Part of my plan for simple living involves growing as much of my food as possible and preparing food from scratch. My plan not only saves gas and driving time, but it assures that I enjoy the freshest food possible. I keep a supply of what I consider essentials on hand, things like semolina flour and eggs. These days I always have fresh tomatoes in a bowl on the counter.
Inevitably I think of pasta.
Here’s my simple method for making fresh pasta noodles:
For each serving, put one egg in a bowl. Add semolina flour until the dough is no longer sticky but not too dry. It will probably take less than 1 cup of flour for each egg, depending on the size of the eggs, the humidity, etc. Salt is optional. Work the dough with your hands until it is smooth. Shape it into a ball and let it rest in the bowl, covered, for half an hour or so. You can rest, too.
When you and the dough are rested, roll the dough out as thin as you’d like it to be. Keep in mind that it will swell quite a bit while cooking. I use my trusty pasta machine for this step, but for many years I did it by hand with a rolling pin.
Cut into the size and shape you’d like. You can make w-i-d-e lasagna noodles, tuna casserole noodles, spaghetti, bow ties, stars–anything.
At this point you can dry the noodles or refrigerate them, but I much prefer to cook them fresh. If I’ve made extra, I cook those up and store them in the refrigerator to eat the next day.
Drop the noodles into boiling water–again, salt is optional. Test them every so often for doneness. How long it takes will depend on the size and thickness of the noodles and how soft you like them to be. I like mine to be al dente.
Serve & enjoy!
The View From Wildflower House 