BASICS

Making and rolling dough for fresh pasta by hand is laborious, but with a food processor and either a hand-cranked or electric pasta machine, it takes very little time. What follows below are the steps for using a pasta machine.

Note that once fresh pasta is formed, it should dry about 15 minutes before cooking. Spread the pasta on a kitchen towel or hang it over a wooden dowel rod. If you make a lot of fresh pasta, it probably makes sense to buy a drying rack.

Most likely you’ll cook the pasta immediately, but it can be refrigerated up to five days, or frozen for a month. Frozen pasta should not be thawed before cooking.

It takes one gallon of water to properly cook a pound of pasta. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add the pasta, stir, and cover the pot until the water returns to a boil. Uncover and stir again.

Depending on the thickness, fresh pasta cooks in 30 seconds to 3 minutes. Drain the pasta. Serve immediately with a favorite sauce.

If you don’t have a pasta machine tucked away, hand-cranked models run about $40.

1. Mix and knead the dough by following the accompanying recipe. When rolling out dough in pasta machine, work with a third at a time. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for electric pasta makers. For hand-cranked machines, begin feeding the dough through the smooth rollers, as shown, at the widest setting.

2. Feed the dough through the machine at least two times before narrowing the setting to the next-lowest level. Each time the dough goes through the rollers, fold it in thirds before sending through the machine again.

3. If the dough gets sticky, dust lightly with flour. As it becomes really long and unwieldy, you may want to cut into shorter lengths.

4. For spaghetti, the dough should be rolled very thin. Leave it slightly thicker when making linguine. Once the dough reaches this desired thickness, switch the handle to one of the cutting rollers and feed the dough through.

5. Most hand-cranked machines can cut the dough in at least two different widths.

6. The dough may also be cut with a knife. Dust well with flour and fold or roll up jellyroll fashion. Flatten the top slightly and cut into the desired width.

BASIC EGG DOUGH

For most home cooks, bread flour is a good choice for preparing homemade pasta. Egg adds richness. Oil softens the dough and makes it easier to handle. Salt can be added for flavor, but this is optional.

1 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour

1 teaspoon salt, optional

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon oil

To mix in food processor, place flour and salt in work bowl of processor fitted with metal blade. Combine eggs and oil in measuring cup.

With processor running, pour eggs and oil through feed tube in slow, steady stream. Process until mixture begins to come together but has not formed ball.

Stop processor. Press bit of dough between thumb and index finger. If dough holds together, remove from bowl and knead by hand to form smooth ball. If dough doesn’t hold together, process another 5 seconds.

Remove dough and knead on lightly floured surface about 5 minutes, until smooth and silky. Form into ball.

To mix by hand, place flour and salt in bowl. Make well in center and add eggs and oil. Using fork or fingers, gradually incorporate flour to form dough. Knead lightly to form smooth ball.

Cover dough with plastic wrap. Let stand about 1 hour before dividing in thirds, rolling out and cutting.

* Makes 1 1/4 pounds pasta.