*For this recipe try to get hold of tipo ’00’ flour. This is a very finely sieved flour, which is normally used for making egg pasta or fine patisserie. The pasta is all about the ingredients and the hands that work it, so be sure to get the best eggs and flour possible*
*200 grs Tipo “00” flour + extra for dusting
*2 eggs
*1 teaspoon sea salt
*Pasta Machine Place the flour on a bowl, make a well in the center and crack the eggs into it. Slightly beat the eggs with a fork and after, using your fingertips mix the flour with the eggs incorporating little by little until everything is well combined. Tip the mixture on to your work surface and bring the pieces of dough together. With a bit of patience and love they will all bind together and you will get a super lump of dough.
Knead the dough with the heel of your hand for at least three minutes until it is very smooth. You just have to bash the dough with your hands, squashing it into the table, reshaping it, pulling it, stretching it. I know it can be tiring at some point, but do not give up! Its worthy at the end!! It shouldn´t feel sticky, if so, knead in a small amount of flour so your fingers come clean when you pull them away.
Wrap the dough and let it sit in the fridge for at least half an hour before you use it. Dust your work surface with some Tipo ’00’ flour, take a lump of pasta dough (keep the rest wrapped it dries very fast if not) the size of an apple and press it out flat with the rolling pin. Set the pasta machine at its widest setting and roll the lump of pasta dough through it. Repeat the process. Slightly dust the pasta machine and the dough with flour if it sticks. Click the machine down a setting and roll the pasta dough through again.
Roll the pasta two times on each setting: from the widest down to around the narrowest. Lightly dust both sides of the pasta with a little flour every time you run it through, and stop when you’ve reached the desired thickness. To make fettuccine I stop in the setting number two.
Use the pasta cutter attachment to cut the sheets into the desired thickness. If your pasta machine doesn´t have the cutter just do it with a sharp knife. Pasta dries much quicker than you think, don’t leave it more than a minute or two before cutting or shaping it.
To cook the pasta immediately, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water, and cook the pasta until al dente, 4-5 minutes. To dry, lay the pasta over a coat hanger or the back of a chair, and let air dry until completely brittle. Store in an airtight container for several weeks. To freeze, freeze flat in long noodles.