Instructions

• Ingredients – two cups of flour, two eggs, one teaspoon of salt and one teaspoon olive oil
• Flour – Instead of two cups of a type of flour you can make a combination from two different types. For making pasta, apart from the plain flour, semolina flour (Italian ‘00’ flour) can also be used. You can also use ‘unbleached white flour’ which is made from red winter wheat. It also produces the best pasta dough. Unbleached white flour and semolina flour (ratio 4:1) makes a good start for beginners.
• Making the pasta dough – In a bowl add the flour and using your hand make a well in the center of the flour. Add the olive oil, salt and crack the eggs into this well. Get a fork and position it parallel to the counter top.
• In this position mix the egg solution first and then slowly expand the horizon by letting the flour from the sides fall in. Keep on mixing this way, slowly adding the flour from the sides.
• You will soon make dough this way. If there is any leftover flour don’t feel compelled to use it. As long as the dough looks good to you discard the remaining flour.
  Knead the dough using your hand and make it soft & bouncy to touch.
• The dough shouldn’t be sticky so knead it for ten minutes atleast. Once done, cover the dough with a plastic wrap and keep it aside for one hour. Using pasta machine – Position the rollers wide.
• Take an orange size part from the dough and flatten it. Sprinkle a little flour over it if it gets sticky. Put this through the rollers atleast six times, each time folding the dough into thirds in the shape of a rectangle.
• Soon the dough will have the same width as the pasta machine. Narrow the settings and continue feeding the dough. Repeat the process till you reach the last but one setting to get thin pasta sheets. Alternatively, if you don’t have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin to get the desired thinness. Dry the dough. Choose the desired shape (spaghetti, ravioli etc) and cut the pasta using the machine.
• You can also cut it with a knife. Store or cook the pasta.