homemade pasta

Fresh, homemade egg noodles are one of my favorite projects. The results are so worth the effort. Homemade noodles are so much more tender, delicate and rich than your standard dried pasta from a box. Even the fresh pasta you buy at the grocery store doesn't hold a candle to the homemade kind.

A few days ago we had homemade pasta for dinner. The recipe we used (here's a similar recipe) calls for 14 egg yolks to 2 1/2 cups of flour. You slowly work the eggs into the flour by making a "nest" of flour on your work surface and putting the eggs in the center. This technique is tricky because it is difficult to keep the eggs within the nest, so I would recommend using a large bowl to contain the inevitable spillage that usally occurs.

Once the dough comes together, you knead for 15 minutes and then the dough rests for a few hours or overnight. When you're ready to roll it out, you'll need some special equipment. I have pasta roller and cutter attachments for my mixer.

My assistant and I rolled out the dough and cut it into fettucine. As you can see, this process requires that you, your assistant, and every surface in your kitchen become coated with flour.

After the dough is all cut and dusted lightly with flour to prevent sticking, a quick 2-3 minutes in a pot of boiling water is all it takes.

We served our noodles in a rich and savory oven-roasted tomato sauce. Both recipes are from my new favorite cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. The tomato sauce had such a depth of flavor and was so satisfying. I highly recommend it.