Made From Scratch: Fresh Pasta
Based on a recipe by Heinz Beck
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160g/5.64 ozs. plain strong flour
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80g/2.82 ozs. semola (De Cecco Semola or semolina flour-if you can't get this, use plain strong flour)
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2 egg yolks
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1 Egg
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Salt
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Water (varies, about 8 tablespoons or so)
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You will also need a pasta machine. I have tried doing this with a rolling pin but I wouldn't advise it.
Variation: for a dinner party version, use good quality saffron strands soaked in water for a saffron pasta. You'll want to use good quality saffron so that you get the golden colour throughout it without the use of colouring.
Step 1 - In a bowl or on a clean benchtop, mix the flours and make a well in the centre. Add the egg yolks and egg and start to mix together. Add salt and water-the amount of water varies depending on the flour until it comes together to become a stiff dough. This takes about 3-4 minutes of kneading. Wrap in clingfilm and you can rest it at this stage or you can roll it now.
Step 2 - Take your pasta maker and secure it to your benchtop with the clamp. Divide the dough into four or even six or eight (smaller pieces are easier to work if it is your first go). Pasta machines are numbered with 1 usually being the thickest and 10 being the thinnest. Set the machine on 1 and dust the dough very lightly with flour, the more flour there is, the tougher the pasta, so if you can get away with no extra flour that is great. Pass it through the machine being sure to guide it in with one hand and turn the handle with the other making sure that the pasta that comes out the other end doesn't stick together and bundle up.
Step 3 - Fold over the pasta and repeat four more times on setting 1 until the graininess disappears and the pasta appears silky smooth. Then turn the thickness setting to 2 and pass it through (you don't need to fold it over from now on). Gradually get to the thickness that you want-for vermicelli, don't roll the pasta too thinly or it will be too light-I found 7 about the thickness that I wanted. Sprinkle with a very scant amount of flour to stop it sticking together.
Step 4 - To make fettuccine or vermicelli, fit the extra attachment to the main pasta maker-usually there are slots that lock into each other. Remove the handle from the main compartment and place the pasta into either the fettuccine or vermicelli slots and the attachment will slice it. Dry fettuccine on a clean broom handle or use fresh and add to boiling water.