Pasta With a "P"

Did you know that basic pasta is simply flour, egg and water? You can buy boxes and bags of dry pasta for a couple of dollars a pound but you can make fresh, delicious pasta at home for mere pennies. If you have ever tasted both, you know there is no comparison.

You don't need special equipment to make your own pasta. A rolling pin and a sharp pointed knife or pizza cutter wheel works well. If you plan to make pasta regularly, invest in a pasta roller attachment or extruder to attach to your KitchenAid stand mixer.

To make a basic pasta recipe, combine one beaten egg to each cup of flour along with a couple of tablespoons of water. I also like to add a half teaspoon of salt. All purpose white flour, whole wheat flour or other semolina varieties can be used. Place in a food processor and pulse for a short time or mix by hand until the dough starts to clump together. Dump dough onto floured board or marble counter top. Work into a ball and allow to rest covered with plastic wrap or a bowl 30-60 minutes. Either roll out with a rolling pin to desired thickness and slice into strips with the tip of a sharp knife or run through the pasta extruder to make interesting shapes like macaroni, bucatini or fusilli.