or you can hang it up to dry for later use. This is what I opted to do. Right now I have metal skewers sticking out of my kitchen cabinets with strings of pasta drying. My neighbors may wonder what the heck I'm doing.
Once the pasta dries (I usually let it sit all day or overnight) you can put it in a plastic bag and store it in the fridge for up to three to four days before using it. But why wait that long.......we're having ours tomorrow night.