Basic Pasta Dough

PRE-STORY: After Ironman Switzerland Dude and I went Italy. We ate fresh pasta every day and it was wonderful. When we got back, I bought a pasta machine and took a class. This is the basic dough...

DISH: Pasta
SOURCE/ADAPTED FROM: Cooking Class at Open Kitchen - Instructor: Angie Lee
PREP TIME: ~30 minutes COOK TIME: 10 minutes

• 3/4 C All Purpose Flour (Ihave NEVER had luck with pasta flour, it just doesn't work for me)
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 Egg
• Pinch of salt

Recipe is per serving – 1 egg per person. Scale up as needed to serve your guests.
Mound the flour on your work surface and make a well in the center. Add the egg and oil to the well and sprinkle with salt. Using a fork, beat the egg and oil together. Gradually mix in the flour. As the dough begins to come together, switch from the fork to a bench scraper, scraping and folding the dough together. Continue to mix and fold the flour into the dough until it comes together and is soft, but not sticky to the touch; you may not need all of the flour from the well. Press dough together, but do not knead. Form the dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

Set the pasta machine to the lowest number (biggest opening). Dust the dough with flour and feed the dough through the machine. Dust again with flour and fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Feed the dough through the machine. Repeat this process for a total of three folds. Set the pasta machine to the next higher number and pass the dough through. Dust with flour as needed, set the pasta machine to the next higher number and pass the dough through. Continue this process until the desired thickness of pasta is reached. Lay the sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface and allow the dough to rest and slightly dry, about 10 minutes. The pasta may now be cut into the desired shape and cooked. Dust cut pasta with flour or cornmeal to keep from sticking until ready to cook.

SERVES / NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
Serves 1

Calories: Unknown

RATING/DIFFICULTY:
5 - it's pasta, how could it be bad?!

Just Tri - The average home cook can make this

SERVED WITH:
Depends on the day

FINAL NOTES:
You can puree spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, herbs, etc. to blend into the dough for different flavors. Fresh pasta is so easy to make, everytime I make it I wonder why I don't do it more often.