Fresh Pasta Dough
1/4 lb. flour
1/8 tsp salt
1 egg
Chilled water
Making the pasta dough by hand: Mound the flour on a work surface or in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Break the eggs into the well and whisk with a fork, incorporating the flour as you whisk. You may need to add a little chilled water; � tsp at the time, to make loosely massed dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface; it should be soft, pliable and dry to the touch. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic with a slightly glossy appearance. Cover with a kitchen towel and leave for 30 minutes. It is then ready to roll out.
Making the pasta dough using a food processor: Mix the four for 3 seconds, and then add the eggs with motor running. Mix again for 5 seconds, or until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Mix until a loose ball forms. If the dough seems too sticky to form a smooth ball, add some flour, mix briefly and continue adding flour until the ball forms. If the mixture is too dry, add chilled water, a tsp at the time. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 to 3 minutes until smooth and elastic. It is then ready to roll out.
To roll out the pasta dough by hand: Divide the dough into 2 or 3 manageable portions. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the others refrigerated, wrapped in plastic. Flatten the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and roll out from the centre to the outer edge, rotating the dough often to the same side. When you have a � inch thick circle of dough, fold it in half and roll it out again. Do this eight times to give a smooth circle of pasta, and then roll to a thickness of 1 inch. Keep it covered and don�t allow to dry out.
If you have pasta machine work the dough through the rollers, making the setting smaller each time until the dough is the correct thickness.